BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene softball split with Western Washington after two pitching duals on Friday. WWU took game one 2-1 in eight innings and NNU took game two 1-0 after a complete game shutout by
Gina Skinner.
The Nighthawks are now 17-3 overall and 5-1 in the GNAC.
Game 1
Western Washington scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning with back-to-back singles and a sac fly.
Despite hitting several balls hard, the Nighthawks reached base just three times through the first five innings.
Abigail Gagnon reached base on a hit by pitch in the second inning and on a walk in the fifth inning.
Jami Obringer reached base on a hit by pitch in the third inning.
With two outs in the top of the sixth inning,
Emma Mulligan singled to center field to get the first hit for NNU.
Clarissa Moreno hit a double to right-center field just two pitches later to score Mulligan and tie the game at 1-1.
The Vikings' clean-up hitter hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game 2-1.
Game 2
In similar fashion to game one, Mulligan and Moreno provided the Nighthawks with their first run of the contest. This time, Mulligan doubled with two outs in the top of the fifth inning and Moreno brought her in to score with an RBI single to give NNU a 1-0 lead. This run would later prove to be the only one that was scored in the game.
Gina Skinner shutdown the Vikings, pitching a complete game without allowing a run. Skinner did not allow a base runner until the fourth inning. She allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out three Vikings hitters. Skinner advanced to 3-1 on the season as NNU handed WWU pitcher, Alli Kimball her first loss of the year.
On Deck
The Nighthawks continue their series with Western Washington tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
