NAMPA, Idaho — Northwest Nazarene softball earned a sweep on Saturday, opening the day with an extra-inning thriller against Regis before rolling to a 9–1 win over CSU Dominguez Hills in game two.
Game One
Game one featured a tightly contested pitching battle from the opening pitch, as both teams worked out of early traffic and limited scoring opportunities. Regis threatened in the first two innings, but the Nighthawks' defense and pitching held firm to keep the game scoreless.
Northwest Nazarene broke through in the bottom of the third after pressuring the defense on the basepaths. An error and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position before Jami Obringer lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing the Nighthawks to take a 1–0 lead.
Regis answered in the fifth, using a double and a single to bring home an unearned run and even the score at 1–1. From there, the game turned into a battle of execution, with both teams stranding runners and trading scoreless frames through the seventh.
The Nighthawks had a chance to end it in regulation in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners on base, but Regis escaped to force extra innings. After a scoreless top of the eighth, NNU once again applied pressure in the bottom half, loading the bases with no outs.
Keana Bell stepped to the plate and delivered the decisive moment, launching a walk-off grand slam to left field to secure the 5–1 victory and give the Nighthawks a dramatic start to the doubleheader.
Game Two
Momentum carried over immediately. After CSU Dominguez Hills struck first with a solo home run in the top of the first, the Nighthawks responded in a big way. Jami Obringer doubled to right center to drive in the tying run before Hailey Harris followed with a two-run homer to center. Emma Bumatay added another long ball moments later, giving NNU a 4–1 lead before the inning ended.
The Nighthawks continued to apply pressure throughout the game. Obringer delivered again in the fourth, driving in two runs with a single through the right side to extend the lead to 6–1. In the fifth, Lola Crosby came through with a two-run single to push the advantage to seven.
NNU added insurance in the sixth as Bumatay singled up the middle to score another run, sealing the 9–1 win.
Up Next
The Nighthawks finish their trip in California on Saturday the 7th with two final games. The first contest is against San Francisco State at 9 am Pacific time followed by a match up with Cal State San Marcos at 11:30 am Pacific time.
