SPRINGFIELD, Ore.—Senior Sam Gildersleeve drove in six runs and sophomores Charlize Pope and Maggie O'Leary combined for a two-hit shutout in game one, to lead Lewis & Clark College softball to a doubleheader split with host Bushnell University in their 2024 season opener. 
 
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 8, Bushnell 0 (6 Innings) 
Bushnell 6, Lewis & Clark 3
(Lewis & Clark 1-1) 
(Bushnell 1-6) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Gildersleeve finished 4-7 with three extra-base hits, one run and six RBI to kick off her senior campaign in a big way. 
 
In the circle, O'Leary finished with five strikeouts in 5.1 scoreless innings to help lead a young Pioneers pitching staff that limited Bushnell to runs in just two of 12 innings. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark jumped all over the Beacons in the top of the first and used a five-RBI game from Gildersleeve and dominant pitching to earn their first win of the year. 
 
Gildersleeve went 3-4 with one run, five RBI, a double and a triple. The senior drove in runs with all three of her hits in the contest. 
 
Freshman Harper Campanella earned the start at the Designated Player spot and added two hits in four at-bats, a double, a run scored and an RBI. Sophomore McKenna Zehnder was the other Pioneer with multiple hits. Zehnder finished 2-3 with an RBI. Senior Mari Alvarez reached three times (1-2) and scored twice out of the three-hole. 
 
In the circle, Pope and O'Leary mowed down the Beacons hitters. Pope earned her first collegiate start on Opening Day and went three innings allowing just one hit. She struck out three and walked two. O'Leary came on in the fourth and also gave up one hit and two walks in three scoreless frames. She struck out five and was credited with the win. 
 
The Pioneers needed just four batters to take the lead. With one down, sophomore Gina Ozuna sprayed a double to left center for her first collegiate extra-base hit. Alvarez followed with a walk and then Gildersleeve ripped a grounder past both the second baseman and the diving right fielder to score both runners. Campanella added an RBI double down the left field line to make it 3-0. 
 
Bushnell threatened to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the first. With the first two runners on, Pope struck out the three-hole hitter and then induced a ground ball to third. Zehnder grabbed the high bounce, stepped on third and fired across the diamond for an inning-ending double play. 
 
Lewis & Clark made it 5-0 in the second. After three-straight singles from Zehnder, senior Alyssa Hoeke and sophomore Emily Patton, Bushnell starter Emily Cole retired the next two batters. Gildersleeve came through with two down, as she lofted a single to left center that plated Hoeke, and Patton raced home from second and slid underneath the tag.  
 
The Pioneers extended their lead to seven in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out this time, sophomore Madison Scroggins lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate pinch runner Pippi Jepsen. Zehnder added another two-out hit, when she singled through the left side to score Campanella. 
 
After O'Leary struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers added an eight-run to reach the mercy rule mark of an eight-run lead. Alvarez doubled with two outs, took third on a wild pitch and trotted home on Gildersleeve's RBI double down the left-field line. 
 
The Beacons threatened to force a seventh inning with a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth, but O'Leary induced a pair of groundouts to close out the game. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Bushnell used a five-run bottom of the fourth to blow the game open and held off a late Pioneers charge to earn the split and their first win of the 2024 season. 
 
Scroggins was the lone Pioneers with multiple hits in game two. The left fielder went 2-3 with a run scored. Patton and Gildersleeve each drove in runs and Gina Ozuna added a single and a run scored. 
 
In the circle, sophomore Tallulah Sickels and freshman Sofia Garcia were each charged with three earned runs. Sickels went the first three innings and allowed five hits, three runs and struck out four. Garcia came on in relief and gave up four hits and three runs in 0.2 innings. O'Leary appeared for the final 2.1 innings and retired all seven batters she faced. 
 
Bushnell took the lead in the bottom of the second on a Faith Wayman solo home run. 
 
They extended their lead to 6-0 thanks to five hits and a wild pitch in the fourth. Haleigh Wambolt recorded an RBI single to end Sickels day with one run in. Garcia retired the first batter she faced with a groundout to third, but the next two batters reached to make it 3-0. After a second ground out made it 4-0, Gracelyn Johnson (single) and Suzi Krstic (double) added RBI hits to push the lead to 6-0. O'Leary came on with a runner on second and induced a lineout to second to end the frame. 
 
After recording just two singles in the first five innings, Lewis & Clark struck for three runs in the sixth. Scroggins and Ozuna led off the inning with back-to-back singles to put two runners in scoring position. Patton made it 6-2 with a two-run single to center field. With one out and Patton on second, Gildersleeve ripped her second triple of the day to make it a 6-3 game. The Pioneers loaded the bases with one out but Liz Hillier retired the next two batters to get out of the jam. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark racked up 12 hits in game one. Seven starters and freshman pinch hitter Makena Dahir all posted hits in the win. On the day nine players registered hits and Gildersleeve (four), Scroggins, Zehnder, Alvarez, Campanella, Patton and Ozuna all posted multiple hits. 
• O'Leary finished the day allowing just three baserunners in 5.1 innings. The Beacons hit just .059 against her (1-17). 
• Five of the Pioneers hits in game one (four doubles and one triple) and six of their hits overall went for extra-bases. 
• Freshman Abby Yamashita, Campanella, Dahir and Garcia all made their collegiate debuts on Saturday. Yamashita, Campanella, Dahir and Ozuna all made their first collegiate starts. 
• The Pioneers did not make an error on Saturday across 12 defensive innings. 
• Gildersleeve moved into a tie for ninth place in program history in career RBI. Her 62 career RBI are just 11 behind former teammate Riley Anderson (73) for fifth place all-time. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will travel to Clark College in Vancouver, Washington next Saturday for a scrimmage doubleheader beginning at Noon. The Pioneers will play their next countable games on Thursday, February 29, when they take on Southwestern University (Texas) in their first two games of their Texas Trip.