PORTLAND | The offensive woes of the Warner Pacific University Softball team (1-3) were put to rest this afternoon, as the Knights took one of two games against the NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark College Pioneers (1-1), dropping game one in an extra inning 9-10 win by the Pioneers, then following it up with a dominating 10-2 victory in game two.
 

Game 1

 
Just like yesterday in their season opener at Western Oregon, Warner Pacific saw the ball off the bat early and often, as the Knights took an early 1-0 lead in the 1^st inning off an RBI single from Knights' junior third baseman Carrigan Foster, scoring senior shortstop Payton Hergert in the process.
 
A clean inning of work in the bottom of the 1^st inning from Knights' sophomore starting pitcher Sammie Brauckmiller (0-2) led to another great opportunity on offense for WPU in the top of the 2^nd, as Hergert ripped a single into right-centerfield, scoring sophomore right-fielder Christina Barrett and senior second baseman Alexis Morrow to make it a 3-0 Warner Pacific lead.
 
Without even missing a beat, Foster turned on the second pitch she saw following Hergert's two-run single, smashing the ball into the foliage over the right field fence, and blowing this contest wide open at 6-0 WPU.
 
Backed into a corner, the Pioneers needed to score a run to stop the bleeding from the Knights, and found that in the bottom of the 2^nd inning with a sacrifice fly play to put a run on the board before Brauckmiller closed out the inning.
 
Lewis & Clark slowly chipped away at the WPU lead over the next two innings, holding the Knights to no runs while adding three more runs on the small ball efforts to cut the lead to just 6-4 in favor of the Knights .
 
After four straight runs from the Pioneers, Barrett pulled a ball down the left field line with runners on first and second, scoring freshman designated player Kameron Farmer from second base. Morrow put a ball in play to force an error from the Pioneers' left fielder, scoring an unearned run in the process and expanding the lead back to a four-run difference.
 
The Pioneers added one back in the 5^th inning, but a quiet 6^th inning for both teams meant we would head to the 7^th inning with the Knights leading 8-5, still Warner Pacific's game to win.
 
Morrow added an insurance run in the top of the 7^th on a single to center fielder, scoring Brauckmiller to add some extra breathing room for junior first baseman Emma Foster, who came in to relieve Brauckmiller in the circle back in the 5^th inning.
 
However, a four-run lead would prove to not be enough against the NCAA Pioneers, as Lewis and Clark would rattle off just enough in their last ditch effort to tie this game in the bottom of the 7^th off a three-run homerun from Pioneers' right-fielder Samantha Gildersleeve.
 
Still in shock from the improbable comeback from the Pioneers, the Knights popped up for three straight outs in the top of the 8^th inning, providing Lewis & Clark with the momentum they needed to complete the comeback with a single to right field off the bat of Pioneers' designated player Mari Alvarez.
 
Hergert finished game one with a masterful four hits on five plate appearances, scoring two runs and plating two RBIs in the process. Carrigan Foster finished with two hits in three at-bats, smashing four RBIs in total to lead the scoring for WPU. Bruackmiller took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the season, but only allowed three earned runs in the contest.
 
Alvarez completed a perfect three-for-three at the plate with her game-tying three-run homerun, all three of her RBIs coming on her final swing. Gildersleeve smashed her way to four RBIs with three hits of her own, scoring two runs as well. Relief pitcher Alyssa Abe came in to clinch the win for the Pioneers, getting all three of her batters faced to pop up for a clean 8^th inning.
 

Game 2

 
Blowing a four-run lead in game one was clearly a motivating factor for the Knights, as game two was nothing short of a masterpiece on both the offensive and defensive ends for Warner Pacific.
 
Knights' designated player Emma Foster started game two just as game one began, with multiple RBIs coming in the first inning on a bases clearing double, advancing to third on the Pioneers' unsuccessful attempt to cut Carrigan Foster down at the plate.
 
Emma Foster scored on the following at-bat, as Knights' senior centerfielder Paityn Willoughby slashed a single into left field. Two batters later, and Barrett finished off the inning with a deep double to right-centerfield, scoring Willoughby and stretching the Warner Pacific lead to 5-0, the most runs scored in their first inning explosions so far this season.
 
After the Pioneers were able to knock a couple of runs in during their offensive half of the 1^st inning, Emma and Carrigan Foster went to work again in the top of the second, each accounting for an additional RBI to extend the lead back to five runs, sitting at 7-2 WPU going into the bottom of the 2^nd inning.
 
Enter Knights' sophomore starting pitcher Abby Carlson (1-1), who despite allowing a pair of 1^st inning runs, bounced back to produce four straight scoreless innings of work, allowing just two more hits for the remainder of the afternoon.
 
While Carlson kept the Pioneers occupied, the Warner Pacific offense went to work once again by blowing this game wideopen in the 5^th inning. Freshman catcher Olivia Hutchins batted in junior right-fielder Maggie Brauckmiller on a line-drive single to start off the 5^th, then junior third baseman Savannah Roddey collected an RBI two batters later. To finish off the scoring in game two, Morrow grounded out to second base with runners at second and third, allowing Hawkins to score to stretch the lead to the minimum eight runs needed to possibly enforce the run-rule, now 10-2.
 
Carlson allowed two base runners to reach base in the bottom of the 5^th inning, but she forced the final batter to popup to Roddey at third base, sealing the Knights' first victory of the 2022 season.
 
Roddey, Hergert, and Carrigan Foster all finished game two with two hits apiece, with Roddey and Foster each batting a runner across the plate. Emma Foster collected RBIs in both of her plate appearances, ending the evening game with four RBIs and a run scored. Carlson pitched a complete 5.0 innings of gameplay to improve to 1-1 on the season, allowing just two earned runs on five hits.
 
Abe was the only Pioneer with multiple hits in game two, finishing with two hits and an RBI. However, her pitching proved to be the setback Lewis & Clark didn't need if they were going to win game two, finishing with seven runs allowed, five of which were earned, and striking out no one in the Knights lineup to fall to 1-1.
 
Knights' Head Coach Alex Flores was ecstatic to see her young team's first win of the season, even despite dropping a game in which they controlled for a majority of the afternoon.
 
"Relaxed, fun, and confidence is what I saw today," Coach Flores started by sharing. "Even after a hard loss, every single player saw the potential this team has when they play together as a team."
 
Coach Flores went on to say, "The way they were able to answer back after a hard loss shows the tenacity of this team, and everyone had each other's backs down the stretch. A true team win today, and I know they will love to show even more of that tomorrow."
 
When asked about which of the WPU student-athletes showed her what she was looking for in order to split today's games, Coach Flores shared, "Carrigan did a wonderful job today, and on her 21^st birthday nonetheless, she goes out and smashes a dinger! Couldn't be more excited for her."
 
"Ashley Hawkins stepped up and played a huge role being our lead off and in the two-hole the game before. Christina took her hacks today and that was a huge goal, to go all out whenever she was granted opportunities," Coach Flores finished with the offensive players.
 
"Abby went out and pitched a great game, even despite the two runs allowed in the first inning. She composed herself, and was able to lock up our first win," Coach Flores concluded.
 
Warner Pacific Softball will travel to Mount Hood Community College tomorrow morning for a closed-field scrimmage with the Saints, before heading to Clark College a week from today for another two games of scrimmage work before the Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular Season begins on February 25^th in Caldwell, Idaho.