Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



NAMPA, Idaho — Could the Crusaders do it again?

The Northwest Nazarene softball charged from behind to grab a late lead in what it hoped would be its final at-bat. Then, a two-run single by visiting Eastern Oregon brought up that question, could NNU rally yet again?

Indeed.

The refuse to lose Crusader softball team got a two-out, two strike double inside the third-base bag off the bat of Lisa Sylvester that plated Kylie Orr and Shelbie Martinez to lift NNU to a walk-off, 10-9 victory Saturday at Halle Field.

The comeback closed the weekend on a high note for Northwest Nazarene, which dropped the day's open 7-4, despite trying to rally against the visiting Mountaineers.

"I'm pleased with the hard we put in today," NNU head coach Rich Wagner said. "That's what we talked about this weekend was about working hard, putting in the time and the reps to make sure that we were ready to go."

The nonconference comeback win sends NNU (7-10 overall) into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play next weekend with momentum as the Crusaders play back-to-back doubleheader next Friday and Saturday at Simon Fraser.
 

And with expectations high for this Crusader team, momentum is a big deal — especially at the start of each game.

"The big talk after yesterday was I didn't feel like we showed up ready," Wagner said as NNU was swept by EOU in a twinbill on Friday. "We have to figure out how to get ready.

"I think we have to really work hard on figuring out how to start games off and start weekends off."

So that dramatic comebacks like Saturday's finale aren't so necessary.

The Mountaineers put NNU in comeback mode by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, then pushing the lead to 6-0 with four runs more in the fourth inning.

That's when the Crusaders began their charge as Brittany Genuardi got NNU on the board with a two-run single, then she scored on a Martinez RBI groundout, cutting the difference in half after four frames.

After both teams traded a goose egg in the fifth, EOU added to its lead with a Lauren Burchak RBI single in the top of the sixth, setting the stage for dramatic Crusader comeback — Part 1.

Genuardi again had a big swing, this time blasting a three-run home run over the left-field fence to close the gap to 7-6.
 

Martinez then doubled and scored on a Madison Strickler double, knotting the score at 7-7, before Anna Olson's RBI comebacker plated Strickler to give NNU the chance to win it with three outs in the top of the seventh.

Instead, Eastern Oregon rallied itself as a Chelsea Spanier two-run single put the Crusaders right back into comeback mode, down 9-8.
 
Undaunted, NNU went back to work on dramatic comeback — Part 2, as Orr and Martinez each walked to give NNU life, then with two outs on the scoreboard and two strikes against Sylvester, the magic happened.

Sylvester turned on a pitch from Hailey Kline and ripped a shot just inside the third-base bag and past diving EOU third baseman Spanier, plating both Orr and Martinez and setting off a victory celebration.

NNU tried to do the same in the day's first game as EOU used a seven-run surge in the top of the second inning, then held on.

The Crusaders rallied as a Martinez RBI single got them on the board in the bottom of the sixth, Strickler closed the gap with a two-run triple in the inning, then she scored on a Brooke Bonsen RBI single.

But that's where the comeback came to an end as NNU loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but could not score.

"We have to figure out a way to offensively get that spark going right away," Wagner said. "When we do hit we usually get out in front, and when we get out in front we usually play very well."

Strickler led the way for NNU going 4-for-7 on the day with three RBIs, while Genuardi was 3-for-7 with five runs batted in. Martinez and Orr also had three hits each in the twinbill for NNU, while Abigail Watkins (1-1) earned the second-game win, pitching four innings in relief.