Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Adam Paulson was dominant Saturday as the Northwest Nazarene University baseball team kept its playoff hopes alive with a split against Central Washington.

NNU (14-28 overall, 12-20 GNAC) won the opener 3-2 before falling in the nightcap 8-2.

Paulson allowed two runs – one earned – on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in nine innings. It was his third win of the season and a big bounce back from his last outing, when he gave up six runs in one inning.

"Adam Paulson bulldogged for us today," NNU coach Rocke Musgraves said. "Adam does a great job of sticking to a game plan and interacting with his coaching staff and defense to create a more cohesive team defense."

Kyle Redford blasted a two-run home run in the eighth inning to help the Nighthawks rally from a 2-1 deficit.

"I was proud of Kyle and his homer under pressure to put us ahead," Musgraves said.

In the nightcap, Dylan Cure drove in two runs and had a double, Zach Penrod had two hits and two runs scored and Coltin Brink had the other hit.

Cooper Webster suffered the loss, allowing five runs – four earned – on eight hits in three innings.

"The scoreboard was not indicative of how we played," Musgraves said. "The game got away from us early, but we kept battling. We had a couple of pitchers throw competitive innings and I thought we really swung the bats well, but just hit balls right at people."

NNU plays at Concordia in a key four-game series Thursday and Friday. The Nighthawks trail the Cavaliers by three games in the loss column for the final playoff spot. Concordia has played one less GNAC game than NNU and will make it up with Western Oregon the first week of May.