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Walk-off hit gives baseball first conference win, 9-8

March 05, 2010

by Michael G. Richman

Sam Holman (’11) singled up the middle, Parker Dane (’12) raced homed from second and Lewis & Clark beat Pacific 9-8 in walk-off fashion at home Sunday in 11 innings.

Gianluca Giarrizzo (’13) flied out to right to open the bottom of the 11th inning. Then with one away, Dane drew a walk, Roland Greene (’11) singled through the left side and Holman delivered the game winning hit.

The baseball team has played extra innings twice in this young season and twice it has come away with a win. Holman’s single with two on and one out in the 11th secured LC’s second win of the season.

Shortstop Sami Morgan (’10) said that the despite its success in the late innings this year, the team’s approach does not change. “We just try to go out and do the same thing every inning,” Morgan said.

Sunday’s 11-inning win came in the last game of a three-game series against Pacific. The games were the first homestand of the season for the Pioneers and their first taste of Northwest Conference action of the season.

After winning the first two games in a double-header on Saturday, Pacific jumped out to an early lead in the rubber match Sunday afternoon. Pacific scored a run in each of the first two innings and added two more in the top of the fourth before LC could respond.

In the bottom of the fourth, the LC bats awoke. With the bases loaded and two out, Guiseppe Baffaro (’11) hit a bases clearing that forced Pacific to pull its starting pitcher Rob Dittrick. After the pitching change, Michael Ball singled to left, Baffaro scored and just like that the game was tied at four.

The Pios added one more in the fifth and then surrendered their lead when Pacific scored twice in the sixth to grab a 6-5 lead. LC bounced right back in the bottom half of the inning, tacking on three runs to take a 8-6 lead. After an RBI double by Morgan, Tucker Laurence (’11) hit a two-run homer.

 Pacific scored a run in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-7 and then tied the game in the top of ninth.
LC had ample opportunity to end the game in the home half of the final inning. The Pios loaded the bases with just one out, but Eliot Smith (’13) grounded into a fielder’s choice at third base and then Baffaro grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat and send the game into extras.

Neither team could muster much offense until the 11th when Holman’s single LC the hard fought win.