BILLINGS, Mont. – Northwest Nazarene mounted a furious late comeback in game one but was unable to complete it, falling in walk-off fashion before dropping the second game of the day, 8–7 and 9–1.
Game One: 8–7 (W. Duncan 0-1)
The Nighthawks showed resilience throughout, nearly erasing an early deficit before surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth.
MSU Billings came out swinging, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second to take a commanding 7–0 lead. A home run and timely hitting put the Nighthawks in an early hole.
Northwest Nazarene chipped away in the third when
Gavin Brubaker delivered an RBI single to get NNU on the board. The offense stayed quiet until the seventh inning, when
Kyle Becker launched a solo home run and
Jake Mestas followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 7–3.
The Nighthawks erupted in the eighth inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues to tie the game.
Coleman Parry reached on an error to bring in a run,
Liam Herrera followed with an RBI single, and additional errors allowed two more runs to cross, evening the score at 7–7.
With momentum on their side, NNU headed into the ninth looking to complete the comeback. However, MSU Billings responded in the bottom half with a walk-off RBI single, handing the Nighthawks a heartbreaking 8–7 loss.
Becker led the offense with two hits including a home run, while Brubaker, Herrera, and Mestas each contributed RBIs in the comeback effort. NNU totaled 13 hits but left 14 runners on base.
Game Two: 9–1 (M. Anderson 0-2)
In the second game, Northwest Nazarene struggled to recover from an early surge by MSU Billings, falling 9–1.
The Yellowjackets struck immediately, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding another in the second. A four-run third inning extended the lead to 8–0, putting the Nighthawks in a difficult position early.
MSU Billings added another run in the fifth to make it 9–0, while their pitching staff kept the NNU offense in check throughout the game.
Northwest Nazarene broke through in the seventh inning when Brubaker drove in
Carter Walsh with an RBI single, but that would be the lone run of the game for the Nighthawks.
Walsh, Arechiga, Lewis, and Mestas each recorded hits, but NNU was limited to five total as they were unable to generate sustained offense.
