NAMPA, ID - Northwest Nazarene completed a dominant doubleheader sweep of San Francisco State on Saturday the 19th, rolling to 9-1 and 8-0 victories behind strong pitching and timely hitting.
Game 1: Northwest Nazarene 9, San Francisco State 1 (5 innings)
Northwest Nazarene struck first in the opening inning when Jami Obringer singled, stole second and came home on Keana Bell's RBI single to make it 1-0.
The Nighthawks broke the game open in the second, capitalizing on a San Francisco State error. Ava Clark delivered an RBI single before Bell roped a two-run double to right, extending the lead to 4-0.
A five-run fourth inning put the game out of reach. Obringer drove in a run with a single, Bell added two more RBIs with another base hit, and Emma Bumatay and Lola Crosby each contributed RBI knocks as the advantage grew to 9-0.
San Francisco State pushed across its lone run in the fifth. Del Rio singled and later scored on Mares' RBI single through the left side, trimming the deficit to 9-1.
That would be all the offense the Gators could muster against Miah Lusk, who was dominant in the circle. Lusk tossed a five-inning complete game, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out 10. She walked three and limited San Francisco State to 2-for-16 at the plate, recording four groundouts and one flyout to secure the win.
Northwest Nazarene finished with 9 runs on 10 hits, taking advantage of two SFS errors in the opener.
Game 2: Northwest Nazarene 8, San Francisco State 0 (5 innings)
In game 2 the nightcap followed a similar script, with Northwest Nazarene using defensive pressure and clutch hitting to seize control early.
After both teams were scoreless in the first, the Nighthawks capitalized on three San Francisco State errors in the second inning. Clark's two-run single opened the scoring, and another throwing error allowed a third unearned run to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.
NNU added two more in the third as Bumatay doubled and later scored, and Lauryn Bergevin laced a two-run single down the left-field line to stretch the margin to 5-0.
The Nighthawks tacked on three more in the fourth. Hailey Harris delivered an RBI single, Crosby followed with a run-scoring base hit, and another wild pitch brought home a run to cap the scoring at 8-0.
San Francisco State threatened in the fourth with back-to-back singles from Jordan and Nelson but could not break through.
Riley McGee was sharp in the circle for Northwest Nazarene in Game 2. McGee threw a five-inning shutout, scattering four hits while striking out four and walking just one. She faced only 19 batters and induced six groundouts and four flyouts in the efficient victory.
Northwest Nazarene totaled eight runs on seven hits in the nightcap and benefited from three SFS errors.
Up Next
The Nighthawks will hit the field again tomorrow the 20th to keep up their momentum. Their first game is set for 12:00 pm against San Francisco State and a competition with Central Washington will follow.
