NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene baseball split Friday's doubleheader with Saint Martin's, taking the opener 5-4 before falling to the Saints 6-2 in the nightcap.
The 12
th-ranked Nighthawks move to 17-5-1 on the season and 7-3 in GNAC play.
Game One
Saint Martin's got to NNU starter
Kailer Saunders early, scoring two runs on four hits in the top of the first.
Gavin Brubaker erased the Saints' lead with one swing in the bottom of the second, launching a two-run homer deep to left center.
Another big swing scored three more runs for the Nighthawks in the bottom of the fifth, as
Trevor Tishenkel drilled a no-doubter over the fence in right to put NNU up 5-2.
Saunders had settled down on the mound after the first inning, only allowing one hit between the second and sixth frames. SMU would tally two in the seventh, though, cutting the Nighthawks lead to one at 5-4.
NNU was able to hold on for the 5-4 win, with
Blake Hammond earning the save after going 2 1/3 innings with just one hit allowed and two strikeouts. Saunders received the win, going 6 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Tishenkel and
Cole Calnon both had two hits for the Nighthawks, combining for four of NNU's six in the game.
Game Two
Saint Martin's starter Justice Yamashita controlled the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning and keeping the Nighthawks off the board until the bottom of the seventh.
Jonathan Zayas matched Yamashita through four innings, putting up zeroes on the Saints' side of the scoreboard until the fifth. SMU broke through with two runs in that fifth inning, however, and would add four more in the sixth to go up 6-0.
It was freshman
Liam Herrera that finally put NNU on the board in the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitting and driving a laser over the fence in straightaway center field for a two-run homer. The Nighthawks got one more runner on in the frame, but could not come any closer as SMU took the 6-2 win.
Zayas went 5 1/3 innings in the start, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out six.
Jakob Rochelle tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the Nighthawks.
Next Up
NNU and Saint Martin's will play two more games tomorrow to close out the series, with the doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. at Vail Field.
