OAKLAND, Calif. – Shawn Grandmont hit a grand slam and Cooper Webster threw seven dominant innings as the Northwest Nazarene baseball team earned a split Saturday with the Academy of Art.

NNU (4-4 overall) won the opener 6-5 before dropping the nightcap 4-3.

"It was a good weekend overall, just to see what we've got," NNU coach Joe Schaefer said. "We had some guys in the game with different situations and a chance to see who can do what."

In the opener, Webster allowed just three hits with one walk and five strikeouts to earn his first win of the season. Grandmont unloaded on a pitch in the top of the ninth to give the Nighthawks some needed breathing room as the Urban Knights scored five times in the bottom of the ninth.

"Cooper was awesome," Schaefer said. "It was only his second outing of the year, but that was the best I've seen him including in the fall. He had command of three pitches and just never let anything get away from him. He did an outstanding job."

The Nighthawks had been struggling with runners in scoring position throughout the opener until Grandmont's big hit.

"He got a good swing off in that at bat," Schaefer said. "He got a pitch up in the zone and got on time with it. We needed that one to blow it open."

Rocco Ferrari also homered in the opener, while Parker Price and Bennett Tabaracci each had two hits. Ryan Berry added a 3-for-4 day.

In the nightcap, the Nighthawks had the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second with one out in the top of the seventh but couldn't find a big hit.

Trailing 4-1 headed to the final frame, Tabaracci was hit by a pitch with one out. Kyle Redford and Grandmont then singled to load the bases. Ferrari ripped a two-run double to left to make it 4-3, but Jesse Hilyard popped out to second base and Ryan Connor struck out to end the game.

Redford was 2-for-2, while Hilyard, Larsson Chapman, Ferrari and Grandmont all had a hit each.

Four pitchers combined to pitch a solid game, as Bailey Daguio, Connor, Dylan Cure and Parker Price combined on the six innings.

NNU opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play next weekend at Concordia.

"Our mindset going into the season, was these first two series were for us to see where we are at and what we need to work on," Schaefer said. "We wanted to try to get some roles established and I think we've gotten that accomplished.

"We are a work in progress no question, but it's definitely nice to have some momentum going into conference play."