NAMPA, Idaho - Joel Oliver singled home Ty Nicholson in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Northwest Nazarene baseball team to a 7-6 game one victory over Saint Martin's University on Saturday afternoon at Vail Field.  The Crusaders would take game two 12-4 and sweep the GNAC twinbill, winning three of four on the weekend.

 

Oliver finished the day five for nine with four RBI, none bigger than the ninth inning game-winner to left center.  Oliver added a run-scoring double in the first inning of game two and a two-run home run in the fourth, his fourth of the season.

 

Nate Slonaker (2-0) earned the win in game one and Ryan Brown (2-2) earned the game two victory, pitching five and two-thirds innings and allowing only four SMU hits.

 

Trailing 5-4 into the ninth, the Crusaders rallied with Nate Bobrowski singling to right and Nicholson and Jon Keller both reaching base after being hit by pitches from SMU closer Jeff Brooks, loading the bases with no outs. 

 

NNU catcher Connor Rankin then plated Bobrowski, hitting into a double-play on the right side of the infield that advanced Nicholson to third, setting up Oliver's two-out game-winning rip to right center.

 

The Crusaders (9-14, 3-9 GNAC) took control of the nightcap early, scoring in all six at-bats and opened the game with two runs in the first off back-to-back RBI doubles by Rankin and Oliver.

 

Colton Douglass and Ty Windall each finished game two three for four with Windall earning plating two RBI.

 

Brooks (5-2) took the loss in the opener for the Saints and Michael McIver (0-2) was saddled with the game two defeat.

 

Shane Schoeneberg led the Saints offense, going four for seven with one RBI.  Andy Cole had three hits on the day, including his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the sixth inning of game one.

 

With hits in all four games this weekend, Crusader freshman shortstop Boone Farrington extended his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest streak in the GNAC this season.

 

The Crusaders will now travel to Ellensburg, Wash. next weekend to face Central Washington in a four-game GNAC series on Friday and Saturday.

 

Game 1
Northwest Nazarene 7, Saint Martin's 6 (Mar 28, 2009 at Nampa,ID) (Game 1)
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Saint Martin's...... 000 222 000  -  6  8  1      (13-12, 7-4)
Northwest Nazarene.. 003 002 002  -  7 10  2      (8-14, 2-9)
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Pitchers: Saint Martin's - Nelson,Mat; Brooks(6). Northwest Nazarene - Pollock; Hruza(5);
Morse(6); Stuvland(6); Slonaker(8).
Win-Slonaker(2-0)  Loss-Brooks(5-2)  T-3:02  A-149
HR SMU - Cole (5).
Morse faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Game: NNU22

 

Game 2
Northwest Nazarene 12, Saint Martin's 4 (Mar 28, 2009 at Nampa,ID) (Game 2)
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Saint Martin's...... 000 020 2 -  4  7  3      (13-13, 7-5)
Northwest Nazarene.. 232 311 X - 12 18  2      (9-14, 3-9)
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Pitchers: Saint Martin's - McIver; DeBoer(2); Mitchell(5). Northwest Nazarene - Brown;
Hruza(6); Lindley(7).
Win-Brown(2-2)  Loss-McIver(0-2)  T-2:09  A-156
HR NNU - Oliver (4).
Game: NNU23