PORTLAND, Ore. — Lewis & Clark College softball earned its fourth Northwest Conference sweep of the season Sunday, taking down the University of Puget Sound 8-2 and 9-8 at the Huston Sports Complex.
 
THE BASICS
 
Lewis & Clark 8, Puget Sound 2
Lewis & Clark 9, Puget Sound 8
(Lewis & Clark 27-7, 19-5 NWC)
(Puget Sound 9-25, 4-20 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Juniors Emily Patton, Lacey Marglin and Gina Ozuna led the way with four hits apiece across both games. Patton and Marglin each finished 4-for-6, while Ozuna hit .571, scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base.
 
Super seniors Sam Gildersleeve and Mari Alvarez, along with junior Madison Scroggins, paced the offense with three RBI each. Gildersleeve and Alvarez also recorded two doubles apiece, with Alvarez setting a new program record for career doubles (40). Scroggins highlighted the day with a dramatic inside-the-park home run during Game 2 and added three RBI to help lock down the sweep.
 
In the circle, junior Maggie O'Leary picked up both victories to improve to 16-5 on the season. She tossed 6.2 innings of three-hit ball with six strikeouts in the opener, then returned for 1.2 innings of relief to close out the series finale. O'Leary's seven strikeouts on the day moved her into second in program history for career strikeouts.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
 
The Pioneers wasted no time, scoring three runs in the first inning. After singles by Ozuna and Patton, Marglin and Alvarez delivered sacrifice flies, and Gildersleeve followed with an RBI double.
 
Puget Sound cut into the lead with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but Lewis & Clark responded immediately. Senior pinch runner Pippi Jepsen stole two bases and scored on a throwing error to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Lewis & Clark added insurance runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Ozuna delivered an RBI single to score pinch runner Lola Jarrette, who also stole a base. Alvarez and Gildersleeve knocked back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth, and Cami Restagno added a run-scoring groundout to stretch the lead to 8-2.

O'Leary earned her 15th win, striking out six and allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings. Sophomore Sofia Garcia made her season debut in relief, recording one out, allowing one hit and three walks before O'Leary returned to close it out.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
 
Game 2 was a back-and-forth thriller from the first pitch.
 
Puget Sound struck first with a two-run homer by Aislind Dail. Lewis & Clark responded with aggressive baserunning: after a bunt by Scroggins and a throwing error, Ozuna scored and Patton moved up to third. A wild pitch during Alvarez's at-bat allowed Patton to score, tying the game at 2-2.
 
After Puget Sound regained a 4-2 lead in the third, Lewis & Clark quickly answered. Alvarez's sacrifice fly and Gildersleeve's RBI single evened the score once again.
 
In the fourth, senior Katie Ingersoll led off with a bunt single, stole second, and scored on Patton's RBI single to left center. Moments later, Scroggins ripped a ball that bounced off the turf in front of the left fielder and sliced toward the foul pole. Scroggins raced around the bases for her first career home run — an inside-the-park shot — to give the Pioneers a 7-4 lead.
 
In the top of the fifth, Puget Sound threatened with runners on first and second and one out. With a 1-2 count, Logger hitter Alyssa Figueroa fouled off several pitches before sending a ball deep down the left-field line. Scroggins chased it down, reached over the fence, and made a spectacular catch to record the second out. Though the Loggers rallied for two runs, Lewis & Clark still held a 7-6 lead.
 
Puget Sound pulled ahead 8-7 in the sixth on a two-run homer by Claire Besancon. O'Leary re-entered in relief and gave up a single before striking out Dail. Figueroa again sent a deep shot to left, but Scroggins raced back, caught it over her head, crashed into the fence, and held on for the final out of the inning.
 
Scroggins continued her heroics at the plate in the bottom of the sixth, delivering an RBI single to tie the game at 8-all. Marglin followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Patton for the go-ahead run.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• O'Leary earned three wins and a save in the series, striking out 11 total batters. She now has 246 career strikeouts, just two shy of the program record.
• Scroggins' inside-the-park home run marked the first homer of her collegiate career.
• Gildersleeve moved into second all-time with her 156th career hit and climbed to fourth in program history with her 25th career double.
• Alvarez's record-setting day also saw her move into second place on the program's all-time RBI list with 116.

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark travels to Newberg on Friday for a doubleheader against George Fox, with first pitches scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.