BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Brett Pierson and Brayden Nomura limited #7/5 Birmingham-Southern College to just four singles and Lewis & Clark College baseball hit four home runs to earn a 7-1 win over the Panthers in the first game of the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Regional.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark College (31-12)
#7/5 Birmingham-Southern (36-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lewis & Clark jumped out to a 1-0 lead early and never trailed in winning the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game. The win also marked the program's first win over a nationally-ranked team since April 13, 2008 and put this year's team in a tie for the program record for wins in a single-season with 31.
With the win, Lewis & Clark will take on the winner of second-seeded University of La Verne and third-seeded Franklin College on Saturday in the winner's bracket. That game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central (12:30 Pacific).
Pierson put together one of his best outings of his junior campaign. The junior pitched six innings and scattered three hits, five walks and one run to improve to 8-4 on the season. He added five strikeouts while throwing 120 pitches.
Nomura came on to start the seventh and allowed just one single and one walk, while striking out two. He earned his second save of the year after getting the final nine outs.
Offensively, Northwest Conference Player of the Year Jack Thomson had two of the biggest hits of the game. He finished 3-5 with two runs and four RBI and hit two of the team's four home runs. With his three hits, Thomson moved into a tie for first in program history with 194 career hits.
Juniors Luke Bass (2-5) and Jakob Ghammachi (1-4) each added solo home runs for Lewis & Clark.
Freshman Brandon Gonzaga was the third and final Pioneer with multiple hits. The Pioneers shortstop went 2-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
Birmingham-Southern ace Joey White suffered his third collegiate loss in 16 decisions (13-3). The sophomore right-hander went 6.1 inning and allowed eight hits, four earned runs and two walks.
Both teams put pressure on the opposing team's pitcher from the jump. In the top of the first, Thomson singled to right-center with one out and Brennen Davis followed with a walk to put two on. White posted a strike out looking and then Will Heron's hard line-drive to right center was tracked down by the center fielder to strand two.
The hosts worked a pair of walks and used a wild pitch with two down to put two runners in scoring position for All-Conference catcher Jack Fleming. Pierson induced a soft grounder back to the mound to get out of the jam.
Ghammachi put the Pioneers ahead for good in the top of the second. After a long fly out by Dylan Moore, Ghammachi crushed a pitch to right-center into the high netting behind the wall for his 10th home run of the year.
Lewis & Clark doubled their lead in the fourth. Heron and Moore opened the frame with back-to-back singles and sophomore Justin Cavagnaro loaded the bases with one out on a single to center. Gonzaga made it 2-0 when he worked a five-pitch walk to bring in Heron. The Panthers limited the damage when Jack Savant hit into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Birmingham-Southern struck for their lone run of the game in the top of the fourth. Jackson Webster posted the first hit of the game for the hosts with a hard-hit infield single on a 3-2 pitch. He raced all the way to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run to put runners on the corners with no outs. Eli Steadman made it 2-1 when he hit a sacrifice fly to right that advanced both runners. Pierson kept at 2-1 as he retired the next two batters on a groundout to short and a pop up to shallow left.
Lewis & Clark wasted no time in grabbing the momentum back. Thomson annihilated a fastball that nearly scraped the lights in right-center to push the lead back to 3-1. Two batters later, Bass added a solo shot that easily cleared the right-field fence to make it 4-1 Pioneers.
Pierson closed out his outing by retiring the last six batters he faced, thanks to a big play by Davis in center. After a leadoff bunt single to start the fifth, the Panthers hit a shallow fly to center field. Davis, the Pioneers center fielder, convinced the runner at first he was going to catch the ball, only for it to fall just in front of him as he was diving. Davis managed to keep the ball in front and then threw the ball to second for the force out.
Nomura took over in the seventh and allowed a one out baserunner in the seventh and eighth innings but those were the only baserunners he would allow.
Lewis & Clark put the game away in the top of the ninth. Gonzaga reached on a bunt single and Savant followed with a walk to put two runners on with no outs. Thomson ripped a fly ball into the netting in right field for his 22nd home run of the season and a 7-1 advantage.
Nomura retired the hosts in order in the ninth, including back-to-back strikeouts to close out the victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With the win, this year's team tied the 1990 Lewis & Clark team, that made it to the NAIA World Series, for most wins in program history. The 1990 team finished the year 31-16, while the Pioneers (31-12) have at least two games left in their 2023 campaign.
- Thomson tied Steve Moore (1986-89) for the program record for career hits (194) on Friday. Thomson entered the day in fourth place, but passed both Michael Ball '12 (193 hits) and Bill Fellows '87 (192 hits) in the contests.
- Pierson moved into a tie for third in program history with his eighth win in a single-season. Lewis & Clark has now won seven of his last eight starts and are 3-0 in his postseason starts.
- Everyone in the Pioneers lineup reached base on Friday. Seven hitters posted a hit and Davis (2 walks) and Savant combined for three of the team's four walks.
- Lewis & Clark's last win over a nationally ranked squad came on April 13, 2008, when the Pioneers defeated #12 Linfield University 4-0.
WHO'S NEXT
The Pioneers will take on the winner of the University of La Verne/Franklin College on Saturday at 2:30 pm Central/12:30 pm Pacific. The winner of that contest will advance to Sunday's Regional Championship Series. Saturday's loser will play in game three on Saturday (scheduled for 6 pm Central/4 pm Pacific with a spot in the Regional Championship on the line.