NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene softball struggled to generate offense on Saturday against No. 11 Western Washington, falling to the Vikings 4-0 and 7-0.
The Nighthawks drop to 18-20 overall on the year and 6-10 in GNAC play.
Game One: WWU 4, NNU 0
The Nighthawks were unable to muster much at the plate in the opener, registering four hits in the game and stranding runners at second base in three different innings.
Western Washington got their four runs on just two swings, as Olivia Matlock hit a solo homer in the fourth inning and Hailey Rath hit a three-run home run in the fifth.
Clarissa Moreno was 2-3 for NNU with a double.
Miah Lusk started in the circle for the Nighthawks and only allowed one hit through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth and fifth. Only one of the runs she allowed was earned, however, as the second home run came with two outs after an NNU error.
After five innings of work,
Victoria Frias replaced Lusk and pitched two scoreless innings with one hit allowed.
Game Two: WWU 7, NNU 0
Western Washington had a big first inning in the final game of the series, scoring five runs on six hits off NNU starter
Riley McGee.
The Vikings added two more in the fifth on their third home run of the day to extend their lead to 7-0.
After
Emma Mulligan and
Ava Clark walked to lead off the game for NNU, WWU starter Joie Baker retired the next 13 Nighthawks in a row before hitting
Jami Obringer with a pitch in the fifth. Baker still had a no-hitter going with one out in the seventh, but
Keana Bell broke it up with a double down the left field line.
Bell would get to third but NNU was unable to score as the Vikings took the 7-0 win.
Victoria Frias pitched well again in relief, throwing the last 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit.
Up Next
The Nighthawks hit the road next week, visiting Western Oregon for a four-game series from April 11-12.
