Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NAMPA, Idaho - The Crusaders showed off their determination Friday afternoon, and it led to a pair of wins.

Ashley Pesek had the game-winning, walk-off single in Northwest Nazarene's 8-7 win over Simon Fraser, then the Crusader freshman earned the 3-2 win in the circle in the nightcap as NNU swept a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader against the Clan at Halle Field on the NNU campus.

"I'm real pleased," NNU softball coach Rich Wagner said of the sweep. "We worked on competing for seven straight days of our bye week and they came out and competed today.

"Ashley can do it on both sides," added Wagner, whose team had 12 days off prior to Friday's twinbill to battle in intra-squad scrimmages. "We had her and Noelle (Wright) competing against each other for seven straight days, so she did a really good job in the circle today."

As did Wright, who all season has been dominating in the circle for NNU (7-14 overall, 2-3 GNAC), but often times a hard-luck loser.

Her teammates made sure that didn't happen against the Clan (0-19, 0-10) as Justine Callen and Ali Schauer each had an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning, then Kendra Day added a two-run double in the second, spotting Wright to a 4-0 lead.

The Clan chipped away all game long, though, scoring five unearned runs, the final one tying the game 7-7 on a throwing error in the top of the seventh.

But the Crusaders came to compete, and unfazed by the Clan's comeback, NNU answered.

Shelby Johnson singled and stole second to start the bottom of the seventh, then was replaced by pinch-runner Lindsie Lumley. Lumley then scored on Pesek's two-out RBI single to center, making Wright (2-9) the game-winning pitcher.

"It was really nice for Noelle to get a win," Wagner said. "She has been keeping us in every game.

"And the whole team came through that game," NNU's coach added. "We used everyone on the team and they contributed, so that was great."

Johnson, Pesek and Gatalina Schuster each had a pair of hits in the win for NNU, while Day and Whitney Carlton each drove in a pair of runs.

In the nightcap the Crusaders again showed their determination, battling out of a 1-0 hole after a Kaitlyn Cameron RBI groundout in the top of the first spotted SFU to the lead early.

Schuster tied it in the fourth with an RBI single to left for NNU, then Day singled to score Kayla Sevier and later scored on a wild pitch, putting the Crusaders on top 3-1 after five innings.

Just enough for Pesek (4-4), who struck out two, scattered six hits in the win and closed out the NNU sweep by getting a groundout to strand the tying run at second.

Callen had a pair of hits in the nightcap to lead the offense for NNU, which hosts Simon Fraser in another GNAC doubleheader Saturday at noon.

A chance to add to the confidence the Crusaders won with their determined play on Friday.

"We need to put a big group of wins together and get some momentum," Wagner said, "get some confidence and play with serious confidence going into the rest of conference schedule."