NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene baseball team bounced back from a 6-5 game one loss to take the nightcap 13-3 and win their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference game of the season on Friday night against Saint Martin's University at Vail Field.

 

The Crusaders (7-14, 1-9 GNAC) put an end to a 13-game losing streak by plating 13 runs against the Saints in game two, fueled by a four-run first inning and three more quick strikes in the second when Tyler Nicholson and Joel Oliver each smacked RBI doubles in the frame.

 

Jon Keller (3-2) earned the complete-game win and helped himself with a two for three, two RBI effort at the plate, including an RBI walk in the second and a run-scoring single in the fourth.  Keller scattered four hits and allowed only single runs in the second, third and fifth innings.

 

Kevin Jones (2-2) took the loss for the Saints, who were led by designated-hitter Travis Jones at the plate.  Travis Jones went two for three with an RBI single in the third.

 

The Saints (13-11, 7-3 GNAC) opened the four-game series with a bang as Matt Marcoe and Andy Cole led off with back-to-back doubles and, following a Shane Schoeneberg strike out,  Jake Owens hit his third home run of the season off NNU starter Brian Fields (0-2) to spot the visitors a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning.

 

Cole came right back in the second with more power, homering to right field to increase the SMU lead to 4-0 and give starter and eventual winner James Douglas (2-3) room to work.

 

The Crusaders would battle back in the fourth, stringing hits by Keller, Connor Rankin and Cory Warburton together to plate a pair of runs.  Warburton would return in the seventh to strike again, this time with a two-run blast over the left field wall to cut the Saint lead to one at 5-4.

 

Each squad added one run in the eighth and the Crusaders threatened in the ninth when pinch-hitter Niko Hawes led off with a single up the middle.  However SMU closer Jeff Brooks promptly picked Hawes off first to end the threat.  Brooks was then able to get Nathan Bobrowski to ground out to second, and after hitting Ryan VanBeek with a pitch, retired Boone Farrington with a fly ball to center to record his third save of the season.

 

The teams return to Vail Field tomorrow and will play a GNAC doubleheader beginning at Noon MT.

 

Game 1
Saint Martin's 6, Northwest Nazarene 5 (Mar 27, 2009 at Nampa,ID) (Game 1)
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Saint Martin's...... 310 010 010  -  6 11  1      (13-10, 7-2)
Northwest Nazarene.. 000 200 210  -  5 11  1      (6-14, 0-9)
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Pitchers: Saint Martin's - Douglas; DeBoer(7); Peterson(8); Brooks(8). Northwest Nazarene -
Fields; Pottenger(1); Stuvland(8); Slonaker(8); Warburton(8).
Win-Douglas(2-3)  Save-Brooks(3)  Loss-Fields(0-2)  T-2:26  A-72
HR SMU - Cole (4); Owens (2); McIver (3).
HR NNU - Oliver (3); Warburton (1).
Stuvland faced 2 batters in the 8th.
Game: NNU20

 

Game 2
Northwest Nazarene 13, Saint Martin's 3 (Mar 27, 2009 at Nampa,ID) (Game 2)
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Saint Martin's...... 011 010 0 -  3  4  2      (13-11, 7-3)
Northwest Nazarene.. 430 114 X - 13 11  1      (7-14, 1-9)
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Pitchers: Saint Martin's - Jones,K.; Mitchell(2); Peterson(5). Northwest Nazarene - Keller.
Win-Keller(3-2)  Loss-Jones,K.(2-2)  T-2:05  A-79
Game: NNU21