SALEM, Ore. – Junior Brett Pierson and sophomore Luke Ritter combined to give up the fewest runs in a doubleheader since March 2018, and the offense hit seven home runs in one day for the first time in at least 10 years as Lewis & Clark College swept Willamette University in Saturday's Northwest Conference doubleheader that secured their first series win over the Bearcats since the 2007 season.  

THE BASICS
 
Lewis & Clark 9, Willamette 1
Lewis & Clark 5, Willamette 1  
(Lewis & Clark 22-11, 11-9 NWC)
(Willamette 19-9, 14-7 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Pierson pitched 7.2 innings in game one giving up one unearned run on four hits, and Ritter pitched a career best eight innings in game two giving up one run on eight hits. Each pitcher earned their fourth win of the season. Junior Jakob Ghammachi hit three home runs between the two games, and senior Dylan Moore hit two of his own, including a grand slam in game one.  
 
GAME ONE RECAP

Senior Jack Thomson started the Pioneers' offensive assault on the Bearcats, hitting home run number 18 of the season to right center in his first at-bat of the game. Willamette tied the game in the fifth inning, but it was all Lewis & Clark from that point on.

Sophomore Brennen Davis hit a solo homer to left-center in the sixth to retake the lead. Three batters later, Ghammachi hit his first home run of the day, a two-run shot to left field with two outs.

In the Pioneers' final at-bat, Moore and Ghammachi hit back-to-back home runs with one out. Moore's was a base clearing grand slam, followed by Ghammachi's solo homer.

Junior Anthony Clerici earned his fifth save of the season, pitching 1.1 innings with one hit and no runs.

GAME TWO RECAP

Lewis & Clark struck first in the second inning of game two. Ghammachi hit a no-out, bases-loaded single through the right side to score fellow junior Luke Bass and earn his fourth RBI of the day. Freshman Joaquin Sandoval was then walked with the bases loaded to score run number two in the inning.

Moore led off for the Pioneers in the fourth inning, hitting his second shot of the day over the fence, this time to left-center field and extending the lead to 3-1. Moore finished 5-9 with two homers and five RBI.
 
Ritter pitched 3.2 hitless innings before Willamette's Carl Lawson hit a home run down the left field line for the Bearcats' lone run of the game.

The Pioneers added to the lead again in the seventh inning on a Davis single to the shortstop. A throwing error on the play allowed Thomson to score and Davis to advance to second.

In the eighth inning, the final Lewis & Clark run was a solo homer by Ghammachi over the left-field fence. He finished the day 5-8 with three home runs and five RBI.
 
The Pioneers again utilized Clerici to close out the game in the ninth. He gave up one hit and no runs.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Pierson, Ritter, and Clerici gave up two runs on 14 hits to combine for the best pitching performance in a doubleheader since March 2021, when the Pioneers gave up four runs on eight hits against Linfield.
• Head Coach Matt Kosderka won his first series against his alma mater today since taking over the Pioneers.
• Ritter is the first Pioneer pitcher to go eight innings since Dominic Monozon pitched eight innings in a 4-0 loss to Pacific with eight hits and one strikeout in February 2019. Ritter struck out seven Bearcats today.
• Thomson set his fourth program record in a week today with his 154^th career game played in the orange and black. He also tied the program record for career doubles today with his 45^th in game two and is one walk away from tying the career record for walks.
• The Pioneers 22 wins is the most for the program since 1995.  

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark is scheduled to host NWC leading Pacific at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at the Huston Sports Complex.