NAMPA, Idaho – If there is one word to sum up Friday's doubleheader between NNU and Central Washington it is bizarre.

The Northwest Nazarene baseball team took more than seven hours to sweep its GNAC doubleheader with the visiting Wildcats.

In between the Nighthawks scored the most runs in a game since 2012, turned a triple play, hit six home runs, had a power outage and scored six runs on just two hits.
NNU won the opener 21-4 and the nightcap 6-5.

"I've been a part of some long games, but that was something else," NNU senior Kyle Redford said. "It was fun. I think today was something I'll remember a long time for sure."

The wins wrapped up the regular season for both teams. NNU (24-22 overall, 20-17 GNAC) will be the No. 3 seed and play Western Oregon at 2:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday at Concordia in Portland, Ore., in the first round of the GNAC Baseball Championships.

In the opener, NNU scored 16 runs in the first three innings and 21 on the day, which is the most since the Nighthawks defeated Minot State 25-4 on Feb. 11, 2012.

Ben Johnson hit a three-run home run in the first to get the scoring party started. The Nighthawks added three runs in the second on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

NNU put the game away for good in the third as Rocco Ferrari hit a two-run homer, Michael Hults hit a three-run blast and Bennett Tabaracci a solo shot.

"That was a whale of a day," NNU senior Larsson Chapman said. "That was the coolest thing I've ever been a part of. All those seniors going deep and Steve (Verdieck) going deep. What a way to go out there."

Redford added a three-run shot in the seventh and Verdieck hit a pinch hit blast high over the wall in left field for his first home run of the season.

In all, four seniors homered on senior day and Verdieck and Hults homered for the first time this season.

"That's awesome. I love seeing guys do well like that," Redford said. "It is a good way to send out the seniors."

In the top of the sixth, the Nighthawks also turned a triple play. With runners at first and second and no outs, Central's Robert Ball hit a hot shot down the third base line that pulled third baseman Redford toward the bag.

He stabbed the ball, stepped on third and fired to Ryan Connor at second, who had a quick turn and threw to first baseman Braeden Dunten for the rare 5-4-3 triple play.

"I had it in the back of my mind actually," Redford said. "I grabbed it quick and it all happened so fast. I hit into a triple play earlier this year, but that's the first one I've been a part of on defense."

Bryan Black earned the win in relief, pitching four innings allowing one run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Johnson was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, Hults was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Redford was 1-for-5 with four RBIs, Ferrari was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Dylan Cure was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Jesse Hilyard was 2-for-5 with three runs scored, Parker Price was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Tabaracci was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

NNU banged out 20 hits, drew nine walks and had a batter reach on a hit by pitch. All of which made the second half of the doubleheader even stranger.

The Nighthawks managed just two hits in the second game, scoring twice on wild pitches, once on a bases loaded hit by pitch, once on an error, once on a balk and once on a sacrifice fly.

Oh, and the game featured a 25-minute delay when a child turned off four banks of the outfield lights.

"It was a very bizarre day," NNU coach Joe Schaefer said, "but a good one nonetheless. More than anything, it was nice to be able to walk off the field for the last time this year with a win and send the seniors out on a high note."

Redford finished 1-for-2 and Hults was 1-for-2, while Jalen Fuhriman got the win in relief allowing two runs on three hits with three walks in two innings. Nick Irwin earned his second save with a perfect seventh inning.

"It was a perfect ending to a long season where fought a lot," Hults said. "It's pretty special to get hot right before the playoffs."