Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

PORTLAND, Ore. — It was a perfect harmony of success on the diamond for Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Portland, Oregon.

Perfect pitching, dazzling defense and timely hitting powered the Crusaders, who swept a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader from perennial powerhouse and pre-season favorite Western Oregon on the campus of Concordia University, 3-2 and 4-2.

"Today was a case of finishing," NNU head baseball coach Rocke Musgraves exclaimed. "We carried a competitive attitude into the late innings."

A solo run in the eighth inning won the opener for the Crusaders (13-9 overall, 8-4 GNAC), and a two-run rally in the fifth inning of the seven-inning nightcap gave NNU its second victory of the day, and 3-of-4 wins in the weekend series.

In the opener, Tucker Campbell's two-run single in the top of the fifth inning spotted NNU to a 2-0 lead, but the Wolves (9-10, 4-6) tied it in their half of the inning.

That forced a late winning rally by the Crusaders, as Tyler Davis led off the eighth with a single to center and Andrew Helmstadter was hit by a pitch.

With one out, Brady Baker provided the game-winner, cracking an RBI single to left for the 3-2 lead.

Reliever Blake Mitchell (1-1) earned the victory in relief, striking out four and allowing just one hit and one walk in 4 1-3 scoreless innings on the hill.

Along with the game-winner, Brady enjoyed a huge offensive day, going 3-for-4 in the opener.

In the nightcap, Helmstadter had an RBI triple in the first and Spencer Pollock singled to center to chase home Davis for a 2-0 lead after three innings.

Davis then ripped a two-run homer to left — his GNAC-best eighth of the season — to give NNU a 4-0 advantage they maintained thanks to Ryan Nyborg, who got the final nine outs. Nyborg earned his GNAC-leading fourth save of the season, preserving the victory for starter Justin Pilgrim (3-0), who gave up one earned run on three hits.

"Our pitching and defense were competitive this weekend," NNU's coach said, adding, "our ability to throw off-speed pitches in any count kept Western Oregon's hitters off balance.

"They have some big sticks in their lineup — our guys seem to really frustrate them, and when they stung it, we defended it."

And the Crusaders came up with timely hits as Helmstadter had two hits in the nightcap to lead NNU, which now returns home for a first-place battle with Central Washington. The Crusaders host the Wildcats in doubleheaders on Friday at 3 p.m., and Saturday at 1 p.m.