MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Northwest Nazarene baseball team split the final two games of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference series with Western Oregon University on Saturday afternoon, winning the opener 6-3, before falling 12-5 in game two.

In the first game the Crusaders (13-26, 6-18 GNAC) snapped a 3-3 tie in the eighth on a RBI singley Connor Rankin. The Crusaders added insurance runs on a bases-loaded hit batter and a single by Jimmy VanBeek.

Rankin finished the contest with three RBI also doubling for two runs in the fourth inning.  Zach Morse (2-0) earned the pitching win, while Jacob Pettit (6-2) took the loss for the Wolves.

Game two saw WOU's Kirk Lind retire the first 19 Crusaders in order before NNU touched Lind for five seventh-inning runs.  Sean McDonald broke up the perfect game bid with a single.  Jon Keller then reached on an infield hit and Joel Oliver homered to ruin the shutout as well.

Charles Pollock (2-4) took the loss and Lind earned his sixth win against just one loss for Western Oregon.

The Crusaders will continue the extended April road trip with a four-game GNAC series next weekend at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash.  Friday's twinbill is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. PT.