Northwest Nazarene University Athletics

NNU Seniors help Crusaders Sweep

5/12/2012 6:44:00 PM | By: Craig Stensgaard, NNU Sports Information Director

Senior Ryan Brown tossed a complete-game three-hitter this afternoon

Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore

NAMPA, Idaho - The Crusader seniors made a big impact this afternoon as the Northwest Nazarene baseball team swept Central Washington University 13-7 and 5-1 in the final Great Northwest Athletic Conference games of the season for both teams at Vail Field.

Senior Derek Bettinson led the NNU final-year players at the plate, finishing with five hits and four RBI's on the day. Zach Steele added three hits and three RBI's and Sean McDonald had three hits and one RBI.

Ryan Brown tossed a complete-game three-hitter in his final appearance wearing the Red and Black in game two and evened his record at 1-1 in his only start of the season. Brown led the Crusaders out of the bullpen in 2012, throwing the most innings (25.0) of any NNU reliever this season.

Junior Zeb Sneed earned the win in game one, improving to 7-4 on the season and McDonald added his fifth save of the year, shutting the door by getting the final four outs.

The Crusaders finish the 2012 campaign 27-22 overall and finish second in the GNAC conference race at 16-16. Central Washington completes the year 19-31 overall and 11-21 in league action.

Game One

Both teams scored first-inning runs to open the day and the Crusaders tacked on four more in the second with two RBI walks and an RBI double by Bettinson.

Steele homered in the fifth, a two-run blast, to make it 7-1, but the Wildcats would answer with a Brady Kincannon RBI single in the top of the sixth.

The Crusaders continued to produce as Jon Matos doubled home Kaleb DeHaas and McDonald in the bottom of the sixth and added four eighth inning runs with RBI singles from Ben Clare and Logan Parker and an RBI double from catcher Jamie Mitchell.

The Wildcats had rallied to score one in the seventh, courtesy of a Jimmy Ryerson single, three in the top of the eighth on back-to-back solo home runs by Kincannon and designated hitter David Leid and an RBI single from Ethan Sterkel, and one in the ninth off a Derrick Webb double.

Brandon Wang, Leid and Sterkel each had three hits for CWU in the opener.

NNU was led by Steele with three hits and three RBI's and seven other Crusaders had two hits as NNU pounded out 18 total safeties.

Game Two

A Brady Kincannon solo home run in the second gave CWU a 1-0 lead that lasted into the fifth inning before the Crusaders scored five runs to take control of the nightcap and win 5-1.

NNU starter Ryan Brown settled in after the second-inning run, limiting the Wildcats to just two additional hits. He struck out seven and walked only two.

Jamie Mitchell led off the five-run fifth with a solo home run to left field, his third round-tripper of the weekend, and Derek Bettinson blasted a three-run home run to straightaway center field after DeHaas had scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.

Bettinson finished game two three-for-three with three RBI's.

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