CALDWELL, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene baseball used strong pitching and some extra-inning heroics in game two to sweep College of Idaho 3-1 and 5-4 on Friday afternoon.
The Nighthawks improve to 5-1-1 in the early season.
Game One
The opener was a classic pitchers' duel over the first seven innings, with NNU starter
Jonathan Zayas and C of I starter Nick Eliason matching each other with zero after zero on the scoreboard.
Zayas went six scoreless with two hits and two walks allowed along with five strikeouts. Eliason tossed seven shutout innings with one hit allowed.
As soon as Eliason was pulled, though, the Nighthawks were able to put something together offensively in the top of the eighth.
Cole Calnon led off with a walk and
Jason Bell was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with no outs, and both advanced a base on a failed pickoff that went into center field.
The first run came across on a wild pitch when Calnon sprinted home on ball four to
Gavin Brubaker.
Carter Walsh followed with an RBI single to plate Bell, and
Kaleb Karpstein added an RBI single to score Brubaker before the inning was over to put NNU up 3-0.
Josh Brown had relieved Zayas in the seventh and tossed the final three innings of the game to earn the victory.
Game Two
It didn't take nearly as long for the Nighthawks to get on the board in the second game, as in the first inning
Kaleb Karpstein doubled with one out and came around to score on a single from
Casey Wayne.
One inning later,
Manny Casillas led off with a double and advanced to third on a
Kailer Saunders single. Casillas then scored on an RBI single from
Adam Paganelli. Saunders would also cross the plate later in the inning on an RBI groundout from
Drew Deal.
Kyle Ethridge started for NNU and was impressive through seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
The Yotes did not go quietly, though, adding three runs in the eighth to take a 4-3 lead. NNU came through in the top of the ninth, tying the game at four on an RBI groundout from Karpstein to send the game to extra innings.
In the top of the 10
th, Casillas was the hero, drilling a solo homer to right with one out to put the Nighthawks up 5-4.
Wade Duncan, who had retired C of I in order in the bottom of the ninth, then notched the final three outs in the bottom of the tenth to get credited with the win.
Casillas finished the game 4-5 with two doubles and a homer. Karpstein and Saunders also tallied three hits each in the victory.
Next Up
NNU and C of I will complete their series tomorrow with a doubleheader in Nampa this time, with first pitch of game one at Elmore W. Vail Field set for noon.
