ELLENSBURG, Wash. – After succumbing to two late comebacks by Central Washington on Friday, Northwest Nazarene softball bounced back on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of the Wildcats, 6-3 and 6-2, to draw a series split with CWU.
Game One
NNU came out strong in the first inning, looking to avenge yesterday's sweep at the hands of CWU, scoring three runs before an out was recorded.
Emma Mulligan led off with a walk, stole second, and then came around to score on an RBI triple from
Ivy Hommel. Hommel was then able to trot home when
Sidney Booth belted a two-run shot over the fence in center field.
Central got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, but NNU would then add to their lead in the fifth with an RBI double from
Abigail Gagnon and RBI single from
Mackenzie La Neve to make it 5-1.
The Wildcats cut the deficit in half with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, but
Maia McNicoll added one more with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to give NNU the 6-3 win.
Booth had another great game on the mound to earn the win, allowing just two earned runs in seven innings with six strikeouts. Gagnon, Hommel, and
Tori Hensley each had two hits from the plate for the Nighthawks.
Game Two
Central would score first in game two with an unearned run in the bottom of the first.
The Nighthawks came back in a big way in the next half inning, scoring six in the top of the second.
Charlotte Forniss led the inning off with a solo homer, a run scored on an error and then two were walked in, before Forniss came up to the plate for the second time in the frame and delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to make it 6-1.
That was all the Nighthawks would need, as the Wildcats only managed one more run the rest of the game. Forniss went the distance in the circle to earn the win for NNU, allowing just one earned run on five hits.
Forniss was also a force at the plate, going 3-4 with three RBIs. Gagnon also had a pair of hits in the victory.
Next Up
After two non-conference series against GNAC opponents over the last two weekends, the Nighthawks will now begin conference play with a road trip to Western Washington for four games on March 11 and 12.
