PASCO, Wash.—Defending Northwest Conference Tournament Champions Whitworth University stranded the bases loaded in the ninth of game one to escape with a 4-3 win and carried that momentum into game two, to earn a conference doubleheader sweep of Lewis & Clark College baseball on Sunday. 
 
THE BASICS 
 
Whitworth 4, Lewis & Clark 3
Whitworth 17, Lewis & Clark 3
(Lewis & Clark 7-8, NWC 2-3) 
(Whitworth 9-11, NWC 4-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
After changing the venue twice and postponing the start of the series by 24 hours, Whitworth narrowly held on to an early 4-0 lead in game one, and then raced out to an early lead in game two and never looked back. 
 
Juniors Gavin Mangano and Bret Potter paced the offense on Sunday. Mangano hit safely in both games and finished with four hits in nine at-bats and an RBI. Potter added three hits, two runs scored and an RBI. 
 
GAME ONE RECAP 
 
Lewis & Clark nearly dug themselves out of an early 4-0 hole, thanks to strong relief pitching from sophomores Sam Burchi and Matt Stanislavsky.

The reliever duo combined to limit the hosts to one hit and four walks across five innings of work. Burchi threw 3.1 innings and allowed one hit, four walks and struck out three. Stanislavsky went the final 1.2 innings and allowed one baserunner, while striking out two. Senior Nate Kerr scattered three hits, two walks and four runs (three earned) across the opening three innings. Kerr added one strikeout. The trio combined to hold Whitworth to just four hits. 
 
Sophomore Will Michelman and Potter (two runs) each finished with two hits to pace the River Otters in game one. Juniors Michael Aikawa and Dylan Lee each added a double and an RBI. 
 
After three-straight 1-2-3 half innings to start the game, Whitworth struck for three, two-out runs in the bottom of the second. Kerr retired the first two batters of the frame but Whitworth loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, a walk and a single. Austin Paul made the River Otters pay with a bases-clearing double down the left-field line. 
 
The hosts would add a fourth run in the third. Kerr retired the first two batters of the inning again but Whitworth would put two runners on with a walk and a Lewis & Clark error. Emerson Fleck came through with a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 4-0. 
The River Otters got on the board in the fourth inning. Potter singled with one out and raced to third on a Michelman single. Potter would steal home with two outs. 
 
Lewis & Clark would trim the lead in half in the top of the fifth thanks to another two-out run. With two down and no one on, junior Eli Steinhaus (walk) and senior Brandon Gonzaga (hit by pitch) reached base. Aikawa ripped a double down the right-field line to score Steinhaus to make it 4-2.  
 
After leaving runners on in the sixth and seventh, Lewis & Clark cut the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth. Potter led off with a hit by pitch and took second on a wild pitch. Lee easily plated Potter with a double down the left-field line. The Pirates would turn the ball over Luke Stuseman and he retired the next two batters to keep the Whitworth lead intact. 
 
The River Otters wouldn't go down without a fight. Steinhaus opened the ninth with a hit by pitch and took second on a Gonzaga sac bunt. Aikawa took first on a hit by pitch of his own. Whitworth made their fourth pitching change of the game and brought out closer Seth Mahler. The closer induced a line out to center for the second out but then Potter reached on an infield single to load the bases. Mahler posted a strikeout to close out the game. 
 
GAME TWO RECAP 
 
Whitworth used an eight-run second inning to take control and scored runs in each of their final three at-bats to earn the doubleheader sweep. 
 
The Pirates racked up 17 runs on 14 hits (four extra-base hits) and three Lewis & Clark errors. Nine Whitworth players finished with hits in the contest. 
 
Mangano paced Lewis & Clark with three hits in three at-bats and an RBI. Junior Evyn Lewis added a solo home run and Potter tacked on a hit and an RBI. 
 
All five Lewis & Clark pitchers who saw action in the contest threw at least one inning. Junior Owen Eisen earned the start and went 2.2 innings and allowed six hits and six runs. Sophomore Dillon Foster (1.1 innings, 3 runs), first year Calvin Martinez (1.2 innings, 3 runs), junior Felix Gibeault (1.0 innings, 2 runs) and junior Austin Watkins (1.1 innings, 3 runs) pitched in relief. 
 
Whitworth scored eight runs in the second to grab a 9-0 lead. They used five hits, two hit by pitches and a walk to inflict the damage. Caleb Gray capped off the inning with a two-out, grand slam. 
 
Lewis & Clark cut the deficit to 9-2 in the sixth. With one down, Gonzaga singled and Steinhaus followed with a walk. Mangano singled to left field to plate Gonzaga with two down. Potter followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 9-2. 
 
Lewis capped off the scoring for the River Otters in the seventh. The junior catcher belted his first collegiate home run over the left-field fence. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• The River Otters tied their season-low in game one by allowing only four hits. They accomplished the feat twice in four games, after limiting Chapman to four hits in a 10-3 win last Saturday. 
• Mangano extended his hitting streak to 13 games on Sunday. The junior has hit safely in every game he's appeared in this season and leads the team with his .412 batting average. 
• Burchi and Stanislavsky have combined to limit opponents to just five earned runs in 22 innings this season. The pair have allowed one earned run across their past four appearances (12.0 innings pitched).  
• First years Trent Amoroso, Lenox Bray, Garrett Lewis and Yuma Noda all made their collegiate conference debuts in game two. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will return home to kick off a five-game homestand. The River Otters will host #1 Denison University on Tuesday at 3 p.m.