NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene baseball took care of business on their end this weekend, sweeping Montana State Billings in a four-game set to keep their hopes alive of a second-straight GNAC Regular Season Championship.
On Saturday, the Nighthawks defeated the Yellowjackets 4-3 and 5-2 to earn the sweep, taking a momentary lead in the conference standings at 21-11 in GNAC play and 29-19 overall.
NNU is battling with Western Oregon for the title, with the Wolves off this week. Next week, the Nighthawks will be off while WOU plays Saint Martin's in the final week of the regular season. If WOU wins two or less games, NNU will be the outright champs and earn the one-seed to the GNAC Championships.
If Western Oregon takes three of four, WOU and NNU will share the regular season title, with NNU earning the one-seed after the tiebreaker of record against third-place MSUB. The only way the Nighthawks would not earn a share of the title would be if the Wolves sweep the Saints.
Game One
NNU got on the board first, with
Quentin Ayers driving home a run in the second inning on an RBI single. Two more came across in the fifth on a homer from
Duke Pahukoa to make it 3-0.
MSUB tied things up in the seventh, though, with three runs on one swing as Mitch Winter hit a three-run homer. The tie would not last long, however, as NNU's
Alex Salsman drilled a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the Nighthawks up for good.
Spencer Schwehr held the Yellowjackets off the board for the first six innings before giving up the homer in the seventh, finishing with seven full innings of work with five hits allowed and six strikeouts.
Max Holtzclaw got the win, throwing the final two innings without allowing a run and striking out four.
Game Two
MSUB bounced back early in the second game with a solo homer in the top of the first, but Pahukoa knotted things up at one in the second with his second home run of the day.
Pahukoa then added another RBI in the fourth on an RBI double, before Salsman drove in two with a single up the middle to make it 4-1.
The Yellowjackets cut the deficit to two in the fifth, but NNU got that run back in the bottom of the inning as
Colton Moore pulverized a pitch over the wall in deep right center to end the scoring at 5-2.
Pahukoa and Salsman each had two hits and two RBIs to lead the offense.
Joseph Ihli got the win, going three innings with just one unearned run allowed.
Blake McFadden got the final two outs of the fifth and tossed a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts, followed by Holtzclaw earning his 11
th save of the season with a scoreless seventh.
Next Up
The Nighthawks will be off next week before heading to the GNAC Championships the following week from May 12-13 in Monmouth, Oregon. As mentioned, seeding will be determined next week following the conclusion of the regular season.
