MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College baseball outscored host Linfield University 10-2 from the 5
th inning on, including a six-run 6
th inning to earn the 11-5 comeback win in Northwest Conference play Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 11, Linfield 5
(Lewis & Clark 17-7, 7-5 NWC)
(Linfield 9-13, 6-8 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lewis & Clark outhit Linfield 6-5 through the first four innings, but they faced a 3-1 deficit heading into the fifth. Sophomore
Brennen Davis singled to left field with two outs and two on base to score senior
Jack Savant to pull within 3-2. Linfield threatened to get the run back in the bottom of the inning when Garrett Moen doubled to right field, but Bodey Smith was thrown out at home when senior
Dylan Moore threw the ball into freshman
Brandon Gonzaga and was tagged out at the plate by sophomore
Justin Cavagnaro.
Moore started the scoring frenzy in the sixth inning, driving in sophomore
Will Heron with a double down the left-field line. Linfield's Aidan McCann then walked Gonzaga with the bases loaded, and Lewis & Clark took their first lead of the game, 4-3. Savant stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a single to left field to score Cavagnaro and junior
Jakob Ghammachi. McCann loaded the bases again, hitting senior
Jack Thomson and walking Davis. After a Wildcat pitching change, Heron stepped to the plate with two outs and singled to left field to score Thomson and Savant, extending the lead to five runs.
Savant and Thomson each drove in a run in the seventh inning to put the Pioneers ahead 10-4 before the stretch. Heron scored the final Pioneer run with a solo home run over the center field fence in the eighth inning.
Junior
Brett Pierson earned his third win of the season, pitching five innings with two earned runs, and he struck out three Wildcats. Senior
Brayden Nomura earned his first collegiate save with 3.1 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits and a run.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Heron hit 4-5 (.800) with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI. He is now tied for 10th in program history for RBI in a season with 35 RBI.
- Savant had runs scored with three RBI on two hits in the game.
- Ghammachi hit 3-4 (.750) with an RBI and two runs scored.
- Moore finished 2-5 (.400) with two runs scored and an RBI.
- Lewis & Clark has won four of their last five games.
- This is the Pioneers' second consecutive win over the Wildcats; 368 days ago, they won 11-5 at the Huston Sports Complex.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark returns to McMinnville tomorrow for a doubleheader against Linfield at Noon and 3:30 p.m.