On April 15, one of the warmest days Portlanders have seen in weeks, the Lewis & Clark men’s baseball team was out to secure a victory, taking on the Warner Pacific University (WPU) Knights in a non-conference game.
The first six innings were lengthy and saw minimal action, with the Pios in the lead, 2-0. Due to the midweek scheduling of the game, the Pios employed the bullpen method, swapping out pitchers each time they took the field. Shane Buchbinder ’27 (#18) started the game, the first of his collegiate career. He was followed by Sam Burchi ’28 (#30). The Knights kept Brady Windham (#27) on the mound through the sixth.
The Pios’ bats began to heat up at the bottom of the seventh inning. The Knights had now replaced their pitcher with Jaxon Hamada (#0). LC’s Brandon Gonzaga ’26 (#8) started the lineup with a solid line drive single into center field. He then proceeded to steal second — his third successful steal of the day. Gonzaga was a significant player in this game, with a total of three singles, one double and four stolen bases.
“It felt good, it really did. Sometimes things just click and end up going your way. That’s just baseball. Some days you’re just gonna have times where it really works for you, and some times where it doesn’t, and I just happened to have one of (the good days),” Gonzaga said in an interview with The Mossy Log after the game. “Just hoping, not just for me but for everybody else, that that carries over into this weekend.”
The Pios faced off against Pacific University with a single game the following Friday, April 18th and a double-header on Saturday, April 19th.
Hamada then walked Joaquin Sandoval ’26 (#15) to first base. Will Michelman ’28 (#26) came up to bat, and Sandoval and Gonzaga pulled off a double-steal. Michelman’s double brought both of them home, scoring the Pios their first two runs of the inning. LC had two outs, but had more up their sleeves. Connor Broschard ’27 (#4) followed up Michelman’s extra base hit with a walk. Broschard and Michelman stole second and third, leaving first open for Hamada to walk yet another player.
The bases were loaded, and LC’s Evyn Lewis ’27 (#20) was at bat. Two pitches in, WPU made a call to the bullpen, swapping Mitchell Thoma-Britt (#6) for Hamada. Lewis popped up to second base, and it looked like it would be the third out for the Pios, but WPU’s second baseman misread the ball and did not make the catch. Lewis’s single brought Michelman and Broschard home, scoring another two runs for LC. This long half-inning bumped LC’s score up by four, helping the Pios secure a 6-0 lead.
The top of the eighth inning brought LC’s Dillon Foster ’28 (#22) to the mound. WPU managed to grab two runs, but the half was over quickly. The Pios’ eighth and last time at bat kept the momentum they had gained during their previous inning. WPU swapped their pitcher again for Alex Rodriguez (#99). Gonzaga once again started the inning strong with a single, and promptly stole second. Rodriguez walked LC’s Jacob Shannon-Wilkerson ’28 (#27) to first, and Sandoval brought Gonzaga home and Shannon-Wilkerson to third. After a strikeout, Michelman was up to bat for the second time.
Shannon-Wilkerson stole home and Sandoval stole second. Michelman hit a line drive single to right field, bringing Sandoval to third. Broschard followed with a single, bringing Sandoval home and Michelman to third. Luke Ritter ’25 (#6) was then walked to first, but not before Michelman advanced to home on a passed ball. After another walk, WPU put Julius King (#23) on the mound. The eighth inning finally came to a close, but not before LC racked up another five runs.
LC came out of the game victorious, with a final score of 11-2. This game helped the team prepare for the difficult, in-conference matchups to come.
A large part of the Pios’ success comes from their team culture and camaraderie, as well as the skills they learn from one another.
“Just being around (the team), and even the people who graduated, you just kind of pick up things that worked for them and find out if that works for me,” Gonzaga said. “It’s a lot of trial and error — trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and figuring it out together. Knowing that I’m not alone in this, which is really reassuring. Always having that support system has been great.”
Non-conference games allow the team to practice and improve their skills in a lower-stress environment, while offering an opportunity for freshmen to join the batting lineup and get valuable play time. The team is looking forward to the rest of the spring season leading up to playoffs.
“Right now, obviously, we have our sights set on making the tournament,” Gonzaga said. “Truth is, we’ve been winning games, but we haven’t even really played to our fullest potential. I think it’s just a matter of continuing to put in the work every day to get to where we know that we can play at. Once we get there, it’s almost like, ‘Good luck to everybody else.’”
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