By Steven Merritt
PORTLAND, OR – The Vassar College Baseball team concluded its Pacific Northwest trip on Saturday afternoon as the Brewers dropped two contests to Lewis and Clark, 5-1 in game one in a seven inning contest and 11-6 in a nine-inning game. The Brewers fall to 2-9 on the season while the Pioneers improve to 8-8-1 overall.
Game 1 – LC 5 VC 1 (7 inn.)
The Pioneers got on the board first in the bottom of the third as Jack Savant, who reached on a walk, scored on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error followed by Joaquin Sandoval drawing a bases loaded walk to make it 2-0.
Vassar cut the lead in half in the fifth when senior Jaden Millstein doubled to right center and was scored on a RBI single from senior Reid Lapekas.
Lewis and Clark added a run in the fifth as Jakob Ghammaci scored on a fielder’s choice before Connor Broschard blasted a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 5-1.
For The Brewers
Lapekas finished 3-for-3 with a RBI while Millstein had a double and a run scored.
Sophomore Addison Lee took the loss as he went 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, five runs (three earned) and six walks.
For The Pioneers
Savant reached base four times with two hits and two walks while Broschard had two RBI and a home run.
Ghammachi added a hit and two runs scored along with Will Heron, Gavin Mangano and Bret Potter each added a hit.
Nate Kerr earned the win on the mound in relief as he tossed four innings, allowing three hits, one run, one walk and struck out two.
Tyler Shimabukuro picked up the save as he threw two shutout innings and struck out three.
Game 2 – LC 11 VC 6
The Brewers jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the first as Lapekas singled with one out and senior Jack Silvera knocked him in with a two-run homer to center field for an early 2-0 lead.
Lewis and Clark answered in the bottom half of the inning as Savant drew a leadoff walk followed by a single from Brandon Gonzaga and a walk to Potter loaded the bases. Ryan Sanderson drew a walk to plate Savant to cut the lead to one.
Vassar put up two runs in the second to add to its lead as sophomore Herbert Toler III drew a walk and sophomore Taison Jemison was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. Junior Birch Herring-Jackson sacrificed them over to second and third and Millstein drove both runs in with a single to center to push the lead to 4-1.
The Pioneers answered once again as RBI singles from Gonzaga and Heron brought Lewis and Clark within 4-3.
Vassar tacked on a run in the third on a two out RBI double from junior Ricardo Reyna followed by the first collegiate home run for Jemison in the fourth to give Vassar a 6-3 lead.
Lewis and Clark drew even at six in the fifth as Potter’s RBI groundout scored Heron along with a sacrifice fly from Tommy Valero and Sandoval scored on a double steal.
The Pioneers put together a big inning in the eighth as Ghammaci singled home a run, Potter laced a RBI double, Sanderson drove in two runs on a base hit and Valero scored on an error to make it 11-6.
FOR THE BREWERS
Millstein finished with two hits and two RBI while Silvera lifted his first homer of the season and drove in two runs.
Jemison blasted his first career homer and scored two runs.
Junior Pat Kerrigan took a no-decision as he went 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits, six runs (three earned), three walks and struck out three.
Junior Luke Barrientos threw 2.2 scoreless innings of relief and struck out five while sophomore Cade Terada-Herzer took the loss in 0.2 innings of relief.
FOR THE PIONEERS
Gonzaga finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored along with Sanderson adding two hits and three runs batted in.
Heron and Ghammaci each tallied two hits while Potter knocked in two runs.
Owen Eisen took a no-decision as he tossed five innings, giving up five hits, six runs (five earned), one walk and struck out four.
Ryan Harvey earned the win as he went three scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Vassar begins Liberty League play on Friday as they will host RPI at 4:00 p.m. in the home opener.