ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene softball kept their GNAC Tournament title hopes alive on Friday night, eliminating the Wildcats 2-1 behind a fantastic effort in the circle from
Tori Hensley.
The Nighthawks managed just one hit in the game, but were able to score a pair of runs to edge out CWU. With the win, NNU will now advance to the final against Saint Martin's tomorrow. The Nighthawks and Saints will play at noon Pacific with SMU taking the title if they win the first game, but if NNU wins, the two teams will battle again immediately after as the Saints have not lost yet in the tournament.
With their 32
nd victory of the season, NNU (32-19) has now broken their program high for wins in a season, edging out the 31 from last year.
Hensley kept the Wildcats off the board for the first five innings, only running into a bit of trouble in the fifth with two on and no outs, but getting out of the jam with a strikeout and two groundouts.
NNU played small ball to tally their runs, getting one in the first inning as
Emma Mulligan led off the game with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on NNU's lone hit as
Ivy Hommel sent a grounder back up the middle and into center field.
In the fifth,
Kellcie Adams led off the frame with a walk and was pinch ran for by
Mari Kamemoto. Kamemoto advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a passed ball, and managed to score on a wild double play that ended the inning.
Central Washington tried to rally in the sixth, scoring one run after a one-out single and then double off the fence in left-center. The tying run would be stranded at third, though, as a groundout ended the inning.
Hensley came back out in the seventh to look to finish off the Wildcats, and she did just that with a 1-2-3 inning, getting two groundouts and a lineout on just four pitches.
Hensley's final line read seven innings, five hits, one run, four strikeouts, and one walk as she threw 87 pitches in the complete-game effort.
Hommel had the lone hit for NNU, while Mulligan and Adams both reached base twice with two walks apiece.
Next Up
The Nighthawks will take on two-seed Saint Martin's in the final tomorrow, needing to defeat the Saints twice to claim the title, with first pitch set for noon Pacific.
