Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



WAIPAHU, Hawaii – At the end of the day, the Crusaders had no choice but to settle for a near-miss at a sweep of host Hawaii Pacific.

Colben McGuire dominated on the hill, striking out 12 batters to lead Northwest Nazarene to a 10-2 victory in the opener of a nonconference doubleheader before the Crusaders stranded 12 runners on base in a 4-3 setback in the series finale against the Sharks at Hans L'Orange Park.

"I thought we pitched well and we defended well behind them, which is going to build trust for later on, so definitely pleased with the pitching and defense," said NNU head baseball coach Rocke Musgraves.

McGuire (1-0) set the tone pitching a complete-game gem to start the day, allowing just six base-runners.

Three of those came in the first and were aided by a questionable fair-ball call on the right-field line. That call led to two early runs for the Sharks (3-2).

That was all they'd get the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, McGuire's teammates went to work at the plate, giving the senior right-hander a 4-2 lead in the fourth with a rally highlighted by a two-run Ben Circeo double.

Kaleb DeHaas added a two-run double in the fifth and in the eighth it was Jesse Hilyard's turn to plate two with a double, as NNU scored in bunches.

The Crusaders did the same in the nightcap but, unfortunately, only in one frame.

A two-out, three-run rally in the top of the fourth gave NNU a 3-1 edge, but leaving the bases loaded in the first and sixth proved costly.

"We've got to get rid of the emotions," said Musgraves, whose team stranded a combined 21 runners in the doubleheader and 43 over the five-game series. "Passion's good but, unfortunately, emotions have just taken over way too many of our at-bats and we just waste way too many at-bats right now."

The Sharks made the Crusader missed chances hurt as a run in the fourth and two in the fifth allowed Hawaii Pacific to steal the win in the nightcap and take the series, three games to two.

Circeo led the offense going 5-for-8 in the doubleheader, while Josh Hatfield, Hilyard and Andrew Helmstadter each had a pair of hits in each game of the twinbill for NNU, which is back on the road next weekend at Academy of Art on Friday and Saturday.