BRISBANE, Calif. – Northwest Nazarene softball routed Academy of Art 15-1 in game one on Thursday, but the Urban Knights shut down the Nighthawks 7-1 in game two.
The Nighthawks move to 18-16 overall on the year after going 2-3 in California over the spring break trip.
Game One: NNU 15, ART 1 (5 inn.)
Clarissa Moreno drove in the game's first run with an RBI single in the top of the first inning to give NNU an early lead.
The Nighthawks then broke things wide open in the top of the second, recording nine runs on seven hits.
Annie Swanson,
Ava Clark, Moreno,
Keana Bell, and
Kellcie Adams all had RBIs in the inning, with Swanson registering a pair of RBI singles in the same frame.
Academy of Art broke through for a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 10-1, but NNU then responded with five more runs in the top of the fifth to put away the game for good. Moreno had another RBI single,
Charlotte Forniss and
Lauryn Bergevin both drew walks with the bases loaded, and
Olivia Bailey brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the frame.
Miah Lusk started and tossed the first three innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.
Victoria Frias entered for the final two frames, allowing just two hits and striking out four.
Game Two: ART 7, NNU 1
The story of game two was Academy of Art's starting pitcher Kayla Vaughan, who came three outs away from throwing a perfect game against the Nighthawks.
Vaughan set down the first 18 NNU hitters in order before
Emma Mulligan broke the streak with a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh. The Nighthawks also managed a walk in the seventh, but Vaughan didn't allow another hit besides the homer.
The Urban Knights jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning and added two in the fourth and one more in the sixth for the 7-1 win.
Up Next
The Nighthawks return home from their spring break trip and will now get ready to host GNAC rival Western Washington next weekend, with the four-game series set for April 4-5 at Halle Field.
