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BILLINGS, Mont. – The Crusaders race to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference playoffs got off to a slow start Thursday in Montana.

The Yellowjackets started the day with a six-run rally that helped Montana State Billings claim victory, 17-8, in the conclusion of a game started in Nampa, Idaho on March 29.

The Northwest Nazarene baseball team (16-29 overall, 11-17 GNAC) then had the 'Jackets on the ropes in the nightcap of the teams' rescheduled doubleheader until MSU Billings rallied for three runs in its final at-bat for a 5-4 win.

"Game one, we never really enforced our game-plan and the game got away from us," NNU baseball coach Rocke Musgraves said.

"Game two, I thought we were doing a good job of attacking their hitters until the last couple of innings," Musgraves added.

The day's outcome only stalled NNU's march toward the postseason, as the Crusaders still need just three wins in the series which continues Friday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Montana, and concludes with another doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m., the season finale for both teams.

"We will need to do a better job of competing tomorrow," Musgraves said, looking ahead to Friday's games.

Thursday started with MSU Billings (14-28, 11-17) batting in the top of the seventh, leading the suspended game, 9-8.

Trevor Nix's pinch-hit RBI single with one out started the scoring for the 'Jackets, who pulled away for the win.

NNU shook that memory quickly, though, taking a 1-0 lead on a Ben Circeo RBI single to right field in the bottom of the third in the day's nightcap.

MSU Billings answered with a solo run in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but the Crusaders made their push to win the game in the bottom of the sixth.

Nick Morelli's RBI single to center tied the game, then Josh Hatfield added an RBI infield single and Jeremy Richardson had an RBI single to center, giving NNU a 4-2 lead.

The lead didn't last, though, as the 'Jackets rallied for three runs, including a one-out RBI sacrifice fly by Connor Holbrook that drove home the winning run in the top of the seventh.

Andrew Helmstadter led NNU's offense on the day with a pair of hits in the final three innings of the suspended game, and added two hits in the nightcap.

Circeo also had a pair of hits in the day's second game for NNU.