NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene softball saw their eight-game win streak snapped with a 3-0 loss in game one, but the Nighthawks rallied to defeat Western Oregon 7-1 in game two to earn a split on Friday.
NNU improves to 15-3 on the season, while Western Oregon moves to 5-5. Despite being a regular conference opponent, the weekend series against WOU will count as non-conference, with the return trip to Oregon next weekend counting as GNAC games.
The Nighthawks and Wolves will play two more in Nampa tomorrow, with game one starting at noon.
Game One: WOU 3, NNU 0
The story of game one was the starting pitcher for Western Oregon, Reilly Tidwell. Nine Nighthawk batters were able to reach base on five walks and four hit-by-pitches, but Tidwell kept NNU out of the hit column and the scoring column to earn a no-hit, shutout victory.
On the other side,
Sidney Booth had a pretty good day in the circle, but a couple of costly mistakes by her and the NNU defense allowed WOU to push across three unearned runs.
Booth and
Madison Strickler were both on base twice for NNU despite not getting hits, with Booth drawing a walk and a HBP while Strickler was hit twice.
Game Two: NNU 7, WOU 1
Tori Hensley continued the strong pitching on the day, earning the victory in game two with a complete-game performance, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out seven.
WOU's pitchers did not fare as well in the second game, allowing all seven of the runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Neither team got much going in the first three frames, but in the bottom of the fourth,
Brittany Genuardi pushed across NNU's first run of the day with an RBI groundout.
Despite being a quiet way to score a run, it opened the gates for the Nighthawks, as Booth and
Maia McNicoll then connected for back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches. Booth belted a two-run shot to dead center that scored
Ivy Hommel, followed by McNicoll drilling one off the scoreboard in left to make it 4-0.
The Wolves got one back in the top of the fifth, but NNU responded with three more on a two-RBI double from
Abigail Gagnon and a Hommel sacrifice fly.
Nicole Zuvela was a perfect 3-3 from the plate in game two, while McNicoll was 2-4 with the homer. Gagnon also had two hits for the Nighthawks.
