NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene softball picked up two big GNAC wins on Saturday over Central Washington, taking down the Wildcats 6-2 and 10-4 to win the series 3-1 and improve to 5-3 in conference action.
Game One
The Nighthawks came out strong from the beginning, scoring three in the first and two more in the third to take an early 5-0 lead.
Maia McNicoll,
Abigail Gagnon, and
Charlotte Forniss all picked up RBIs in the first before Gagnon drilled a two-run homer in the third.
CWU pushed across two runs in the fifth and sixth to cut the deficit to three, but NNU would add one more in the sixth on an RBI single from
Emilie Hernandez and then shut down the Wildcats in the seventh for the win.
Sidney Booth went seven innings for the win in the circle, taking a no-hitter into the sixth before settling for a one-hitter with six strikeouts.
Forniss and McNicoll each had two hits while Gagnon finished with three RBIs.
Game Two
NNU got on the board first again in game two as Booth drove in a run with a double in the bottom of the first. The Nighthawks added another in the second, but the Wildcats came back with three in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead.
NNU responded in a big way in the fourth, though, with seven runs to take a 9-3 advantage. McNicoll started things off with a two-RBI single, followed by a three-RBI, bases-clearing double from Forniss. Another run came across on an error, with
Kellcie Adams then capping the inning with an RBI single.
McNicoll would add a solo homer in the fifth as NNU cruised to the 10-4 victory.
Booth and McNicoll each had two hits, while McNicoll and Forniss both had three RBIs.
Forniss pitched the first 2.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits.
Gina Skinner tossed the final 4.2 frames to earn the win, allowing just one run.
Next Up
The Nighthawks will have next week off before heading to California for the Tournament of Champions in Turlock on April 1 and 2.
