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MONMOUTH, Ore. – On one of the most thrilling days in sports history, the Crusaders did their best to top it all!

The Northwest Nazarene baseball team made eight months of hard work all pay off with one gutsy team effort, twice rallying against host Western Oregon en route to a dramatic 8-7 victory in 12 innings that clinched the first trip to the postseason for the program in 23 years.

Kyle Thomson's RBI single to center plated Tyler Davis with the game winner in the top of the 12^th inning in game one of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader at Western Oregon, the sole win NNU needed to advance to the GNAC playoffs for the first time ever and garner the Crusaders their first postseason berth since 1992.

NNU nearly swept the day only to see Western Oregon rally in the nightcap to score a walk-off, 7-6 win in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The two squads next square off again on Thursday in game one of the three-team GNAC tournament at 1 p.m. (MT) at Dehler Park in Billings, Mont.

The Crusaders take on GNAC Tournament host and top-seeded Montana State Billings at 4 p.m. on Thursday, then WOU and MSU Billings cap the day with a 7 p.m. contest.

"It's always fun preparing for postseason baseball," said NNU head baseball coach Rocke Musgraves.

The Crusader got there with a determined effort on Saturday, battling back from deficits of 2-0 early and 5-2 after six innings.

Tate Glasgow's solo home run in the top of the seventh inning sparked the comeback, then NNU (27-26, 15-17 GNAC) tied it in the seventh on a two-run homer by Josh Hatfield.

Thomson then gave the Crusaders a 7-5 lead with a two-out, two-run double down the right-field line, showing NNU's determination to make the postseason.

The Wolves (26-23, 21-11) - 12-time GNAC regular-season champs who needed a sweep of NNU to clinch title No. 13 - refused to quit and rallied with a run in each the seventh and eighth innings, though, forcing extra innings.

Once into the extra frames, the Crusaders rode the arm of Andrew Groves (2-5) who was brilliant on the hill in four innings of relief, striking out two and scattering just two hits to earn the win.

"Andrew Groves was able to get some big-time outs in a very rough environment," Musgraves said, adding of starter Blake Mitchell and reliever Colton Loomis who teamed up to work the opening eight innings, "Mitchell and Loomis also weathered the storm and made some big pitches for us."

Setting the stage for a dramatic top of the 12^th inning as Davis (4-for-8) led off with a double to center, then Andrew Helmstadter bunted him over third.
With the Wolves infield drawn in, Thomson laced a single back up the middle, chasing home Davis with the game winner.

"The addition of Kyle Thomson back to the lineup has given our offense an RBI guy," Musgraves said of Thomson, who was 4-for-10 with five RBIs on the day. "His ability to hit in clutch situations will be nice to have going into the playoffs.

"I think our hitters did a much better job of staying up the middle instead of being so pull happy," Musgraves added, as both the 12^th-inning base knocks came to center field.

Not settling for just one win, NNU came out fighting in the nightcap as a Tucker Campbell RBI single capped a two-run, game-tying rally in the top of the second inning, then a Davis homer to right-center put the Crusaders on top 3-2 in the third.

Tied 3-3 headed to the fourth inning, Tim Jones led off with a triple and scored on a Campbell ground ball, then a Thomson two-run single put the Crusaders up 6-3.

Unfortunately – like prize-fighters Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather trading blows – Western Oregon continued trading blows with NNU, chipping away with a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and a final punch that ended it as Brandon Oliver's two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning chased home the game-winner.