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6
Winner Central Washington CWU 25-25
3
Northwest Nazarene NNU-BB 38-13
Winner
Central Washington CWU
25-25
6
Final
3
Northwest Nazarene NNU-BB
38-13
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Washington CWU 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 6 12 0
Northwest Nazarene NNU-BB 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 8 4

W: Garza II (4-4) L: Parker, Landen (3-3) S: Berg (4)

0
MSU Billings MSUB 31-19
15
Winner Northwest Nazarene NNU 39-13
MSU Billings MSUB
31-19
0
Final
15
Northwest Nazarene NNU
39-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
MSU Billings MSUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5
Northwest Nazarene NNU 0 0 6 2 2 0 1 4 X 15 11 0

W: Lugo-Canchola, Ernesto (10-0) L: Sam Coxen (7-3)

bb-5-8

Game Recap: Baseball | | Anna Carter

After Falling to CWU, NNU Blanks MSUB to Reach Championship Game of GNAC Tournament

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – After falling short in their opening game of the GNAC Championships against Central Washington, the Northwest Nazarene baseball team responded with authority. The Nighthawks retook the field late Thursday and blanked Montana State Billings 15-0 to keep their conference tournament title hopes alive. With the dominant win, NNU punched their ticket to the GNAC Championship game on Friday.

Game One

The Nighthawks came out swinging in game one, taking an early lead thanks to a leadoff single from Nin Burns II. A sacrifice fly by Adrian Arechiga plated the game's first run, and a passed ball allowed Kaleb Karpstein to cross the plate, giving NNU a 2–0 advantage.

CWU responded in the bottom of the second. A fielder's choice by Helm brought in one run, and Birch followed with a two-run homer to left center, giving the Wildcats a 3–2 lead they wouldn't give up.

NNU tied things up in the fifth when Jason Bell was hit by a pitch and came around to score on an RBI single from Bryan Rojas. But CWU broke the tie with a three-run seventh inning, ultimately sealing a 6–3 win.

With the result, the Wildcats stayed alive after a narrow 5–4 loss to MSUB earlier in the day. The Nighthawks, now 0–1 in tournament play, needed a win in their second game of the day to keep their championship hopes intact.

Game Two

Scoreless through the first two innings, NNU exploded in the third. After a leadoff walk and an MSUB error put two runners aboard, Bryan Rojas jump-started the offense with a two-run triple to deep center field. He then scored on a wild pitch before Cris Enriquez launched a three-run homer to right field, putting the Nighthawks up 6–0 and firmly in control.

The offensive fireworks continued. Casey Wayne put on a show of his own, hammering solo home runs in both the fourth and seventh innings, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI. Enriquez added a triple to his earlier homer, driving in five total runs, while Cole Calnon reached base three times and chipped in an RBI single in NNU's four-run eighth inning.

On the mound, Ernesto Lugo-Canchola was lights out. He threw a two-hit, nine inning, complete-game shutout, striking out eight while silencing the Yellowjackets' bats. His dominant performance allowed the Nighthawks to coast to the 15–0 victory. With the win, he also moves to 10-0 on the year, breaking the program record for pitcher wins in a single season. 

Up Next

With all three teams finishing round-robin play with 1–1 records, Friday's final day will determine the 2025 GNAC Champion. MSU Billings and Central Washington will square off at noon, with the winner advancing to meet Northwest Nazarene in the championship finale at 3:00 p.m. PT.
 
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