NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene baseball just keeps finding new ways to win.
The ninth-ranked Nighthawks swept Friday's wild doubleheader against Saint Martin's by scores of 25-8 and 12-11, two games that saw 56 combined runs and lasted over seven hours.
NNU improves to 25-5 overall and an incredible 19-3 in GNAC play, keeping hold of their two-game lead over Western Oregon for the top spot in the conference.
The Nighthawks and Saints will close out the series tomorrow, as NNU will look to sweep the season series with SMU and keep their eight-game win streak alive.
Game One: NNU 25, SMU 8
NNU's offensive firepower was on full display in the opener, scoring 25 runs on 21 hits, including seven home runs, with all nine starters recording a hit. NNU led 5-1 after four innings, but SMU was able to cut the deficit to just one with three runs in the top of the fifth.
The Nighthawks would blow the game wide open in the sixth, though, putting nine runs on the board to take a 14-4 lead. NNU added two more in the eighth and another nine-spot in the ninth to run away with the victory.
Grant Kerry had two of NNU's seven homers, finishing with four RBI.
Shawn Grandmont and
Cameron Bogard both launched grand slams, with Grandmont also adding another RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Haden Keller was 5-6 with a solo homer and scored four times.
Colton Moore also had three hits, while
John Gonzalez and
Alex Salsman added the other two home runs for the Nighthawks.
Sasha Jabusch got the start, going 4.1 innings with four runs allowed (two earned) on five hits.
Tyler Tan got the win in relief, going two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Game Two: NNU 12, SMU 11
Saint Martin's jumped on NNU starter
Kyle Ethridge for five runs in the first inning. The Nighthawks got two back over the second and third innings, but SMU added five more in the fourth and sixth frames to take an eight-run lead.
Gonzalez and
Ben Johnson launched back-to-back homers as part of a three-run bottom of the sixth. The Saints tacked on another run in the top of the seventh, though, taking an 11-5 advantage into the final half inning.
Then the improbable happened.
Ryan Dearing led off with a walk, but
Colton Moore flew out to left for the first out. Grandmont then hit his second homer of the day to cut the deficit to four. Kerry and Salsman reached on back-to-back singles, before Keller launched a three-run bomb to right to bring the Saints lead down to just one.
NNU was not done, loading the bases on a walk, single, and another walk. The tying run would come home to score on a wild pitch, and then
Colton Moore walked in his second at-bat of the inning to bring in the winning run.
Colton Makinster received the win on the mound, getting the final four outs for NNU. Johnson finished 3-4, while Keller and both had two hits. Keller finished with an impressive five runs batted in.