MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Northwest Nazarene University baseball team got the pitching its been looking for Friday as both Greg Casper and Blake McFadden were strong on the mound.
Unfortunately for the Nighthawks, their opponents were just as strong. At least in the opener.

NNU (9-19 overall, 7-11 GNAC) managed a split with GNAC-leading Western Oregon (13-12, 13-5), falling 1-0 in the opener before winning 7-2 in the nightcap.

"Today we played baseball the way it is meant to be played," NNU coach Rocke Musgraves said. "We played it with passion, with courage and we played for the team."

Casper threw a complete game in the nightcap, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

McFadden, making his first start of the season, gave up one run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six innings in the opener.

The difference for NNU was the offense banged out 11 hits in the nightcap, as Bennett Tabaracci was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Zach Penrod was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Kyle Redford was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, Casey Sheehan was 2-for-4, and Jesse Hilyard and Dylan Cure added doubles.

In the opener, NNU managed just four hits, as Redford was 2-for-4 and Parker Price and Justin Folz were each 1-for-3. Folz's hit was a double.

The Nighthawks are back in action with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. MDT on Saturday at Western Oregon.