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NAMPA, Idaho — A disappointing day at the ballpark won't tarnish an otherwise glorious season for the Crusaders.

Nor will it stop Northwest Nazarene's determined playoff pursuit.

Visiting Western Washington — also chasing a postseason berth — instead punched its ticket and put NNU's on hold, sweeping a Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at Halle Field on the NNU campus, 10-6 and 11-10.

"We did a good job swinging the bats today, but we made too many mistakes on defense," NNU head coach Rich Wagner said. "Those mistakes made it difficult to win games."

Despite the losses, NNU (23-25 overall, 13-13 GNAC) still sits in the fourth and final spot for the GNAC playoffs, holding a 1-game edge on that postseason berth heading into a regular-season finale doubleheader Saturday at noon with the visiting Vikings.

Along with playing for the playoffs, NNU will also honor seniors Brooke Bonsen, Vicki Kreger and Abigail Watkins between games for "Senior Day."

"Tomorrow we get to celebrate three great seniors, and I know this team will fight 'till the end," Wagner said. "That should make for an exciting day."

The Crusaders showed that fight Friday as a two-run home run by Cassidy Fifield closed the game-one gap to 3-2, and down 10-3 in the bottom of the seventh, NNU didn't go quietly.

Instead, Kylie Orr, Brittany Genuardi and Lisa Sylvester each drove in a run as NNU closed to 10-6 down before the Vikings (28-17, 17-9) finally staved off their hosts.

Fifield, Orr, Abigail Otto and Lily Paschal each had a pair of hits in the first game to lead NNU's offense.

An offense that tried to break the nightcap open early as Orr and Genuardi each had an RBI and two more runs crossed the plate on a fielding error as the Crusaders jump up 4-0 in the first inning.

NNU tacked on another run in the second on a Viking error, but WWU responded with a five-run rally to tie it in the third.

The Crusader offense went right back to work as Genuardi hit a two-run home run during a three-run rally as NNU took an 8-5 lead after four innings, and Orr added an RBI double in the fifth for a 9-6 lead, but neither advantage lasted.

The Vikings plated four in the top of the sixth inning, forcing the Crusaders to come back out of a 10-9 hole, which NNU did with a solo home run by Sylvester.

But WWU added a final run in the top of the seventh, then staved off another late Crusader rally to sweep the day.

Fifield and Orr again collected two hits apiece in the nightcap for NNU, as did Lauren Bassett, Genuardi, Sylvester and Anna Olson.