NAMPA, Idaho - The NNU baseball team found themselves a game away from being eliminated on home turf in the GNAC Championships after a shocking 14-8 loss to Western Oregon before rallying to eliminate Montana State Billings on Thursday night.
Game One: WOU 14, NNU 8
The Nighthawks started their GNAC Championship run just as they hoped. They started strong with a 1-2-3 inning and
Carter Walsh forcing a bad throw to reach on an error. Walsh then stole his GNAC leading 35th bag of the season.
Gavin Brubaker put down a sacrifice bunt, moving Walsh to third with one out and a
Kaleb Karpstein ground out scored Walsh.
NNU took a 1-0 lead into the second where they would add two more.
Adrian Arechiga led off the inning with a triple and
Caleb Boswell drove him in with a single to to left center. A
Liam Herrera single put Boswell at second and a
Jake Mestas bunt loaded the bases for
Carter Walsh. The Nighthawks were primed to break it open with the bases loaded an no outs but
Carter Walsh ground ball to short allow WOU to turn a double play as a run came into score. Western Oregon cut into the lead with a Benny Nazaria two-run homer to right field to make the score 3-2.
The Nighthawks responded well as
Kaleb Karpstein singled and
Parker Sobiesiak legged out an infield single to put runners at first and second with one out.
Adrian Arechiga knocked his second extra-base hit with a single down the left field line to score both Kaprstein and Sobiesiak. Arechiga took third on a wild pitch and back-to-back hit by pitches loaded the bases. Still one out in the inning,
Jake Mestas hit a deep fly ball to center that allowed Arechiga to tag up and score on the sac fly to make the score 6-2.
Western Oregon took all the momentum in the top of the fifth as they found themselves with the bases loaded. Back-to-back bases loaded walks scored two runs for the Wolves, making the score 6-4. NNU still had a two-run cushion but still had the bases loaded without any outs. A ground ball to second scored another run and a single tied it up for WOU. Jason Olsen singled to right to give the Wolves their first lead of the ball game.
After NNU went down in order, WOU added two more on a solo shot to left field and a sacrifice fly to score Zane Garvey. They broke it open in the seventh after another bases loaded jam ended up in a Benny nazario hit by pitch and a Chris Arce grand slam to give the wolves a 14-6 lead.
NNU attempted a comeback as
Parker Sobiesiak led off the seventh with a homer and
Jake Mestas doubled to score Arechiga but were unable to complete it.
Five pitchers saw work for the Nighthawks,
Jakob Rochelle (L, 1-3),
Tyson Rutherford,
Hayden Crews,
Grayden Lucas,
Tyler Stolfich, and
Myles Anderson. NNU tallied four extra-base hits.
Adrian Arechiga hit a double and a triple,
Jake Mestas had a double, and
Parker Sobiesiak had a solo home run.
Game Two: MSUB 5, NNU 10
GNAC Pitcher of the Year,
Corbin Talley, earned the start for the Nighthawks and gave up a leadoff base runner but got a ground ball to third that allowed them to go around the horn for a 5-4-3 double play. NNU struck first in the bottom of the second as reigning GNAC Player of the Week,
Tate Lewis, singled ot score
Adrian Arechiga but were unable to score any more, leaving two on base. MSUB answered back on a single up the midle to scored Adam Rowland from second to tie it at one run apiece.
In the bottom of the forth, NNU put three runs up after Arechiga kept up his solid performance at the plate, doubling down the right field line. After Arechiga took on a ground ball,
Tate Lewis hit a chopper back to the pitcher but Arechiga was able to beat the throw home. A
Carter Walsh walk put Lewis at second and a
Gavin Brubaker single allowed both Lewis and Walsh to score to take a 4-1 lead.
With one out in the fifth, Jason Wright struck out but reached first after a dropped third strike. Instead of no one one and two outs, Talley now had one on with one out. A bloop single to right allowed Fortier to reach safely as Wright attempted to take third. An errant throw from right got away from
Carson Burns at third, going off the fence and into left field tht scored Wright and allowed Fortier to reach third. A single through the left side scored Fortier to make the score 4-3.
NNU answered again with a
Parker Sobiesiak double as he would tag up on a fly ball to right field. Jake Mesatas reached on an error that allowed
Parker Sobiesiak to score, unearned. MSUB responded with two runs to tie it up as a double got above the ligths at Elmore W. Vail field as both Sobiesiak and Walsh lost it, allowing it to drop to score a run. Jason Wright then singled to left to score the tying run.
Another answer from the Nighthawks game in the form of a
Gavin Brubaker homer to right to score
Carter Walsh as the momentum shifted back to the home team.
Nighthawks wouldn't surrender any more runs but would score five more as tempers flared between the two teams. A noterh Homer from
Carter Walsh put NNU up 9-5 and a bases loaded walk but them up 10-5 to secure a win and a chance to play WOU tomorrow afternoon.
Corbin Talley (W, 11-0) pitched 7.0 innings, giving up five runs on 10 hits with nine strikeouts.
Wade Duncan earned his ninth save of the season, pitching 2.0 innings and only giving up two hits. Northwest Nazarene recorded 13 hits, three of them by
Gavin Brubaker. Brubaker led the team in hits and RBIs with four as
Carter Walsh scored three runs himself while hitting a homer as well.
NNU will play Western Oregon tomorrow at 3 PM in a must win game for a chance a the GNAC championship.
