NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene softball upped their win streak to six games with a sweep of Western Oregon on Friday, earning a walkoff 4-3 win in nine innings of game one before taking a 6-3 comeback victory in game two.
The Nighthawks improve to 23-15 overall and an impressive 11-3 in GNAC play.
Game One
The Wolves drew first blood in the second inning, notching a one-out RBI single before Logan Carlos had a two-out, two-run homer to left to put WOU up 3-0.
The Nighthawks countered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the third, as
Emma Mulligan brought home
Kellcie Adams with a bunt, Mulligan then scored on an error, and
Maia McNicoll drove in
Ivy Hommel with a single to left.
Neither team would score again through the regularly scheduled seven innings, and it wouldn't be until the bottom of the ninth that the tie would be broken.
Sidney Booth led off the frame with a triple down the left field line, just out of the reach of a diving Wolves left fielder. McNicoll and
Charlotte Forniss were then both intentionally walked to load the bases.
Tori Hensley was up next, and came through with a blooper that fell right between the shortstop, left fielder, and center fielder to score Booth and earn the walk-off win.
Booth went all nine innings in the circle, allowing the three runs on three hits while striking out 14. Mulligan, Booth, and Hensley all had two hits and walked once, while Adams also added a pair of hits.
Game Two
NNU got on the board first in game two, scoring one in the second as
Nicole Zuvela drove in Forniss with a single down the right field line.
The Wolves would take the lead in the fourth, though, scoring three runs on three hits with two coming as unearned after a Nighthawks error.
The Nighthawks bounced back in the sixth, though, tallying four unearned runs as they took advantage of two WOU errors. Mulligan started the scoring by bringing home a run on an error, before Booth notched a two-RBI single. The final run came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of McNicoll.
Pitching in relief,
Gina Skinner then mowed down the Wolves in order in the seventh for the win. Skinner went 3.1 shutout innings in the circle to earn the win, only allowing one baserunner on a walk. Hensley started for NNU, going 3.2 innings and allowing three runs (one earned) while striking out three.
Zuvela was the lone Nighthawk with a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Next Up
The Nighthawks and Wolves have two more games slated for tomorrow at Halle Field, with first pitch of game one scheduled for noon.
