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TURLOCK, Calif. — The Crusaders finished a long weekend in California with some swagger, if not with a win.

The Northwest Nazarene softball team put up a tough fight in its final game of the Tournament of Champions hosted by Stanislaus State, only to fall 8-5 to UC San Diego on Saturday.

A strong bounce-back performance by the Crusaders, who fell 8-1 against Cal State East Bay to start Saturday, as NNU finished the five-game road trip winless.

"I'm proud of the way the ladies adjusted in the second game, they played with much more energy," NNU head softball coach Rich Wagner said.

A revived attitude at the Pedretti Sports Complex helped NNU (13-19 overall, 7-7 GNAC) rally after falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning against the Tritons (23-15).
 

A Crusader attack that mustered just one run in its previous three games, awoke with a clutch two-out rally that saw Cassidy Fifield single in a run, then Lisa Sylvester put NNU on top with a two-out, two-run single to center.

That started a back-and-forth battle between NNU and the Tritons, who took a 5-3 lead in the top of the third before a two-out, RBI single to center by Anna Olson made it a 5-4 ballgame.

UC San Diego added a run to its lead in the top of the fifth after a reversed out call extended the inning, then the Tritons added two more in the seventh.

Down 8-4, the Crusaders swagger shone through as NNU never quit, getting a pinch-hit RBI single from Morgan Thome before the comeback came up just short on a deep fly ball to left off with the tying run at the plate.

Sylvester went 3-for-4 and Fifield had a pair of hits in the final game of the weekend for NNU, which started the day in a pitcher's duel that slipped away late against the Pioneers.

"The first game we didn't do a real good job offensively," Wagner said.

Brooke Bonsen managed to keep her team in the game, despite that fact, as she struck out five working into the fifth inning and trailed just 1-0 before the Pioneers inched away.

The Crusaders lone run came on an RBI single to left-field off the bat of Madalyn Smith with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Fifield had two hits in the opener, as well, for the Crusaders who found some momentum with a strong effort in their California finale.

NNU now returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this coming week, playing a doubleheader at Concordia on Thursday before playing back-to-back doubleheaders at league-leading St. Martin's on Friday and Saturday.