FOREST GROVE, Ore. –Nine innings weren't enough to determine the winner of the Northwest Conference's final regular season baseball game on Monday as Lewis & Clark College aimed to salvage the series, end their season with a victory, and spoil Pacific University's bid for the fourth and final spot in the upcoming Northwest Conference Tournament.     
 
THE BASICS
 
Pacific 5, Lewis & Clark 4 (13 Innings) 
(Lewis & Clark 17-22-1, 8-16 NWC)
(Pacific 25-14, 13-11 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Senior Luke Bass and freshman Michael Aikawa accounted for all four Pioneers' RBI in the game. Bass hit 3-for-6, including a double, a walk, and a run scored, driving in two runs. Aikawa contributed a two-RBI double and a walk.

Jack Savant led the Pioneers with a .667 batting average (4-6), including a walk, two runs scored, and a stolen base. The senior scored the first and last runs for Lewis & Clark, both times driven in by Bass.

In his final game, senior Anthony Clerici delivered one of his most efficient performances, allowing just one hit and striking out one over four innings. He threw 30 pitches to 16 batters, averaging less than two pitches per batter.

The game began with Savant singling to right field. Freshman Gavin Mangano, the two-hole hitter, was hit by a pitch, reaching base for the 18th consecutive game and tying with senior Jakob Ghammachi for the longest streak of the season. With one out, Bass singled to right, driving in Savant for a 1-0 lead while Mangano advanced to third. After Pacific recorded the second out, sophomore Ryan Sanderson walked to load the bases. Aikawa then hit a two-RBI double to left field, scoring Mangano and Bass, giving Lewis & Clark a 3-0 lead. Pacific made an early pitching change before retiring the third Pioneer in the first inning.

Freshman Caden Hodina retired six of the first eight batters he faced in the first two innings, walking one and hitting another. After walking the first batter in the third inning, Hodina gave up his first hit of the game. Dawson Tokishi then hit a two-RBI single for a 3-2 score. He walked the next batter but then settled down to retire the next three Pacific players, ending the inning.

In the top of the fourth, the Pioneers threatened to score as junior Justin Cavagnaro and sophomore Brandon Gonzaga earned back-to-back walks with two outs. Savant loaded the bases with a single before Mangano grounded into a force out at second.

Junior Luke Ritter entered the game with one out in the bottom of the inning after Pacific advanced runners to second and third with a bunt. He induced a pop-out and struck out Tokishi to end the inning.

The Pioneers threatened again in the sixth as Cavagnaro and Gonzaga hit singles, and Savant drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Pacific pitcher CJ Colyer recorded the final out with a strikeout.

In the seventh, after an intentional walk and a triple by Matt Gibbs tied the game, Pacific took a 4-3 lead with an RBI single by Benjamin Lewis. Ritter then secured the final two outs of the inning.

Clerici entered the game to start the eighth inning. With one out and runners on the corners, Clerici made a quick play on a bunt, throwing the ball to Cavagnaro at home, who applied the tag on Zaine Gushiken for the second out.  Clerici then struck out Colyer to end the inning.

In the ninth, Savant singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Joaquin Sandoval and a throwing error by Boxer's pitcher Joey Harmon. Savant then scored on Bass's two-out RBI double, tying the game at 4-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Pacific's Lewis drew a one-out walk. Then, with the count at 2-2, Miles Bergman ducked and was hit by a pitch. He was initially called for leaning into the ball, but the call was overturned, and he was awarded first base after the first base umpire ruled he was avoiding the pitch by ducking over home plate. Clerici recorded the final two outs with a pop-up to Cavagnaro and a 4-3 groundout.
 
Gonzaga and Savant hit back-to-back two-out singles in the top of the tenth inning, with Gonzaga advancing to third on Savant's hit to centerfield. Pacific made another change at pitcher, and when play resumed, Savant stole second to put two runners in scoring position. The Boxers were able to get a ground out to second base to end the threat.
 
Clerici retired the next six batters in order, with five flyouts and a pop-out, to extend the game into the 12^th inning.    
 
Junior Ryan Harvey entered the game for the Pioneers in the bottom of the 12^th, making his first appearance in six weeks. The Boxers loaded the bases with no outs after a hit-by pitch, a double, and an intentional walk. Pacific attempted a suicide squeeze for the win, but junior first baseman Will Heron picked up the ball and tossed it to Cavagnaro at home for the critical force out. Harvey got a fly-out and ground out on the next two batters to escape the inning.
 
In the top of the 13^th inning, Ghammachi hit a one-out single to center field but was thrown out at second in an attempt at an extra-base hit. Bass then hit a single to left before Pacific made their final pitching change. The Boxers were able to end the inning with a fly-out.
 
Harvey struck out the lead-off batter in the bottom half but couldn't prevent the bases from being loaded again. He struck out another batter before Jack Rhea hit a walk-off single, giving Pacific a 5-4 win.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Monday's game was the Pioneers' longest contest since February 23, 2019. The Pioneers' second game of a doubleheader went 14 innings in a 7-3 loss to Pacific.
• Savant's four hits are tied for the most by a Lewis & Clark hitter this season. It also marked the most in a single game of his career (140 games).
• Clerici tied his career-high for innings pitched with four scoreless frames. His four innings were his longest since his sophomore campaign, when he earned his first and only career start and went four innings in a win over Caltech on February 13.
• Lewis & Clark's three senior hitters that saw action (Ghammachi, Savant and Bass) combined for eight of the team's 12 hits, three runs and two RBI. 

WHAT'S NEXT
 
With nine seniors graduating this past Saturday, Lewis & Clark plans to bring back 23 players from this year's team. Returnees include Heron, Cavagnaro, Gonzaga, Sandoval, Aikawa, Mangano, junior Brennen Davis, and freshman Bret Potter, all of whom started in more than half of the Pioneers' games on offense. Additionally, five pitchers who made 10 or more appearances this season will return, including Ritter and Hodina.