SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Facing the top seed in the region on their field to open the 2022 West Regional, Northwest Nazarene softball did not back down from the challenge whatsoever with a 4-0 shutout of No. 11 Cal State San Marcos.
With the win, the eighth-seeded Nighthawks advance into the winner's bracket of the regional pod, and will play the winner between 4-seed Sonoma State and 5-seed Cal State Monterey Bay at 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 11:00 a.m. Mountain tomorrow.
The Nighthawks have now won their regional opener in back-to-back seasons but have not earned two wins in one regional, and will look to make that history with another win against either the Seawolves or the Otters.
Both starters worked through the first two innings without trouble, with NNU's Booth retiring the first seven Cougars in a row.
The Nighthawks would tally the first run of the game in the third, as
Emma Mulligan led off with a single, stole both second and third, and then came home on a two-out single from
Maia McNicoll.
Mulligan started a rally again in the fifth, drawing a one-out walk and then scoring all the way from first on an error and smart baserunning. A few batters later, McNicoll came up clutch with two outs for the second time, drilling a two-run single down the left-field line to put the Nighthawks up 4-0.
Meanwhile, Booth cruised in the circle, not allowing a runner to reach second base throughout the entire game. San Marcos registered just three hits and one walk, while Booth hurled the complete game shutout with nine strikeouts.
McNicoll was 2-4 with three RBIs to lead the offense. Her two-run single in the fifth broke a 12-year-old GNAC single-season record for RBIs, tallying her 65
th and 66
th of the year.
Mulligan had a hit and a walk and scored twice, while adding a stolen base. Booth also added a pair of walks.
Head coach
Rich Wagner also collected his 200
th win at the helm of the Nighthawks with the victory.
