WHITTIER, Calif.—Lewis & Clark College scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning, to secure a 7-5 comeback win over host Whittier College in their 2026 season opener.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 7, Whittier 5
(Lewis & Clark 1-0)
(Whittier 0-5)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior
Connor Broschard delivered a go-ahead, two-run single as part of the four-run eighth inning and fellow junior
Bret Potter drove in two runs and picked up the save on Friday.
Lewis & Clark found themselves trailing for much of the afternoon. They fell behind 2-0 after one and cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth. The River Otters briefly tied the game in the top of the seventh, before the Poets answered with a go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.
Nine batters came to the plate in the top of the eighth inning as Lewis & Clark took the lead for the first time in 2026. Junior
Dylan Lee opened the frame with a hit by pitch and Potter singled to right to put two on with no outs. Sophomore
Jacob Shannon-Wilkerson moved both runners over with a sac bunt and Broschard ripped a two-run single through the right side to give Lewis & Clark a 5-4 lead. Junior
Eli Steinhaus followed with a single to force a Whittier pitching change. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch and senior
Brandon Gonzaga came through with a sac fly to make it 6-4. The River Otters tacked on another insurance run when junior
Michael Aikawa hit a fly ball to right field that scored Steinhaus.
Whittier mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth but Potter settled in to secure the team's first win of the year. The Poets loaded the bases on a double and a pair of hit by pitches. The hosts cut the deficit to 7-5 with a fielder's choice but Potter struck out the final two batters to finish out the win.
Potter finished the game 3-4 at the plate with a run scored, two RBI and a walk. Broschard added a base hit, a run and two RBI. Junior
Gavin Mangano hit his first collegiate home run and finished 2-5 with a run scored, an RBI and a double. Senior
Joaquin Sandoval led the team with two runs scored and tacked on a double.
Senior
Nate Kerr made his first collegiate opening day start and just the third start of his career. After giving up two runs in the first inning, he managed to go six innings while giving up just four runs (three earned). Kerr scattered seven hits and one walk and struck out four.
Junior
Felix Gibeault earned the win. He threw two scoreless innings of relief and struck out four while giving up two hits.
Mangano opened the scoring for Lewis & Clark in the fourth inning with a solo home run that went well over the left-field fence. The River Otters tacked on a second run in the inning to cut the deficit to 3-2. Sandoval followed Mangano with a double to left-center, took third on a Lee fly out and scored when Potter beat out a ground ball to the shortstop.
The visitors tied the game in the top of the sixth. Sandoval and Lee worked back-to-back, one-out walks and Potter followed with a RBI single to center to score Sandoval.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Kerr made his first start since the 2024 season. The 2025 All-Region honoree threw a career-high six innings on Friday and tossed 110 total pitches.
- Potter tied his career-high with three hits on Friday. He has posted three hits in a game five times in his career and accomplished the feat against Whittier in all three of his collegiate seasons.
- Gibeault picked up his first collegiate win on Friday. The junior did not record a decision in 14 appearances in his first two seasons.
- Lewis & Clark has now won three in a row over Whittier and nine of the past 12 meetings (9-2-1).
- Whittier's four pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts in the loss. Kerr, Gibeault and Potter piled up 10 strikeouts.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will travel to Occidental College on Saturday to start a three-game weekend set. The River Otters and Tigers will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
