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BILLINGS, Mont. – It was a dramatic comeback that ended in heartbreaking fashion.

The Northwest Nazarene baseball team erased a seven-run deficit only to see host Montana State Billings rally for five runs in its final two at-bats for a walk-off, 12-11 win to compete a Great Northwest Athletic Conference sweep on Friday.

The day started with the Crusaders trying to dig out of another seven-run hole only to fall, 16-8.

"It was a very disappointing day, but we'll get a good night's rest and see what we're made of tomorrow," said NNU baseball head coach Rocke Musgraves, whose team went into the weekend playing for the GNAC lead but saw their regular-season title hopes take some lumps.

The sweep gives the Yellowjackets a four-game lead on NNU in the GNAC title race, but still leaves the Crusaders in great position in their run at a first playoff berth since the 1992 season. NNU needs any combination of three wins, or three loses by Central Washington, to clinch a playoff berth. The Crusaders have six games remaining and the Wildcats play four more games this spring.

Trailing 7-0 in the nightcap, a Josh Hatfield grand slam capped a six-run top of the fourth inning for the Crusaders (25-22, 13-13 GNAC), who then took the lead on a Kyle Thomson two-run single in the top of the fifth.

NNU stretched the lead to 11-7 when Andrew Helmstadter hustled home on a Ben Circeo squeeze bunt in the top of the sixth, but the lead didn't last.

Two runs in the bottom of the sixth by the Yellowjackets (22-20, 17-9) gave them hope, then a two-run double by Myles Berkram tied it in the bottom of the seventh before a walk-off hit by pitch to Colter Sternhagen gave MSU Billings the comeback win.

That came after MSU Billings jumped up 9-2 in the opener and held off a valiant comeback attempt by NNU, which got as close as 9-7 down on a Tucker Campbell RBI groundout in the top of the fifth inning.

The 'Jackets rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, though, breaking the game open en route to the win.

Helmstadter and Hatfield each had four hits to lead NNU's offense on the day with Hatfield driving in five runs for the Crusaders, who look to bounce back and inch closer to the playoffs as they play another doubleheader at MSU Billings starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday.