Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LAS VEGAS – The Crusaders continued to battle, but this time the Northwest Nazarene softball team came up just a bit short.

NNU chipped away to tie their game with Cal State Dominguez Hills only to see the Toros snag a 6-5 win to start the Crusaders second day at the Desert Stinger Classic hosted by Montana State Billings.

Azusa Pacific then erased a 2-1 NNU lead and handed the Crusaders a 5-2 setback to concluded NNU's play in the tournament on Saturday.

"We played well today but just came up short," said NNU softball coach Rich Wagner. "Both teams are top in the region and we were right there."

In the opener, Alyssa Nitschelm's solo homer in the top of the first gave the Crusaders (4-5 overall) a brief lead before the Toros plated five in the bottom half of the frame.

Kira Varady had an RBI single in the second, Gatalina Schuster added an RBI triple in the third, and then Nitschelm tied the game, 5-5, with a two-run double in the fourth.

The Toros responded to NNU erasing their lead with an RBI single by Adriana Sanchez in the bottom half of the fourth, which proved to be the game winner.

"We need to gain confidence winning close games," Wagner said.

In NNU's tournament finale, the Crusaders quickly erased a 1-0 deficit with one swing as Justine Callen hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, the 17^th home run of the season already for the "Sluggin' Lady 'Saders."

Azusa Pacific retook the lead with three runs in the fourth and added a run in the fifth to score the win.

NNU now returns home after the five-game, nine-day road trip and gets 11 days off before playing British Columbia and Great Falls on Feb. 20 as co-host of The College of Idaho/Northwest Nazarene Invitational.

"We have the next 11 days to work on some adjustments that need to be made," Wagner said. "If we can keep scoring runs and tighten some things up, we will start winning the close ones."