LAKE ELSINORE, CA — The Northwest Nazarene softball team earned a split in Saturday's doubleheader, opening the day with a 10–2 win over San Francisco State before falling 3–2 to Cal State San Marcos in game two.
Game 1 – Northwest Nazarene 10, San Francisco State 2
Northwest Nazarene shook off an early deficit and used timely power and aggressive baserunning to pull away from San Francisco State in the opener.
After a scoreless first inning, the Gators took advantage of a defensive miscue in the second to score two unearned runs. The Nighthawks responded in the bottom of the third, starting with Jami Obringer reaching on a single and stealing both second and third. Keana Bell drove her in with a double down the left-field line before Emma Bumatay crushed a two-run home run to right center, giving NNU a 3–2 lead.
The Nighthawks' pitching staff locked in from there, keeping San Francisco State off the board the rest of the way. Northwest Nazarene broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth with a seven-run inning. Bell highlighted the rally with a three-run homer to center field, while NNU continued to pressure the defense with smart baserunning and timely hits to extend the lead to eight.
Clark, Bell, and Bumatay paced the offense as the Nighthawks cruised to a 10–2 victory to open the day.
Game 2 – Cal State San Marcos 3, Northwest Nazarene 2
Game two turned into a tightly contested pitcher's duel, with both teams trading zeros through the first three innings.
Northwest Nazarene broke through in the top of the fourth. After Obringer reached on an error and Hailey Harris drew a walk, Bumatay delivered an RBI single to left field to put the Nighthawks on the board.
Cal State San Marcos answered in the bottom of the fifth, stringing together hits and taking advantage of hit batters to score three runs and move in front, 3–1.
The Nighthawks mounted a response in the sixth, loading the bases with consecutive singles from Harris and Bumatay. Lola Crosby drove in a run with a single up the middle, trimming the deficit to one. NNU continued to threaten but was unable to push across the tying run.
Northwest Nazarene kept CSU scoreless in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, but the late comeback attempt fell just short as the Nighthawks dropped the nightcap 3–2.
Up Next
After an impressive trip in California the Nighthawks will return home on Thursday the 19th to host the Nighthawks Invitational. Their first match up will be against San Francisco State at 12 pm.
