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NAMPA, Idaho — In the midst of a potentially historic season on the diamond, the Crusader softball team continues to add milestone victories.

Saturday they added a few.

Resilient and determined, the Northwest Nazarene softball team refused to lose, rallying for a 9-7 win over visiting Saint Martin's to cap a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader. The comeback gave the Crusaders a split of the day's twinbill as SMU won the opener, 16-9.

The victory snapped a 21-game skid versus the perennial powerhouse Saints, gave head coach Rich Wagner his first victory over SMU, and pushed the Crusaders to 20 wins for just the second time in program history.

"I'm very proud of this team," Wagner said. "Today they proved once again they will compete until the last out."

After both teams traded big rallies early, NNU (20-22 overall, 10-10 GNAC) began its comeback from a 6-5 deficit in the bottom of the fourth inning as Anna Olson and Cassidy Fifield each singled home a run, putting the Crusaders on top 7-6.

Shelbie Martinez then provided the game-winner in the bottom of the fifth inning as two runs hustled home on her single to center.
 

Just enough of a lead for Alli Byron (1-0), who earned her first collegiate win in relief as the freshman gave up just one run on four hits over the final two innings.

"Alli came in and helped us get through game two," Wagner said.

Closing out a day that saw the two teams rack up 41 runs on 62 hits in the two contests.

"You have to be content with one win when it's a slugfest and there are 62 hits in two games," said Wagner, whose team traded the lead back and forth in the opener.

After seeing the Saints (19-13, 11-7) take a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning, NNU did more than chip away.

Fifield's first of two homers in the game got the comeback started in the bottom of the first, then Olson blasted a three-run homer and Fifield hit a two-run shot, closing the gap to 7-6 in the second inning.

A two-run single by Kylie Orr in the bottom of the fourth inning then put NNU on top, 8-7, but the lead was short lived as SMU tied it in the fifth, then re-took control of the game with seven runs in the top of the sixth inning.

Lauren Bassett added an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth inning before the Crusader offense eventually ran out of gas in the game.

Fifield led NNU's attack on the day, going an impressive 7-for-9 with two home runs and four RBIs, while Olson was 4-for-7 with five RBIs in the twinbill.

"Anna and Cassidy came up with big hits in both games," said Wagner, whose team also got four hits from Orr and three from Brittany Genuardi on the day.

The split keeps NNU firmly in playoff contention in fourth place in the GNAC standings as the Crusaders prepare to host Montana State Billings next weekend in a four-game series.