BILLINGS, Mont. - Jon Keller and Ryan VanBeek each drove in two runs to back the four-hit pitching of Jesse Gwaltney as Northwest Nazarene beat Montana State Billings 6-1 in the opening game of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader at Billlings Friday.

The Crusaders (24-18, 16-9) also won the second game 6-4 as Tyler Nicholson hit a grand slam home run in the second inning.

The Crusaders, who have won six in a row, scored three runs in the third and three in the ninth to win the opener. Meanwhile, Gwaltney (5-3) allowed just a sixth-inning unearned run on a single by Jaret Chatwood. He walked one and fanned nine in eight innings.

Keller had RBI singles in the third and ninth and VanBeek had RBIs on a bunt and a single in the two innings. Connor Rankin, who had two hits, produced NNU's other RBI on a bunt in the ninth.

Nicholson's grand slam enabled NNU to overcome an early 2-0 deficit in Game 2. Later the Crusaders added runs in the fifth on an error and in the sixth on a bases loaded walk to Keller. Those runs in the end turned out to be the difference.

Charles Pollock (3-2) got the win allowing six hits and four runs, three earned, in five innings. Sean MccDonald pitched two innings in relief, retiring all six hitters he faced, three on strikeouts, to record the save.

Chatwood, Chris Round and Matt Schoonover each had two hits in the twinbill for the Yellowjackets (8-30, 7-19).

The teams will complete the four-game series tomorrow at Noon.