NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene softball split the home-opening doubleheader against Western Washington on Friday afternoon, taking game one 4-0 before falling 6-1 in game two.
Game One
The opener was a pitchers' duel through the first five innings, as NNU's
Sidney Booth and WWU's Joie Baker matched zeroes on the board.
The Nighthawks finally broke the shutout in the sixth, starting by loading the bases with just one out.
Abigail Gagnon then came up with the first RBI of the game, singling to center to drive in Booth from third.
Charlotte Forniss came in to pinch-hit, and drilled a two-RBI double to make it 3-0. Before the inning was over, Gagnon would race home on a wild pitch to give NNU the four-run lead.
That was more than enough offense for the Nighthawks, as Booth worked around a leadoff double in the top of the seventh with two strikeouts and a flyout to preserve the win. She improves to 5-2 on the year, recording seven strikeouts in the victory.
Game Two
Western Washington scored in each of the first five innings of game two, plating one each in the first, second, third, and fourth before adding two more in the fifth.
NNU got one run in the third on an RBI single from
Madison Felter, but that was all the Nighthawks would manage offensively. NNU had just three hits in total, with
Emma Mulligan notching the other two.
Tori Hensley pitched the first 4+ innings, striking out two while allowing six runs.
Charlotte Forniss entered in the fifth and didn't allow a run through three frames, striking out two.
Next Up
The Nighthawks and Vikings will play two more games on Saturday, with first pitch of game one set for noon.
