Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PORTLAND, Ore. – The Northwest Nazarene University baseball team kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a split Thursday against Concordia.

NNU won the first game 6-4 before dropping the nightcap 2-1.

The Nighthawks trail the Cavaliers by 3 1/2 games with six games remaining for the final spot to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament. Concordia has played one less game than the Nighthawks and will make it up Tuesday against Western Oregon.

In the loss, starting pitcher Greg Casper was hit in the face by a batted ball but remained in the game and pitched six innings. He allowed two runs – no earned – on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

"With all the blood, I didn't think there was any way he would continue," NNU coach Rocke Musgraves said, "but he wanted to stay in the game. We needed an effort like that. It's just too bad we couldn't get the win for him."

Casey Sheehan drove in the lone run of the game and the Nighthawks loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Kyle Redford grounded out to end it.

In the opener, Alan Embree, Ryan Mets and Jesse Hilyard combined to throw 5 2/3 innings of one-run relief to help deliver the victory. Embree earned his first collegiate win while Hilyard got his second save.

"We got strong relief and some timely hitting in the first game," Musgraves said. "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

In the opener, Justin Folz was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a double, Zach Penrod was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Coltin Brink was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In the nightcap, Sheehan was 2-for-3 and Larsson Chapman was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.

The two teams play in a doubleheader that has been moved up to 10 a.m. PDT on Friday because of weather.