MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College baseball earned a Northwest Conference sweep for the first time since March 2021 thanks to a late comeback win in game one and a grand slam in game two to beat Linfield University on Sunday afternoon and move into a tie for second place in the conference.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 9, Linfield 5 12 innings
Lewis & Clark 7, Linfield 4
(Lewis & Clark 19-7, 9-5 NWC)
(Linfield 9-15, 6-10 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Six Pioneers recorded RBI in two four-run innings in the game one comeback, and junior Luke Bass gave the Pioneers their third four-run inning of the day and fourth of the series with a grand slam in game two to earn the series sweep over the Wildcats.
GAME ONE RECAP
The Pioneers came back from 5-1 down in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings. On the verge of being held to their fewest hits of the season, sophomore Brennen Davis stepped to the plate to start the ninth and singled to the shortstop to record the team's first hit since the fourth inning. Four batters later, junior Jakob Ghammachi hit a sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded to score Davis. Linfield pitcher Gavin Ludlow loaded the bases again when he walked sophomore Justin Cavagnaro during the next at-bat. The Pioneers capitalized as freshman Brandon Gonzaga hit an RBI single to right field, and senior Jack Savant hit a single to center field to score two more runs with two outs to force a Wildcat pitching change.
Linfield retired senior Jack Thomson to end the Pioneer run. Lewis & Clark pushed the game to extra innings by retiring the three Linfield batters they faced in the bottom of the ninth.
To start the 12th inning, Gonzaga hit a bunt single to third for the Pioneers. Two batters later and with two baserunners, Thomson hit an RBI single to right field on the 2-1 pitch to score the go-ahead run. Davis and Bass both hit RBI singles to right field in the next two at-bats to make it 8-5 with no outs. After another Wildcat pitching change and a walk to load the bases, senior Dylan Moore hit into a 6-4-3 double play while scoring Davis from third.
Linfield put two runners on base in their half of the inning. Junior Anthony Clerici struck out pinch hitter Nate Kassler with one out and runners on the corners. Then Trent Wainfeld flew out to left field to secure the comeback win for the Pioneers and give Clerici his second win of the season.
Sophomore Luke Ritter, junior Tyler Shimabukuro, and Clerici allowed nine hits and 0 earned runs over 12 innings of play.
GAME TWO RECAP
Facing a full count and two outs in the top of the seventh, Bass hit a grand slam over the center field fence to break a 2-2 tie in the game and put Lewis & Clark on top for good. Bass finished the game with a career-high five RBI after doubling to center field and scoring Davis in the third inning for a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers scored first for the first time in eight games. In the first inning, Thomson hit a double down the right field line on an 0-1 pitch. He then stole third, and an error by Wildcat third baseman Jackson Horner allowed Thomson to score.
Linfield tied the game in the fifth after a leadoff home run to left field by Nick Holm made it 2-1. Three batters later, with two out, Garret Ringer hit the 2-2 pitch to left field for an RBI double.
The Wildcats attempted to tie the game again in the seventh when Jake Hoskins hit a two-RBI single to center to make it 6-4 with two outs. The Pioneers brought in sophomore Kyle Wilsie to replace senior Kris Wuelfing on the mound. Wilsie walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. He got out of the inning without giving up a hit or a run when Linfield's Brandon Pasion lined out to right fielder Moore.
Ghammachi gave the Pioneers an insurance run in the eighth with a homer over the left field fence to make it 7-4 Lewis & Clark.
Wuelfing earned his fourth win of the season. He pitched 6.2 innings with nine hits and four runs and struck out six Linfield batters. Wilsie earned his first collegiate save with 2.1 innings pitched, one hit, one walk, one strikeout, and no runs.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Bass joined the Top-15 Career Home Run list today with his grand slam. He now has 16 career home runs and is tied for 11th in program history. Bass went 3-10 today with six RBI, a home run, a double, and a walk.
- The Pioneers' last NWC sweep was a four-game series win over at Linfield March 25-26, 2021.
- Ritter leads the Lewis & Clark pitchers with a 2.93 ERA this season.
- Brennen hit 3-8 (.375) with an RBI, a double, two walks, a hit by pitch, and five runs scored.
- Thomson also hit .375 (3-8), with an RBI, a double, two walks, a hit by pitch, and three runs scored.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark hosts Corban in a non-conference game at the Huston Sports Complex on Tuesday at 1 p.m.