NAMPA, Idaho - In the first Northwest Nazarene softball games played at Halle Field since 2019, the Nighthawks opened the 2021 season by sweeping a doubleheader against Eastern Oregon on Wednesday.

NNU's pitching was dominant in both contests, shutting out the Mountaineers in game one 6-0 before taking game two 9-1 in five innings due to the run rule. 

The Nighthawks were supposed to start their season last weekend against Pacific Lutheran, but weather forced the cancelation of those contests and four games against EOU were added shortly after for this week. The Nighthawks and Mountaineers will wrap up the series tomorrow, with first pitch of game one coming at noon.

Game One - NNU 6, EOU 0

Sidney Booth got NNU's staff started on the right foot immediately in game one, hurling a complete-game, two-hit, 11-strikeout shutout. Booth retired 21 of the 25 batters that she faced, also allowing a walk and one Mountaineer reaching on an error.

With Booth dominating on the mound, the Nighthawks would have only needed one run to come away with the win, but they exceeded that with six runs on the board off of six hits.

The first run came on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first, with Maia McNicoll able to jog across home plate for the first NNU run of 2021. Madison Strickler followed with an RBI groundout to put the Nighthawks up 2-0.

NNU scored the rest of their runs in the third inning, starting with a McNicoll RBI double to right center that scored Booth. McNicoll then scored on an error by the Mountaineer shortstop, and Emilie Hernandez capped the scoring with a two-RBI single before the frame was over.

Strickler finished with a pair of hits, an RBI, and a run scored to lead the Nighthawk offense. NNU also tallied nine walks and four steals, with Brittany Genuardi earning three of the free passes and Emma Mulligan swiping two of the bases.

Game Two - NNU 9, EOU 1 (5 innings)

In game two, Tori Hensley picked up right where Booth left off in game one, throwing a complete game for the win while allowing one run on three hits and striking out nine without allowing a base on balls.

After utilizing walks to tally many of the runs in the first game, the bats awakened in game two for nine runs on 14 hits through the five innings. NNU scored in every inning but the second, highlighted by a four-run fourth.

McNicoll continued a great day at the plate with an RBI single in the first to score Genuardi and put the Nighthawks up early. In the third, it was Genuardi's turn to drive in a run as she doubled home Ivy Hommel. Genuardi then scored on Strickler's infield single to short.

In the fourth, Hommel got things started with an RBI single followed by Genuardi's second double of the game, this time scoring two runs as Mulligan and Mckenzie Oakes crossed the plate. Booth capped the inning with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Hommel.

Hommel and Genuardi would each pick up another RBI in the fifth, bringing NNU's lead to eight, 9-1, and forcing the run-rule to end the game.

Genuardi was unstoppable in game two, going 4-4 with two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored. Hommel finished with three hits and two RBI, while Strickler and Nicole Zuvela both tallied two hits in the win.