NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene softball impressed in their home opening games on Friday afternoon, run-ruling Montana State Billings 11-3 in six innings before shutting out Central Washington 3-0.
The Nighthawks improve to 7-6 overall on the season. Despite being against GNAC opponents, none of the games this weekend count in the conference standings.
Game 1: NNU 11, MSUB 3 (6 innings)
NNU jumped on MSUB starter Caitlyn James early, scoring three runs in the first inning.
Clarissa Moreno had an RBI single to put the Nighthawks on the board, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from
Emma Bumatay and
Keana Bell.
The Yellowjackets got two runs back in the top of the second, hitting a pair of solo home runs to cut the NNU lead to 3-2.
After a scoreless third, the Nighthawks bats came alive again in the fourth as
Emma Mulligan knocked a two-RBI double to left center and
Ava Clark followed that with an RBI double of her own to make it 6-2.
MSUB tacked one run on in the top of the fifth, but NNU responded with four in the bottom of the frame.
Kellcie Adams registered a sacrifice fly and a few batters later,
Ava Clark drilled a two-out, three-run homer to right to blow the game wide open and put the Nighthawks up 10-3. The shot was Clark's first home run of her collegiate career.
Needing just one more run to enact the eight runs after five innings rule, NNU got just that in the bottom of sixth when Adams singled home Bell with no outs to end the game.
Riley McGee started in the circle for NNU and went 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Victoria Frias entered in relief and picked up the win, going 3.2 frames and allowing just one hit and one unearned run while striking out two.
Game 2: NNU 3, CWU 0
Miah Lusk dominated the Wildcats in the circle in the final game of the day, tossing a complete-game, three-hit shutout. She struck out seven and walked one, retiring the side in order in four of the seven frames and only allowing one baserunner to reach second base.
The Nighthawks got their first run in the bottom of the third, when
Annie Swanson got aboard on a bunt single and came all the way around to score from first when Mulligan tripled to deep left center.
NNU tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth, with Bumatay registering an RBI single and Bell a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
Next Up
NNU will battle with MSUB and CWU again tomorrow, March 1, facing the Wildcats at 1:00 p.m. and the Yellowjackets after that at 3:30 p.m., both on Halle Field.
