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NAMPA, Idaho — The Crusader offense never got on track, leaving the Northwest Nazarene softball team with a pair of disappointing results.

Three straight base hits to start the day didn't provide enough of a spark as NNU fell 5-1 and 2-1, in eight innings, to Western Oregon, which played as the home team in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader at Halle Field on the NNU campus.

"We didn't swing the bats well enough today to win," NNU head coach Rich Wagner said. "If we can find barrel tomorrow we will have a good chance to get a couple wins."

The Crusaders (17-19 overall, 7-7 GNAC) — the visitors on the scoreboard in games relocated to Nampa because of poor field conditions in Monmouth, Ore. — came out swing as Cassidy Fifield doubled and scored on a Kylie Orr single, then Brittany Genuardi added a single in the top of the first inning of game one.
 

But after the first three NNU batters reached to start the day, Wolves starting pitcher Haley Fabian settled in and didn't allow another Crusader to advance past second base.

Her teammates responded to NNU's quick start with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, which put WOU (16-13, 3-5) on top for good, though the Wolves tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Hits and runs were even more of a premium in the nightcap as the Wolves snapped a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a run.

NNU answered in the top of the seventh inning as Lisa Sylvester walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Madalyn Smith, who scored on a two-out RBI single by Lauren Bassett to force extra innings.

Genuardi and Shelbie Martinez each singled to start the top of the eighth, but NNU couldn't come up with the clutch hit to break the 1-1 tie.

The Wolves did, though, as Zoe Clark provided the walk-off winner, a one-out, two-on RBI single to left.

Orr led the way for NNU offensively on the day, going 4-for-8, while Fifield added three hits for NNU, which plays the generous host again Saturday against Western Oregon.

The two teams play another doubleheader at Halle Field on the NNU campus with first pitch at noon, as the Crusaders once again will be the visitors on the scoreboard.