Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NAMPA, Idaho – The Crusaders offensive machine stalled in the cold Nampa weather.

After pounding out 17 home runs in nine contests in sunny California and Las Vegas, the Northwest Nazarene softball couldn't muster the same kind of success in its home debut, falling 6-3 to British Columbia and 11-3 in 6 innings to Great Falls on day one of The College of Idaho/Northwest Nazarene Classic at Halle Field on the NNU campus.

"I think the first game we ran into a really good pitcher who threw a pretty good rise-ball, that kind of eliminated our power and created a lot of strikeouts," said NNU softball coach Rich Wagner, whose team played through 40-degree temperatures all day and a steady drizzle in its second game.

"We've got to cut down our strikeouts, that's kind of a big deal, we need to do a better job of putting the ball in play.

"In the second game, I think we were pressing a little too hard, and some errors hurt us really bad."

In the first game of the day for NNU (4-7 overall), Alana Westerhof (2-3) struck out 15 Crusader batters in the complete-game win for British Columbia.

That slowed down the "Sluggin' Lady 'Saders," who played catch-up all game as a Brianna Kinghorn RBI single to left center tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the third.

The Thunderbirds (5-5) plated four in the top of the sixth, forcing NNU to find its offensive rhythm.

Whitney Carlton did her best, doubling home a run for a 5-2 score after sixth innings, but UBC tacked on a run in the top of the seventh, forcing NNU again to try and rally.

The Crusader did, a little, as Shelby Johnson knocked in a run, but it was all the Crusaders could muster against Westerhof.

Things started better in the second game for NNU as Gatalina Schuster's RBI groundout put the Crusaders ahead 1-0 in the first, and Ashley Peek knocked in a run in the second when she reached on a dropped fly ball, making it a 2-1 ballgame.

But an RBI double by Great Falls' Mindy Larson tied it in the top of the third, and Kelli O'Brien's RBI single up the middle in the fourth put the Argonauts (1-1) on top for good, ahead 3-2.

The Argos iced the win with a six-run rally in the fifth as the Crusaders only managed a Kinghorn RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning, getting as close as 9-3 down.

Kinghorn and Kayla Sevier each had a pair of hits in the first game, while Kinghorn drove in a run in each contest and Ali Schuaer went 3-for-3 to lead NNU in its second game of the day.

The Crusaders return to the field Friday to host Eastern Oregon in a doubleheader in the tournament, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.

"We need to do a better job preparing and our girls need to mentally be more tough," Wagner said, looking ahead to Friday's games. "We just need to do a better job of preparation."

British Columbia 1, Great Falls 0

The T-birds opened the day winning a pitcher's duel that saw Leigh Della Siega(2-3)  strike out 10 batters in a complete-game victory.

Sarah Hillsdon provided all the game's offense, lining an RBI single to right field to score Kelly Rumley in the bottom of the second with the game's lone run.

Keeley Van Blaricom (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Argos as she struck out four and scattered four hits in the 1-0 setback.