NAMPA, Idaho - Just like yesterday, one game featured quality pitching and the other an offensive display as the Northwest Nazarene baseball team split a doubleheader with Western Oregon University, winning game one 2-1 before falling 8-2 in the final game of the four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series with the Wolves at Vail Field in Nampa.

NNU starter Chris Mahelona (1-2) gave up only six hits, walked just two and struck out eight and Zach Aakhus had a single, a double and hit a solo home run to lead NNU at the plate.  Jimmy VanBeek plated the game-winner in the fifth, scoring Aakhus with an RBI single after Aakhus doubled.

Mike Cusick (1-3) took the loss for the Wolves and Travis Fox accounted for two of Western Oregon's six hits, including an RBI single in the fifth inning to account for WOU's only run.

In the second game, Western Oregon got the bats working with 10 hits.  Cesar Lopez had two of them and drove in four runs, three of them on a three-run homer in the fourth inning.  Travis Moore had a two-run round-tripper in the third inning, as the Wolves put back-to-back three spots on the board in the third and fourth.

Ben Shivers picked up the win in relief for WOU, moving to 3-3 on the season, while Kyle Holloway (2-2) took the loss for NNU.

Northwest Nazarene is now 12-9 overall and 2-6 in the GNAC and Western Oregon sits at 15-12 on the season and 4-4 in conference play.

The Crusaders will now play eight straight games at home, starting a spring break home stand next Thursday against Cal State Stanislaus.  First pitch is at 4 p.m. at Elmore Vail Field on the NNU campus.

Game Summaries
Game One
WOU      000  010  000    1  6  0
NNU       000  101  00x    2  7  1
Cusick and Mieras.
Mahelona and Aakhus.
WP-Mahelona (1-2).    WP-Cusick (1-3)   SV-None.
2B-Aakhus (NN).    3B-None.  HR-Aakhus (NN).

Game Two
WOU     003  302  0    8  10  1
NNU      010  001  0    2    8  3
Smith, Shivers (4), Neyens (6) and Verstegen.
Holloway, Slonaker (4), Fields (5), Grant (7) and Aakhus, Hills (7).
WP-Shivers (3-3).   LP-Holloway (2-2).    SV-None.
2B-Bruck (WO), Renander (WO), Warburton (NN).  3B-None.
HR-Moore (WO), Lopez (WO).