PORTLAND, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College baseball rallied for a 7-6 win in Game Two to split Saturday's Northwest Conference doubleheader against Pacific Lutheran University at Jerry Gatto Field.
 
THE BASICS
 
Pacific Lutheran 8, Lewis & Clark 3
Lewis & Clark 7, Pacific Lutheran 6
(Lewis & Clark 3-5, 1-1 NWC)
(Pacific Lutheran 3-4, 1-1 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Senior Joaquin Sandoval went 3-for-7 on the day with a home run, four RBI and two doubles. Junior Michael Aikawa went 3-for-9 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored.
 
Junior Dylan Lee finished 5-for-8 on the day, including two hits and an RBI double in Game 1, while fellow junior Bret Potter added three hits, a double, a stolen base and two RBI, including the go-ahead run in Game 2.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
 
Lewis & Clark fell behind early after Pacific Lutheran scored four runs in the third inning. Ryan Youch hit a grand slam to left-center field for a 4-0 Lutes lead.
 
The River Otters scored twice in the fourth. Potter doubled down the right-field line and scored on a Sandoval double to center. Lee followed with a double to center to score junior Gavin Mangano, who had singled earlier in the inning, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
 
Pacific Lutheran added three runs in the seventh on a solo home run and a two-RBI double. Youch singled in another run in the eighth to push the lead to 8-2. Sandoval homered to left in the bottom of the ninth for the final run.
 
Senior Nate Kerr took the loss, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Junior Austin Watkins allowed one run with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings for the River Otters.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
 
Lewis & Clark took a 2-0 lead in the first. Aikawa singled, and Mangano doubled to center to put runners on second and third with one out. Sandoval grounded out to shortstop to score Aikawa, and Potter followed with an RBI single to center to plate Mangano.
 
Pacific Lutheran tied the game in the second on a two-run single through the right side.
 
Aikawa put Lewis & Clark back in front in the bottom of the second. Senior Brandon Gonzaga doubled down the left-field line, and Aikawa followed with a two-run home run to left-center for a 4-2 lead.
 
Junior Owen Eisen and Pacific Lutheran starter Aidan Lopez kept the score at 4-2 from the third through the sixth.
 
The Lutes rallied in the seventh. After a leadoff strikeout, a walk, a single and another walk loaded the bases. Sophomore Sam Burchi replaced Eisen, and Brayden Lundberg singled up the middle to score two. Youch added an RBI double, and a groundout brought home another run for a 6-4 Pacific Lutheran lead.
 
Lewis & Clark responded in the bottom half. Eli Steinhaus singled to lead off, and after a lineout, Aikawa singled to right-center to put runners on the corners. Mangano hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Steinhaus and make it 6-5. Sandoval doubled to left-center to score Aikawa and tie the game at 6-6. Potter then singled to second base to drive in Sandoval with the go-ahead run.
 
Eisen allowed five runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. Burchi retired the Lutes in order in the eighth, worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and earned his first win of the season.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• Sandoval and Aikawa hit their second home runs of the season and lead the River Otters with eight and seven RBI, respectively.
• After going 3-for-8 on the day, Potter leads the team with a .429 batting average.
• Eisen's six strikeouts gave him a team-leading 16 in three appearances.
• The River Otters snapped a five-game losing streak to the Lutes.

 
WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark and Pacific Lutheran meet at noon Sunday at Jerry Gatto Field for the rubber match of the three-game Northwest Conference series.