PORTLAND, Ore.—For the second-straight day, Lewis & Clark College softball went toe-to-toe with #2 Linfield University in a pair of pitcher's duels on Sunday afternoon at the Huston Sports Complex. 

THE BASICS
#2 Linfield 2, Lewis & Clark 1
#2 Linfield 5, Lewis & Clark 1
(Lewis & Clark 19-13, Northwest Conference 13-7) 
(Linfield 32-0, NWC 20-0) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Both games were tightly contested with the Wildcats holding just a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning of each contest.  
 
The Pioneers continued to struggle put together hits and runs against Linfield's top two pitchers. Tayah Kelly and Tyler McNeley combined to allow seven hits, two walks, one earned run and 14 strikeouts over 14 innings. 
 
Sophomore Emily Patton led the Pioneers offensively by recording three of the team's seven runs. She finished the day 3-5 with a triple and scored both of the teams' runs. 
 
GAME ONE 
 
Charlize Pope kept the Wildcats' bats in check for a second-straight day but Lewis & Clark couldn't overcome an early 2-0 deficit. 
 
Pope threw her second complete game. She allowed five hits, four walks and two earned runs. The sophomore tacked on six strikeouts. 
 
Patton posted two hits in three at-bats and scored the Pioneers run. Sophomore Megan Yanagi went 1-2 and drove in her fourth run of the weekend. Seniors Mari Alvarez (single) and Sam Gildersleeve (walk) each reached once. 
 
For the third-straight game, Brynn Nelson jumped out to a first-inning lead for the third-straight game. Kaali Saathoff worked a leadoff walk and stole second. With two outs, Brynn Nelson delivered her second home run of the weekend to make it 2-0. 
 
Lewis & Clark nearly got a run back in the first inning. With two down, Gildersleeve walked and stole second. Alvarez singled through the left side and the Pioneers sent Gildersleeve, but she was thrown out by the left fielder. 
 
The Pioneers managed to cut into the deficit in the second. With one out, Patton singled up the middle. She successfully stole third and then took third base on a throwing error. Yanagi drove a fly ball to center field to plate Patton with a sacrifice fly. 
 
Lewis & Clark had their final chance to score in the fifth inning. Patton opened the frame with her second single of the game. Yanagi followed with a single and Patton raced all the way to third. Kelley settled down and struck out the next two batters and then got a fly out to close the frame. 
 
GAME TWO 
 
Lewis & Clark claimed their first lead of the weekend but Linfield scored single runs in the second and third and then added three runs in the seventh to cap off the sweep. 
 
Sophomore Maggie O'Leary put together a strong outing in the circle. She went the full seven innings and allowed five hits, three walks and three earned runs. O'Leary punched out five Linfield hitters. 
 
Harper Campanella, Gina Ozuna and Patton posted Lewis & Clark's three hits in the contest. 
 
After O'Leary set the Wildcats down in order in the top of the first, Lewis & Clark took their first lead of the weekend in the bottom of the inning. Patton tripled to right field with one down and Gildersleeve walked to put runners on the corners. With two down, Campanella delivered an RBI single to right field but she was thrown out trying to take second base. 
 
Linfield answered back in the second inning. Nelson opened the inning with a single and her pinch runner, Annika Dayberry, stole second. After Jacey Leyvas singled to center to put two on, O'Leary posted a strikeout for the first out of the inning. The Wildcats scratched across a run off a Lewis & Clark error that put two runners in scoring position. O'Leary buckled down and struck out the final two batters of the inning. 
 
The visitors took a 2-1 lead in the third thanks to another Pioneers miscue. With one out, Cydney Hess doubled and then moved to third on a ground out. Linfield scratched across a single run on a two-out error to take the lead. 
 
Linfield added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. With one out, Claire Seats and Leyvas both delivered RBI doubles and they added a third run on a squeeze bunt. 
 
Lewis & Clark managed just one more baserunner over the final five innings, as McNeley limited the Pioneers to three total hits. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Yanagi recorded four of Lewis & Clark's seven RBI on the weekend. The sophomore started all four games after appearing in six games off the bench prior to this weekend. She came into the weekend with four career RBI. 
• Pope limited the Wildcats to five earned runs over 14 innings. She added 13 strikeouts including posting her two highest strikeout totals of the season (seven on Saturday, six on Sunday). 
• Patton's triple in game two was the first triple of her career in her 68^th collegiate contest. 
• With George Fox being swept by Whitworth on Sunday, the Pioneers sit three games ahead of Pacific Lutheran (10-10) and Whitworth (10-10) for second place. Lewis & Clark owns the tiebreaker over both teams after taking both series by a 3-1 margin. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will travel to Tacoma, as they will play seventh-place University of Puget Sound (5-15 NWC) for a four-game series. The Pioneers and Loggers will open the series on Saturday at Noon.