Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NAMPA, Idaho – The Crusaders once again came out swinging, but in the end it wasn't enough against the hot-hitting Yellowjackets.

Gatalina Schuster and Ashley Pesek each hit a grand slam for the Northwest Nazarene softball team, which battled hard only to succumb in a slugfest doubleheader, falling 13-7 and 21-6 in five innings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Halle Field on the NNU campus on Saturday.

"I feel like we hit well enough to win today," said NNU head softball coach Rich Wagner, whose team collected 21 hits and plated 13 runs in the twinbill. "Our defense has some miscues in the first game which caused our pitchers to work and throw a lot of pitches.

"Our pitching ran out of steam in game two."

Following a special "Cancer Awareness Day" pre-game ceremony, it was all Crusaders (7-33, 2-18 GNAC) as Whitney Carlton, Schuster and Ali Schauer each drove in a run in a three-run, third-inning rally to give NNU an early advantage in the opener.

That lead grew with one big swing from Schuster, who belted the first of NNU's two grand slams on the day to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning, stretching the Crusader advantage to 7-0.
 

But the Yellowjackets (23-18, 13-7) began rallying in their next at-bat, tying the game with a seven-run surge in the slugfest, then grabbing the win with a six-run rally in the top of the seventh inning that broke the tie.

MSU Billings continued to score in bunches in the nightcap, taking a 7-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Crusaders also continued to click on offense.

Undaunted by the early deficit, this time it was clean-up hitter, Pesek, who launched a grand slam to left field as NNU's first four batters of the ballgame trotted home.

The Crusaders tacked on a run in the second on a Pesek RBI double, and another in the third on an Alyssa Nitschelm sacrifice fly, but NNU's comeback bid was hampered by the 'Jackets continued offensive efforts as MSU Billings broke the game open with an eight-run rally in the fourth inning en route to the doubleheader sweep.

Pesek led the attack for NNU, going 4-for-7 with five RBIs on the day, while Lisa Sylvester was 3-for-6 for the Crusaders, who now get next weekend off before closing out the regular season at home hosting Saint Martin's in back-to-back doubleheaders on April 24-25.

"We will keep working next week and look to finish strong," Wagner said, looking ahead.