Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

La Jolla, Calif. - Opening the 2012 season at NCAA Division II #1 UC San Diego, the Northwest Nazarene University softball team fell 8-5 and 5-2 this afternoon in a pair of non-conference games in La Jolla.

The Crusaders (0-2) held leads in both games against the defending NCAA D.II National Champion Tritons and were led by Brianna Kinghorn at the plate as the newcomer finished the day 2-for-5 with three RBI's.

NNU fell 8-5 in the opener but held a 5-3 lead in the fourth after a five-run rally in the top of the inning, highlighted by a two-run Kinghorn double.  UCSD (2-0) answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning and added an insurance run the the sixth.

The Crusaders opened game two by scoring single runs in the second and third innings to lead 2-0, but the Tritons responded with two in the third to tie it up and rallied for three in the sixth to claim the victory.

Emily Renfro, Cara Duckworth, Arielle Chao and Kinghorn each finished with two hits for NNU on the day.

The teams will complete the season-opening four-game series tomorrow afternoon.