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 ELLENSBURG, Wash. – With the wind blowing out to right field, Andrew Helmstadter took advantage with one big swing for the Crusaders.

Tyler Marsh then made sure Central Washington didn't answer, picking up his first save of the season and leading the Northwest Nazarene baseball team to a 7-6 win over the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon to close out a four-game, Great Northwest Athletic Conference series hosted CWU.

The Wildcats took the day's other two finals, holding on for an 8-5 win in the conclusion of a game suspended Friday night because of darkness, then claiming a 6-5, comeback win in 10-innings.

"Outs were tough to come by this weekend, but the way we battled all weekend is encouraging," NNU head baseball coach Rocke Musgraves said. "We have some good information from this weekend that we can use to get better in practice this week."

The Crusaders have a week to prep for a 10-game homestand, a stretch that starts with NNU (14-11, 4-4 GNAC) hosting league foe Montana State Billings in a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m.

But Saturday the Crusaders were focused on trying to get wins on the Wildcats' diamond, starting the day with the conclusion of Friday's doubleheader nightcap, a game that saw NNU trailing 8-5 in the top of the sixth when play resumed.

Neither team mustered any more offense in the brief contest as the Wildcats (12-10, 6-6) notched the victory.

Then the Crusaders got a stellar outing from Colben McGuire on the hill in what was originally scheduled as Saturday's first game, as the senior right-hander struck out seven pitching into the ninth.

Tate Glasgow helped out, hitting a two-run home run with the heavy breeze out to right field, which gave McGuire a 4-3 lead late, but it didn't last.

A wind-aided homer by the Wildcats forced extra innings, and after Glasgow - who went 4-for-5 in the game - plated a run in the top of the 10^th, Central Washington responded with a two-run rally to take their third win of the weekend.

Unfazed, NNU came out swinging in the series final, taking an early lead on a two-run Tyler Davis double in the top of the second.

Kaleb DeHaas then sparked a three-run rally with a solo homer in the top of the fourth that gave NNU a 5-3 lead.

Helmstadter then provided the game-winner in the fifth, a two-run blast with the wind to right, before NNU turned it over to Marsh.

Marsh came on in relief of Blake Mitchell (3-2) needing eight outs to seal the victory, and the Crusader reliever battled the Wildcats to get those outs, retiring the first seven batters he faced in order.

Down to their last swing, the Wildcats managed to load the bases, but Marsh shut down any comeback thoughts with a game-ending groundout to third.