Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Lewis & Clark College

From left to right seniors Justin Cavagnaro, Luke Ritter, Will Heron, Brennen Davis, Ryan Harvey and Kyle Wilsie pose with their families on the baseball field with the trees and scoreboard in the background.
Ella Ruark
7
Winner Linfield LINFIELD 24-16, 13-11 NWC
5
Lewis & Clark LEWIS & 20-19, 11-13 NWC
Winner
Linfield LINFIELD
24-16, 13-11 NWC
7
Final
5
Lewis & Clark LEWIS &
20-19, 11-13 NWC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Linfield LINFIELD 2 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 10 1
Lewis & Clark LEWIS & 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 5 9 2

W: M. Tacheny (2-2) L: Ritter, Luke (4-3) S: C. Ouellette (5)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Brian Hauge

Baseball Drops Senior Day Finale Despite Ninth-Inning Rally

Six-member senior class helped lead program to historic four-year stretch.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College baseball celebrated a milestone Senior Day on Sunday, honoring a six-player class that posted the most wins in a four-year span in over three decades. Despite a ninth-inning rally that featured a home run from first-year Will Michelman, the Pioneers fell 7-5 to Linfield University in their Northwest Conference finale at Jerry Gatto Field.
 
THE BASICS
 
Linfield 7, Lewis & Clark 5
(Lewis & Clark 20-19, 11-13 NWC)
(Linfield 24-16, 13-11 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

Before first pitch, Lewis & Clark honored seniors Justin Cavagnaro, Luke Ritter, Will Heron, Brennen Davis, Ryan Harvey, and Kyle Wilsie, a group that leaves with 88 wins, tied for the most by any class since 1993. As sophomores, they helped lead the Pioneers to a program-record 31 wins, their first Northwest Conference title since 1987, and their first appearances in the NWC and NCAA tournaments.

Ritter took the mound in his final start, throwing 2.2 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with two strikeouts. The bullpen took it from there, as Shane Buchbinder, Bret Potter, Sam Burchi, and Nate Kerr combined for 6.1 innings and held Linfield to just two runs. Buchbinder, Burchi and Kerr teamed up for four scoreless frames, surrendering only two hits.

Michelman led the offense with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, including a double, his first collegiate home run and a career-best three RBI. Davis added two hits and a run scored, while Heron reached base four times on two hits and two walks.

Linfield jumped ahead early on a two-run homer by Nick Holm in the first and added runs in the second and third innings to take a 5-0 lead.

Lewis & Clark responded in the fourth. Heron walked, Davis singled and Michelman drove a two-out, two-run double to left-center to cut the deficit to 5-2. Michelman then scored on an error during Potter's at-bat to bring the Pioneers within two.

The defense stepped up in the fifth. With two runners on, Linfield's Luke Porter tried to score from second on a single to right-center. Sophomore Eli Steinhaus fielded the relay from Potter and fired to Cavagnaro at the plate, who applied the tag for a crucial out.

Lewis & Clark continued to chip away in the bottom half. Junior Brandon Gonzaga singled, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, and then scored on a wild pitch to trim the lead to 5-4.
 
Holm answered with his second home run of the day in the sixth, and Linfield tacked on an unearned run in the seventh after a bases-loaded error to push the lead to 7-4.
 
Down to their final three outs, the Pioneers made one last push. Michelman launched his first collegiate home run over the Clear Monster in right to make it 7-5. Potter followed with a walk and advanced to third on a single by Gonzaga, bringing the tying run aboard. But Linfield retired the final two batters to seal the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
  • Heron and Cavagnaro each recorded a game-high seven putouts. Heron finished the year with 294 putouts and a .997 fielding percentage, while Cavagnaro was second on the team with 142 putouts and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
  • Kerr wrapped up his season with a 1.72 ERA over 31.1 innings—the third-best single-season ERA in program history.
  • Ritter concluded his career with 178 strikeouts, the third-most in Pioneer history.
  • Davis ends his career ranked third in program history with 29 home runs, fourth with 140 runs scored, fifth with 125 RBI, and fifth with 39 doubles.
  • Harvey made 32 career appearances, throwing 44.2 innings with a 2-1 record and 36 strikeouts.
  • Wilsie pitched in 27 games, including three starts, and tallied 36 strikeouts over 47.1 innings with a 2-3 record.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark heads into the offseason following its second straight 20-win campaign. The Pioneers are slated to return 24 players next spring, including position starters sophomore Michael Aikawa, Potter, Gonzaga, junior Joaquin Sandoval and Steinhaus—all of whom started 35 or more games this year. On the mound, sophomores Owen Eisen and Caden Hodina, who made up two-thirds of the starting rotation, are also set to return.
 
Print Friendly Version