PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark completed a four-game Northwest Conference sweep of Willamette University on Sunday afternoon to get off to their best start to NWC play since the 2013 season. 
 
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 3, Willamette 1
Lewis & Clark 5, Willamette 3
(Lewis & Clark 8-4, NWC 4-0) 
(Willamette 3-9, NWC 0-4) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Pioneers secured their first four-game weekend sweep of a conference foe since April 2021, when they also downed the Bearcats in four-straight games. 
 
Sophomore Maggie O'Leary limited the Bearcats to two hits and one run for a second-consecutive game one and the Pioneers scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure a second-straight sweep. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Mari Alvarez and Madison Scroggins each delivered RBI hits in the bottom of the third to break a 1-1 tie and O'Leary held Willamette without a hit for the final four innings in a 3-1 win. 
 
O'Leary limited the visitors to two hits, four walks and one earned run. She added five strikeouts in her team-leading fourth win of the year. 
 
Gina Ozuna (2-3, one RBI) and Katie Ingersoll (2-2) each posted two of the Pioneers eight hits. 
 
Lewis & Clark grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second inning. With two down, McKenna Zehnder singled through the left side and Cami Restagno and Ingersoll walked to load the bases. Ozuna drove a single through the left side to plate Zehnder and make it 1-0. 
 
Willamette put together their only two hits of the game back-to-back in the third inning. With one out, Emma Elliott and Maris Pinheiro recorded consecutive doubles to tie the game. O'Leary would retire the next two batters on a strikeout and a ground out to get out of the inning. 
 
The Pioneers wasted no time in retaking the lead. With one down, Sam Gildersleeve singled, stole second and raced home on an Alvarez double to right center. Scroggins made it 3-1, when she drove a single up the middle to score pinch runner Alyssa Hoeke. 
 
O'Leary would shut Willamette down from there. The Bearcats managed just three walks and four total baserunners over the final four frames. In the seventh inning, O'Leary walked the leadoff hitter but Zehnder picked off Sophia Lucio with a great throw from behind the plate. After a second walk, shortstop Emily Patton started a 6-3 game-ending double play to close out the game. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Facing their first deficit of the entire series, Lewis & Clark scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and got strong relief pitching from sophomore Tallulah Sickels to wrap up the series sweep. 
 
Gildersleeve and Alvarez each hit home runs and Patton and freshman Abby Yamashita added RBI singles as the Pioneers made the most of their six total hits. 
 
Sophomore Charlize Pope went 4.1 innings as the starter. Pope allowed four hits, three runs (two earned) and struck out two. Sickels went the final 2.2 innings and gave up just one hit. She struck out two batters to earn her first win of her sophomore campaign. 
 
The Pioneers needed just three batters to take the lead in game two. With two down, Alvarez crushed a home run to left-center field to put Lewis & Clark on the board. 
 
The hosts pushed their advantage to 2-0 in the fourth. Scroggins walked with two outs to start the rally. Zehnder followed with an infield single and Yamashita drilled a single to left-center to score Scroggins from second base. 
 
Willamette put together their best offensive inning of the weekend in the top of the fifth. Elliott hit a solo home run with one to cut the deficit to 2-1. After an infield single and stolen base, Lauren Stube singled to right field to put runners on the corners. The Bearcats tied the game on the next play when the Pioneers tried to erase the lead runner on a ground ball but the throw to home got away allowing the run to score and the two trail runners to move up 60 feet. Pinheiro made it 3-2 Willamette with a sacrifice fly. 
 
After a rain delay, Lewis & Clark retook the lead in the bottom of the inning. Ingersoll walked and moved to third base with one out before the stoppage. She raced home on a Patton RBI single to tie the game at 3-3. With two down and Patton standing on second, Gildersleeve hit her 28^th career home run to make it 5-3. 
 
Sickels allowed just one baserunner in the final two innings to conclude the game and the series. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark's 4-0 start to conference play is their best since 2013. The Pioneers went 5-1 to open NWC action that season – including earning two-game sweeps of the University of Puget Sound and Willamette.
• O'Leary allowed just four hits and two runs in 12 innings this weekend. She went 2-0 and struck out 13 batters. 
• The Pioneers earned their first four-game winning streak against Willamette since winning eight in a row against the Bearcats from March 13, 2021 to April 15, 2022. 
• Ingersoll finished the weekend 5-8 (.625 average) with four walks and a run scored. 
• Gildersleeve, Alvarez and Scroggins all drove in four runs this weekend. 
• As a team, the Pioneers finished the weekend hitting .357 and held Willamette to a .143 batting average (12-84). 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will look to extend their perfect home record on Tuesday, when the Pioneers welcome SUNY Oneonta to the Huston Sports Complex. The Pioneers and Red Dragons will play their first-ever games at 1 and 3 p.m.