KEIZER, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College baseball erupted for a season-high 24 runs in game one, to earn a doubleheader split with host Willamette University on Friday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.  
 
THE BASICS
 
Lewis & Clark 24, Willamette 7
Willamette 14, Lewis & Clark 3 
(Lewis & Clark 19-16, Northwest Conference 10-10)
(Willamette 12-21, NWC 9-21) 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Pioneers scored their most runs in over a year and their most runs in a conference game since scoring 24 runs against Whitman College in 2009. The team's 24 runs are tied for the fifth-most runs scored by Lewis & Clark in a single-game. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark scored in eight of the nine innings and posted two innings with six runs or more to cruise past Willamette in the opener. 
 
The Pioneers racked up 17 hits, including two doubles, two triples and two home runs, nine walks and three hit by pitches. They also took advantage of five errors by the home team. Seven starters posted multiple runs scored and six players racked up multiple RBI in the win. 
 
Senior Brennen Davis put together one of the best games by a Pioneer in program history. The center fielder went 4-4 with five runs, five RBI and two walks. He added a double and a home run in six trips to the plate. 
 
First year Will Michelman added three hits in three at-bats, three runs scored, an RBI and a pair of triples. Sophomore Michael Aikawa had an impressive line of 1-4 with four runs, three RBI, a double and two walks. 
 
Brandon Gonzaga, Joaquin Sandoval and Justin Cavagnaro all added three runs scored. Eli Steinhaus (three), Connor Broschard, Will Heron and Sandoval all finished with multiple RBI. 
 
Sophomore Caden Hodina dominated through the first five innings to move to a season-best 5-1. He allowed four runs, all in the sixth inning, six hits and four walks. He added three strikeouts. First year Dillon Foster allowed three runs over the final three innings to earn his first collegiate save. 
 
The Pioneers raced out to a 6-0 lead after three innings. Heron opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the first to plate Aikawa. In the second, the Pioneers scored a run on a Bret Potter sac bunt - when the Bearcats threw the ball away. Steinhaus made it 4-0 with a two-run single that scored Potter and Michelman. Davis added two more runs when he hit a a two-run homer well over the left-field fence in the third inning. 
 
After stretching their advantage to 7-0 in the fifth, the Pioneers put the game away with a six-run top of the sixth. Lewis & Clark took advantage of two errors early in the frame to score six runs on four hits. Davis and Steinhaus posted RBI singles and Michelman's second triple of the day drove in Davis and Cavagnaro. 
 
The Bearcats cut the deficit to 13-4 after six. Sandoval greeted a Bearcats reliever with a solo homer in the seventh and the Pioneers struck for eight more in the eighth. Aikawa and Davis each belted two-run doubles in the inning. 
 
Baseball capped off their scoring in the top of the ninth when Broschard produced a two-run, pinch-hit single to plate Aikawa and Gonzaga. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Willamette scored multiple runs in each of the first innings to race out to a 11-0 lead and never looked back to split Friday's doubleheader. 
 
Heron and Aikawa led the Pioneers offense with multiple-hit games. Heron went 3-5 with a run scored and a double. Aikawa chipped in two hits, a run scored and two walks. 
 
Cavagnaro drove in two runs and tacked on a hit and a run scored. 
 
The Pioneers used five pitchers in the night cap. First year Sam Burchi had the most success. He went 2.1 innings and held the Bearcats to one hit, three walks and no runs. Shane Buchbinder, Felix Gibeault and Ryan Harvey all threw at least an inning in relief. 
 
Lewis & Clark racked up 10 hits in the contest but couldn't come through with runners in scoring position. The Pioneers left multiple runners on base four times and 11 total runners on. 
 
After falling behind 11-0 through the first four innings, Lewis & Clark struck for three runs of their own in the top of the fifth. With two down and no one one, Aikawa singled and Heron followed with a double. Cavagnaro plated both runners with a two-run single. Davis continued the frame with a single and Michelman made it 11-3 with an RBI double down the left-field line.
 
The hosts tacked on a single run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to cap off a day where the two teams combined to score 48 runs. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• The Pioneers set season-highs in game one for runs (24), RBI (22) and triples (two). 
• Lewis & Clark reached the 20-run mark in conference for the first time since February 20, 2022. They racked up 20 runs in a 20-2 road win over Whitman College to win their series with the Blues. 
• Davis matched his career-high for hits (four) and runs scored in a game (five) and set a new career-best for RBI (five). He reached 150 career hits (152) and 500 career at-bats (500) on the contest. Davis now ranks third in program history in home runs (27), fifth in runs (131) and RBI (122), tied for fifth in career doubles (38) and tied for 14th in hits (153).
• The Pioneers last scored 24 runs in a contest on April 2, 2024. Lewis & Clark racked up 26 runs in a 26-3 non-conference win over Corban University. 
• Heron went over 500 career at-bats in game two (501) and tied former teammate Luke Bass (119) for fifth place in program history in career RBI in game one. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
The Pioneers will wrap up their three-game set with the Bearcats on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Volcanoes Stadium.