TURLOCK, Calif. – For the second day in a row, Northwest Nazarene softball split their doubleheader at the Tournament of Champions with a 2-1 win over Hawaii Pacific and a 7-0 loss to No. 13 Sonoma State.
The Nighthawks move to 19-13 on the season and despite the loss to the highly-ranked Seawolves, are still one of the hottest teams in the region, with wins in 14 of their last 17 contests.
Game 1 vs. Hawaii Pacific
Tori Hensley spurred the Nighthawks to the victory in the opener, excelling both in the circle and at the plate.
The senior held the Sharks to just one run on five hits while striking out eight. Offensively, she drove in one of NNU's two runs and scored the other.
HPU struck first in the contest, getting a run in the bottom of the second. NNU responded right away in the top of the third, with
Abigail Gagnon singling home Hensley. One inning later, it was Hensley picking up the go-ahead RBI, driving in
Dominique Trevino with a two-out single.
Hensley and Gagnon both finished the game with two hits and an RBI, while
Clarissa Moreno added a pair of walks.
Game 2 vs. Sonoma State
NNU did not find much luck offensively against the 13
th-ranked Seawolves, scattering five hits and three walks across seven innings but not coming up with a run.
Gina Skinner started for the Nighthawks and pitched well for four innings, limiting the high-powered SSU offense to two runs. However, in the fifth an error proved costly as four unearned runs crossed the plate on a two-out grand slam.
Charlotte Forniss then threw the final inning of the contest for NNU.
Maia McNicoll was 2-2 with a walk to lead the output at the plate.
Next Up
NNU will jump back into GNAC play next week with a home four-game series in Nampa, hosting Western Washington in a critical conference clash on April 7 and 8.
