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NAMPA, Idaho — After coming so close to a sweep, Crusader coach Rich Wagner put some of the days blame on his own shoulders.

Cruising along in the opener, the Northwest Nazarene softball team failed to finish off Eastern Oregon, falling 7-6, before NNU rallied with a dominating performance to score a 6-0 victory and split a nonconference doubleheader at Halle Field on Saturday.

"Once again a learning moment for the young team," said Wagner. "We gave away the first game, which is rough, probably should have won that. But I think that's a little bit on me and my staff, we made a couple mistakes, waited to long to get Brooke (Bonsen) out; she pitched such a great game, for it to end that way was pretty rough."

Bonsen cruised through the first five frames of the opener and held a 6-0 lead as a Kylie Orr's two-run double in the second inning helped the Crusaders (6-7 overall) built a 5-0 lead, and a Kiahna Brown RBI single in the fourth inning gave NNU the six-run advantage.

Eastern Oregon (3-9) chipped away with two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but the Crusaders still held a comfortably until it slipped away in the top of the seventh.
 

First, a double off the bat of Cheyenne Barker trimmed the difference to 6-4. Then Lauren Burchak launched a game-winning, three-run homer to center against a tired Bonsen, who threw a dominating complete-game effort on Friday for a 7-1 win, and had dominated for 6-plus on Saturday.

Unable to get a reliever ready in time, the Crusader staff pulled Bonsen one batter to late for her to get the win, and Wagner put part of the loss on his own shoulders because of the late change.

But the Crusaders were impressive in their bounce-back ability, quickly shaking off the heartbreaking setback and battling right out of the gate in the series finale.

Knotted up in a scoreless pitcher's duel through three frames, NNU broke through in the fourth as an RBI double by Shelbie Martinez broke the tie and proved to be the game-winner.

But that just opened the floodgates as Bonsen, swinging a bat as the Crusader designated player, added an RBI, as did Lily Paschal in a four-run rally.

The Crusaders then tacked on two more in the fifth as Martinez collected her second RBI of the ballgame.

"I think we just needed to see their pitching staff for a couple innings," Wagner said of NNU's offensive eruption. "The staff on Eastern, they do a really good job of switching things up.

"Once our hitters got that rhythm back, then they definitely put the barrel on the ball and scored some runs."

Plenty of runs as Kendall Goodwin (4-3) cruised to win, her first collegiate shutout, scattering seven hits and striking out two.

"Kendall Goodwin, she's been working so hard to eliminate some of the free walks she's been giving up and her hard work paid off today," Wagner said.

The bounce-back win now gives NNU some momentum as they prepare for their Great Northwest Athletic Conference openers on the road next weekend, playing back-to-back doubleheaders at GNAC preseason favorite Western Washington on Friday and Saturday.

Orr led the way for NNU in the opener, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Martinez turned in the same performance in the nightcap. Each was 3-for-6 with two RBIs in the twinbill.