GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Northwest Nazarene baseball came out on top in another high-scoring affair in game one, 10-8, before falling in a tight pitchers' duel in game two, 2-1, to split the doubleheader with No. 12 Colorado Mesa on Friday.
The 19
th-ranked Nighthawks move to 9-2-1 on the season.
Game One
Colorado Mesa got on the board first in the opener with one run in each of the first two innings. NNU tied the game up at 2-2 in the top of the third, as
Casey Wayne hit a sacrifice fly that first scored
Gavin Brubaker, and then
Drew Deal came home on a throwing error on the same play.
The Mavericks bounced back with two more runs in the bottom of the third to go up 4-2, but the Nighthawks countered in the top of the fourth with a four-spot. NNU loaded the bases with one out before Brubaker brought home
Duke Pahukoa on a fielder's choice, Deal notched an RBI single, and Brubaker and Deal both scored on another Maverick error to swing the lead back to NNU at 6-4.
The seesaw affair continued, with CMU plating two runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie things back up at 6-6. It didn't take long for another Nighthawks response, as in the top of the sixth, they tallied four more runs as Deal registered another RBI single before
Casey Wayne launched a three-run bomb over the fence in left for his first home run of the season.
Colorado Mesa chipped away with single runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings to cut the deficit to 10-8, but that was as close as they would get as the Nighthawks held on for the victory.
Cole Calnon, who had entered in relief of starter
Jonathan Zayas with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the third, put forth an impressive, gutsy effort to toss the final seven innings of the game and earn the win. He gave up four runs on seven hits over those seven innings and buckled down to allow just one baserunner in the eighth and ninth frames.
Drew Deal was 3-4 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored, while
Casey Wayne tallied four RBIs with his three-run homer and sacrifice fly.
Game Two
Surprisingly enough, the second game was the exact opposite of the first two in the series, as the Nighthawks and Mavericks engaged in a pitchers' duel.
CMU starter Cole Seward and NNU starter
Kyle Ethridge matched each other through six innings of the seven-inning game, allowing just one run each, with CMU scoring in the bottom of the first and NNU in the top of the second. The Nighthawks' run came when
Cole Calnon stole second and came all the way around to score on a throwing error by the Mavericks' pitcher.
Seward kept the Nighthawks off the board again in the top of the seventh, and it looked like Ethridge was going to do the same in the bottom of the inning with two quick outs. However, CMU then hit a double and a single to score the walk-off, game-winning run.
Ethridge's final line was 6.2 innings, two runs on four hits, four strikeouts, and one walk. NNU tallied five hits in the game from five different players.
Next Up
NNU and CMU will wrap up their series with a fourth and final game on Saturday starting at noon.
