MCMINNVILLE, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College softball senior Sam Gildersleeve hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth inning, to keep the Pioneers season alive. With their 4-3 win over #4 Pacific Lutheran University, softball extended their season and will play in the NWC Championship Semifinal against #3 George Fox University on Sunday at 11 a.m. 
 
THE BASICS
#3 George Fox 3, #2 Lewis & Clark 1
#2 Lewis & Clark 4, #4 Pacific Lutheran 3 (8 Innings) 
(Lewis & Clark 30-10) 
(George Fox University 26-16)
(Pacific Lutheran 27-15) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
After going down 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, junior Madison Scroggins, graduate student Mari Alvarez and Gildersleeve - all doubled in the bottom half of the frame to lift the Pioneers to their 30^th win of the season. The inning helped Lewis & Clark overcome a difficult day at the plate – that saw them score just three runs in their first 11 innings of play. 
 
Junior pitcher Maggie O'Leary started both games in the circle and went 13.2 innings out of 15 total innings pitched by the Pioneers. The junior allowed six runs (five earned) and struck out four. She posted her 100^thstrikeout of the season in game two, to become the first pitcher in program history to record 100 or more strikeouts in a single-season on two occasions. 
 
Gildersleeve, Scroggins, Alvarez, Lacey Marglin and Makena Dahir all recorded two hits on Friday. Scroggins came through with a series of fantastic catches in left field to keep the Pioneers in both games. Alvarez set the career program record for doubles (40) with her game-tying double in game two. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
For the second time in just over a week, George Fox first year Nicole Ledendecker held Lewis & Clark's offense in check, as the #3 Bruins earned a 3-1 win over #2 Lewis & Clark. 
 
Ledendecker limited the Pioneers to three singles, four walks and one run over seven innings. 
 
O'Leary took the loss after allowing three earned runs over 5.2 innings. She scattered five hits, four walks and struck out three. Sophomore reliever Ryan Jurischk limited the Bruins to two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings. 
 
Sophomores Harper Campanella and Dahir and Gildersleeve (run scored) all recorded hits. Junior Emily Patton drove in the Pioneers lone run and senior Caeleigh Rosenbach walked twice in three trips to the plate. 
 
Lewis & Clark had the first real chance for either team to score in the bottom of the third inning. Rosenbach walked to lead off the inning. Junior Gina Ozuna added a one-out walk and Alvarez walked to load the bases with two down. Ledendecker induced a fly out to left to end the jam. 
 
George Fox scored all the runs they would need in the top of the fourth. Sharon Tomei and Makayla Noone hit back-to-back solo home runs over the left-field wall to open the inning. 
 
The Bruins added another run in the top of the fifth. After a one-out walk, Tinley Taylor produced a double into the right-field gap to make it 3-0. 
 
Lewis & Clark nearly came all the way back in the bottom of the seventh. Gildersleeve led off with an infield single. With one down, Campanella looped a single into left field and Rosenbach followed with a walk to load the bases. Patton plated Gildersleeve with an RBI groundout to bring the tying run to second base. Ledendecker buckled down with a pop up on the infield to seal the win. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game and two more in the bottom of the eighth inning, to keep their season alive. 
 
O'Leary threw a career-high eight innings and held the Lutes offense in check throughout the contest. She gave up eight hits, one walk and three runs (two earned). 
 
Scroggins and Marglin each finished with two hits, a double and a run scored and Alvarez chipped in with two hits, an RBI and a double. 
 
Pacific Lutheran grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With two down, Kamalani Doctor hit a solo home run just over the left-field fence. 
 
The Lutes nearly added two more runs in the third. With runners on first and third with two down, Brookelyn Gutierrez hit a fly ball into the left-center field gap that was falling quickly. Scroggins made a full-extension diving grab to end the inning and kept the score 1-0. 
 
Pacific Lutheran added a second run in the top of the fifth. With runners at the corners and no outs, O'Leary struck out her 100^th batter of the season to keep the runners from moving. After a stolen base put both runners in scoring position, O'Leary recorded a sac fly to center and a pop up to shortstop to keep the deficit at just 2-0. 
 
The Pioneers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Marglin registered the team's first extra-base hit of the day with a double down the right-field line with one out. Rosenbach walked to put two runners on and Marglin raced home on a Patton bunt that the Lutes pitcher threw away. Pinch runner Lola Jarrette came in to score on an Ozuna RBI groundout. 
Lewis & Clark had their first chance to close out the game in the seventh. With runners at first and third and two down, Lutes starter Rachael Rhinehart recorded a groundout to second to send the game to extras. 
 
Pacific Lutheran took advantage of a pair of Pioneers fielding miscues to take the lead in the top of the eighth. Doctor reached on a dropped fly ball and moved to second on a sac bunt. She took third on a single and scored on another Lewis & Clark error. With runners at first and second and one run in, O'Leary notched a pop up to third and a fly out to right to keep the game 3-2. 
 
The Pioneers sealed the win in the bottom of the inning. Scroggins led off with a double to left-center and Alvarez followed with a double just inside the right-field line to tie the game 3-3. With one down, Gildersleeve hit a line drive over the center fielder's head to score pinch runner Pippi Jepsen. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• The Pioneers posted their program-record 30^th win in game two. This year's team is only the eight team in school history to reach the 30-win mark and the first women's team to accomplish the feat since the Volleyball team won 33 matches in 1989. 
• Alvarez broke a tie with Hannah Dal Pra (2013-16) for the most doubles in program history in the bottom of the eighth inning in game two. Alvarez is the first Pioneer to reach the 40-double mark. 
• Lewis & Clark set the single-season program records for hits (376) and runs scored (277) in game two. The Pioneers had set both records last Spring. 
• Marglin is one double away from tying the single-season record for doubles (13). Ozuna set the single-season record last year. 
• Lewis & Clark is now 3-0 all-time against Pacific Lutheran in the 2025 NWC Tournament. The Pioneers have ended the Lutes season in back-to-back years on walk-off hits. 
• O'Leary stands second (112) and fourth (100) all-time for strikeouts in a single-season. She owns two of the four 100+ strikeouts in program history. 
• Scroggins posted eight putouts (four in both games) in left field and an outfield assist at home plate in game one. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
#3 Lewis & Clark will take on #2 George Fox on Sunday with a spot in the NWC Championship Series on the line. The Pioneers will need to beat the Bruins at 11 a.m. and then defeat #1 Linfield two times, to earn their first-ever NWC Tournament Championship.