TACOMA, Wash.—Lewis & Clark College baseball used an eight-run, top of the fifth inning in game two to earn a 15-10 win, and secure a split in their opening Northwest Conference doubleheader of the season. 
 
THE BASICS
 
Game One: Pacific Lutheran University 8, Lewis & Clark 6 
Game Two: Lewis & Clark 15, Pacific Lutheran 10
(Lewis & Clark 5-2, NWC 1-1) 
(Pacific Lutheran 2-4, NWC 1-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Pacific Lutheran claimed game one thanks to a four-run bottom of the sixth inning that saw Lewis & Clark go from leading 6-4, to trailing by two. 
 
The Pioneers responded in the nightcap with their biggest inning of the season thus far and scored enough late runs to avoid letting Pacific Lutheran back into the game. 
 
Junior Joaquin Sandoval led the team offensively with five hits and five runs in nine at-bats. Sophomore Michael Aikawa (4-8, one run, five RBI) did the majority of his damage in game two. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark held leads of 2-0 and 6-4, but both times the Lutes immediately responded and Pacific Lutheran reliever Logan Egge held the Pioneers scoreless for the final 3.2 innings. 
 
Sandoval posted two of the team's six hits in the opener. He went 2-4 with two runs and a double out of the three-hole. Senior Justin Cavagnaro added a hit and two RBI and senior Will Heron chipped in a double and a pair of runs scored. 
 
Sophomore Owen Eisen allowed six hits, three walks and four runs over 4.1 innings. First year Dillon Foster was charged with the loss after scattering four hits and three runs in 1.1 innings. Junior Nate Kerr kept the Pioneers in the game late by limiting PLU to three hits and one run over the final 2.1 innings. 
 
After being shut down the first time through, Lewis & Clark scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Sandoval recorded the Pioneers first hit of the game with a one-out single and raced to third on Heron's double to left-center. Cavagnaro followed with an RBI single to left and sophomore Bret Potter made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to right. 
 
The hosts responded with a two-run homer from Carson Burke in the bottom of the inning to tie it and added a third run to take the lead. They tacked on one more run in the fifth to open up a 4-2 edge. 
Lewis & Clark briefly took the lead in the top of the sixth. Senior Brennen Davis led off with a single and moved to third on a Sandoval double. Heron walked to load the bases and Cavagnaro plated Davis with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. After a Potter walk to reload the bases, Aikawa tied the game on an infield single. With two down, sophomore Eli Steinhaus worked a bases-loaded walk to give Lewis & Clark the lead and Potter raced home on a wild pitch to give the Pioneers a 6-4 advantage. 
 
Pacific Lutheran responded with four, two-out runs to make it 8-6. With runners on second and third with two outs, Ethan Keintz tied the game with a two-run double to end Foster's outing. Each of the next two batters recorded extra-base hits to give the hosts the lead. 
 
Lewis & Clark managed one baserunner, an Evyn Lewis leadoff walk in the ninth, the rest of the way against Egge. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
After going down 4-0, Lewis & Clark scored eight runs in the fifth and 15 total runs over their final five at-bats to claim their first NWC win of the year. 
 
Five Pioneers posted multiple hits and eight of the team's nine starters notched at least one hit - as Lewis & Clark recorded a season-high 15 runs. 
 
Aikawa paced the offense with three hits, one run and four RBI. Davis chipped in a double, three runs, three RBI and a pair of walks. Sandoval notched three hits, including a double, and three runs scored. Cavagnaro chipped in three hits (two doubles), a run scored and an RBI. Junior Brandon Gonzaga (two runs, one RBI) and Potter (one run, one RBI) each added two hits apiece. 
 
Heron only finished with one hit, but posted two runs, two RBI and a walk. 
 
Sophomore Caden Hodina picked up his third win in as many starts despite a rough four-run, third inning. He finished the game allowing seven hits and five runs over 5+ innings. Hodina walked three and struck out five. 
 
First year Matt Stanislavsky struck out six over two innings of relief. He was charged with three hits, one walk and three runs. Senior Ryan Harvey earned his first collegiate save. Harvey held the Lutes to four hits and two runs over the final two innings. 
 
Pacific Lutheran took a 4-0 lead in the third inning thanks to four hits, one walk and a pair of sacrifice flies. 
 
The Pioneers responded with an eight-run, top of the fifth inning. Potter started the frame with a single and raced home from second on an Aikawa RBI single. First year Jacob Shannon-Wilkerson worked a walk and both runners moved up on an Eli Steinhaus sac bunt. Gonzaga cut the Lutes lead in half with an RBI single to left. Davis tied the game at 4-4 with at two-run double down the left-field line. After a Lutes pitching change, Sandoval singled and Heron (single) and Cavagnaro (double) each posted RBI hits to give Lewis & Clark a 6-4 edge. Pacific Lutheran went back to the bullpen a second time but Potter (sac fly) and Aikawa (RBI single) drove in two more runs before the hosts could get out of the inning. 
 
The rest of the game saw both teams score in every frame from the sixth inning on. 
 
Steinhaus opened the sixth with a double and scored on a Davis sac fly to make it 9-4. 
 
After PLU scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, Lewis & Clark scratched across a single run in the seventh. The Pioneers loaded the bases on a Heron walk, Potter single and Aikawa hit by pitch. Lewis came on to pinch hit and beat out a potential double-play ball to score Heron. 
 
With the Pioneers lead cut to 10-8 heading to the eighth, the visitors scored two important insurance runs. Davis walked to open the inning and raced to third on a Sandoval single. Heron greeted the new reliever with a sacrifice fly and sophomore Connor Broschard came through with a two-out, RBI single to left. 
 
Lewis & Clark put the game away in the top of the ninth. Gonzaga started the inning with a single, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scampered home on a wild pitch. With Davis and Sandoval at second and third after walks, the PLU catcher failed to tag or throw down to first base after a strike three call on what should have been the third out. Aikawa made the Lutes pay with a two-run single up the middle to make it 15-9. 
 
Harvey gave up a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning but then induced a double play and a fly out to seal the win. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Harvey is only the fourth active Pioneers pitcher to record a save. He joins Davis (eight), senior Kyle Wilsie (one) and Potter (one) as the only Pioneers with saves. 
• Seven players finished the doubleheader with multiple hits and nine players recorded hits in Saturday's doubleheader. 
• Aikawa has now hit safely in all seven games this year and has recorded five multiple-hit games. He is hitting .552 (16-29) through the first seven games of the year. It took him until April 6 to reach 16 hits during his first season. 
• Davis moved into sole possession of seventh place in career RBI (105) on Saturday. He is 14 runs batted in shy of tying his former teammate Luke Bass ('24) for fifth-place all-time (119 RBI). 
• Hodina has already eclipsed his first season's total for wins. He improved to 5-1 in 14 career appearances (10 starts) with his game two win. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will play another doubleheader against Pacific Lutheran on Sunday. The first game (11 a.m.) will count towards the NWC Standings, while the second game (2 p.m.) will be a non-conference contest.