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NAMPA, Idaho – Andrew Groves was tough, and Colben McGuire dominated.

The only thing the Crusaders two starting pitchers couldn't do was drive in runs for Northwest Nazarene as Lewis-Clark State swept a nonconference doubleheader, 9-0 and 1-0, from NNU on "Senior Day" at Elmore Vail Field.  

"It's kind of an odd time for the bats to go cold," NNU baseball coach Rocke Musgraves said, as his team plated 11 runs in an 11-10 win Thursday over LCSC, and hammered out 13 hits in Friday's game, scoring five runs.

In the opener Saturday, though, with Groves battling on the hill for NNU (16-27 overall, 11-15 GNAC), the Crusaders mustered just four hits against Warrior pitchers Ty Jackson and Nick Lemoncelli.

LCSC pushed across one run in the fourth inning, then inched out to 5-0 lead with a four-run sixth inning.

Plenty of offense against as the Crusader bats struggled.  

Then McGuire took to the hill in the series finally and ruled over the LCSC hitters, who in the first three games of the series scored 31 runs and hit 10 home runs.

McGuire struck out four and scattered nine hits in nine outstanding innings on the hill.

The only blemish was a two-out RBI double down the left-field line in the top of the ninth by Jake Shirley, which snapped the scoreless tie and gave LCSC (38-7, 24-4 NAIA West) the win.

A win the Crusaders could have grabbed with one clutch swing, but instead, NNU stranded 13 base-runners in the game.

"Colben McGuire is really pitching well right now and I think that's going to fair really well for us going into this very important series with the playoffs on the line, so I'm very pleased about that," Musgraves said.

That important series is the season-finale at Montana State Billings, a series with starts Thursday with the conclusions of the suspended game from March 29 in Nampa. The teams will play six games total – including the conclusion of the suspended game.

NNU holds a two-game edge in the standings on the Yellowjackets in the race for that third and final playoff spot.

"We've got to pick ourselves up and get ourselves ready for these next six games, they're absolutely huge," Musgraves said.

Once into the three-team GNAC playoffs - May 8-9 at regular-season champion Western Oregon - it's the team who puts three wins together the quickest who claims the GNAC crown.

"These next two weeks can take an average season and turn it into a fantastic season with a good, hard finish," Musgraves said.

"We've been working hard all year, so it's not going to be from a lack of work, it's going to be: Are we mentally tough enough to do this?" NNU's coach said. "I believe in these guys, I just think they need to believe in themselves."

While McGuire and Groves led the way for NNU on the hill, Ben Circeo, Anthony Flatt and Andrew Helmstadter had a hit each in each game of the doubleheader to lead the Crusader offense.