CARY, N.C. – Northwest Nazarene baseball just keeps making history. On Monday, the Nighthawks broke out for seven runs in the seventh inning to defeat Trevecca Nazarene 9-3 and win their first-ever NCAA Championships game.
 
NNU had just four hits and two runs before that seventh, frame, but 11 Nighthawks came to the plate in the inning as NNU notched big hit after big hit to build a lead they would not relinquish.
 
With the victory, the Nighthawks staved off elimination and will now play again on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. MT. The opponent is currently TBD, as it will be the loser of the second game on Monday, either Tampa or a rematch with Central Missouri.
 
The Nighthawks had a few chances in the opening innings, but struggled to get runs across. On the other side, Trevecca was able to capitalize on a mistake or two by NNU and put two runs up in the second and one in the fourth.
 
NNU starter Kyle Ethridge kept the damage to a minimum, though, getting through six innings and allowing just the three runs (one earned) while striking out eight.
 
The Nighthawks were able to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth as Ben Johnson knocked a one-out, two-run single to center to cut the deficit to one.
 
With just four hits through the first six innings, the offense finally broke through for NNU in the bottom of the seventh, piling up seven runs on five hits. Haden Keller got things going in a big way with a leadoff triple, before Shawn Grandmont walked and John Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.
 
Grant Kerry came through in the clutch to open the scoring in the frame, doubling down the left-field line to plate Keller and Grandmont. Isaac Hines, who had come in to pinch-run the inning before, stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat in a month and singled through the right side to bring home Gonzalez and Kerry.
 
After Walker Moore drew a walk to put runners on first and second, Colton Moore drilled a double into the gap in right-center to bring both runners all the way around to score and make it 8-3. On the next pitch, Ryan Dearing tripled to left-center to send Moore across the plate and put the Nighthawks up by six.
 
Blake McFadden had entered in relief of Ethridge in the seventh and dominated over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three to close out the game and earn the win.
 
Keller, Johnson, Kerry, and Colton Moore each had two hits, recording eight of NNU's 10 in the game. Four players (Johnson, Kerry, Moore, and Hines) each also had two RBI.