NEWBERG, Ore.—Lewis & Clark senior third baseman Jack Thomson became the program-record holder in career home runs on Saturday in a pair of back-and-forth one-run losses to Pacific University at George Fox University's Morse Athletic Field.
 
THE BASICS
Pacific 10, Lewis & Clark 9
Pacific 8, Lewis & Clark 7
(Lewis & Clark 20-9, Northwest Conference 9-7) 
(Pacific 17-9, NWC 14-5) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Thomson annihilated a three-run home run onto the George Fox Softball Field, well beyond the right-field fence, for his program-record setting 40^th collegiate homer.  
 
Saturday's doubleheader, which featured two of the top three teams in the Northwest Conference standings, was extremely competitive throughout the day. The Pioneers nearly came all the way back from a 9-1 deficit to take the opener. In game two, the Pios erased a 5-1 deficit, only for the Boxers to score the final three runs in an 8-7 setback. 
 
Freshman Brandon Gonzaga led the Pioneers on the day with a pair of multi-hit games. He went 7-10 with four runs, one RBI and a triple on the day. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark scored eight runs between the fifth and eighth innings but fell just short in the opener. 
 
Sophomore Brennen Davis and Gonzaga led the Pioneers 14-hit charge. Davis went 4-5 with three RBI and a pair of doubles. Gonzaga ended the game with a career-high four hits and three runs scored. 
 
Senior Jack Savant added three hits in six at-bats, three runs scored and two RBI. Senior Jack Thomson tacked on one hit, two runs, three RBI and his program-record setting 40^th career home run. 
 
Senior Brayden Nomura was crucial in helping the Pioneers have a chance to make a  comeback. Nomura went the final three innings and allowed just one hit, no runs and struck out three. 
 
Pacific did the majority of their offensive damage in the first five innings. They scored runs in each of the first three frames (five total) and then tacked on four runs in the fifth to make it 9-1 after 4.5. 
 
Lewis & Clark began their comeback in the bottom of the inning. With two outs and no one on, Savant singled and Thomson was hit by a pitch to put two on. Davis singled through the right side to plate Savant and two batters later, sophomore Will Heron worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-3. 
 
Pacific scored a single run in the top of the sixth on a double, walk and a sacrifice fly. 
 
The Pioneers posted their first of two three-run innings in the bottom of the sixth. Jakob Ghammachi started the inning with a double. With one out, Gonzaga reached on an infield single and Savant followed with an RBI single through the right side. With two down, Davis doubled down the left-field line to make it 10-6. 
 
The Boxers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh, only for Nomura to retire the next three batters with a strike out, line out and strike out. 
 
Thomson made history in the bottom of the eighth. After back-to-back one-out singles from Gonzaga and Savant, Thomson crushed a no-doubter to right to set the program record and make it 10-9. 
 
The Pioneers put two runners on later in the eighth inning and again in the ninth but couldn't get a run off of Shane Melrose. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Saturday's second game proved to be even wilder with both teams coming back from multiple-run deficits. 
 
Gonzaga and Savant posted three hits apiece as part of a 13-hit game for Lewis & Clark. Gonzaga went 3-5 with one run and one RBI and Savant added three hits in five at-bats with one run and one walk. 
 
Thomson finished 2-5 with one run, two RBI and a double. Heron tacked on two hits, one run, one RBI and one walk. 
 
Sophomore starter Luke Ritter kept the Pioneers in the contest by going 6.1 innings. After giving up five runs in the first 3.2 innings, Ritter ended the game allowing eight hits, three walks, six runs and posting four strikeouts. 
 
Pacific grabbed two runs in the second inning, only for Lewis & Clark to respond with two of their own in the third. Thomson and Davis led off the inning with back-to-back singles and Heron made it 2-1 with a one-out RBI single. The Pios tied the game on a Boxers error with two down. 
 
The Boxers grabbed a 5-2 advantage in the top of the fourth when Jake Gallagher came through with a two-out, three-run single. 
 
Lewis & Clark grabbed their first lead of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Pioneers used three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch to grab a 7-5 edge. Heron opened the inning with a walk and Dylan Moore followed with a hit by pitch. Ghammachi made it 5-3 when his double to left scored Heron. After a pitching change and the second out, Lewis & Clark tied the game on a Gonzaga RBI single that scored two. After a Savant walk, Thomson laced a double down the right-field line to score two more to make it 7-5. 
 
Pacific cut the deficit to 7-6 in the sixth on an Isaac Lovings homer and grabbed the lead in the top of the eighth. They tied the game on a sacrifice fly and took an 8-7 lead on a Tyler Quinn two-out double. 
 
Lewis & Clark nearly added to their lead in the bottom of the seventh. Savant came through with a two-out single and Thomson hit an opposite-field fly ball that was high enough to be a home run, only for Matt Gibbs to keep it in the yard with a jumping catch. 
 
In the ninth, Gonzaga singled with two outs and Savant sent a deep fly to left but Gibbs made a diving catch to deny the Pioneers a chance to tie the game. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Thomson's home run in game one broke a tie with Bill Fellows (1984-87) for the program record. With the home run, Thomson also moved within one homer of tying the single-season record for home runs in a single season (15). Thomson has hit 14 home runs in each of the past two seasons. 
• Savant finished the day 6-11 with four runs, two RBI, one walk and one stolen base. 
• Thomson moved into second place in program history in career doubles (44) in game two. He is one double away from tying Rob Broberg (1998-01) for first place in program history. 
• The Pioneers 14 hits in game one are tied for their most hits in an NWC game this year. Their 27 hits in the doubleheader are their most this season. 
• Thomson became the fifth player in program history to play in 150 games on Saturday. He is just three games played away from tying Dan Ruhl (1989-92) for the most games played in program history (153). 
• Even after their two losses on Saturday, Lewis & Clark still sits third in the NWC at 9-7.  

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will host Pacific on Sunday at Noon in the finale of their three-game conference series.