BILLINGS, Mont. – In the opening game of the 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championships, Western Oregon University dropped a one-run game to Northwest Nazarene University, 3-2, Thursday at Dehler Park.

With the game tied at two heading into the ninth inning, Northwest Nazarene's Kyle Thomson drew a lead off walk before being lifted for pinch runner Matt Lightfoot. Immediately following the walk, Jesse Hilyard ripped a double down the left field line that moved Lightfoot to third placing runners on second and third with no outs. Tate Glasgow would then step to the plate and registered a RBI single to left field that scored Lightfoot and turned out to be the game-winning run for the Crusaders who now will play No. 1 seed and tournament-host Montana State Billings in the second game of the tournament.

Western Oregon (26-24) could only register a combined four hits against NNU pitching, as senior Marcus Hinkle, junior Cody Sullivan, junior Brandon Oliver, and junior Cody Poznanski all tallied hits for the Wolves. Oliver would drive in WOU's lone runs of the afternoon on a two-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth inning that tied the game at 2-2.

Junior Garrett Alvarez would get the start for Western Oregon, as he allowed two earned runs on five hits over the opening 7.0 innings to go along with a game-high seven strikeouts before GNAC Freshman of the Year Brady Miller pitched the final 2.0 innings. Miller would allow one earned run on two hits en route to suffering the heart-breaking loss, which is the first of his young collegiate career.

Northwest Nazarene (28-26) was led offensively by Hilyard with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate that included one run scored, while four other Crusaders – Thomson, Glasgow, Tim Jones, and Tucker Campbell – each recorded a hit for NNU. Jones would drive in two of the Crusaders' three runs via a two-run home run over the right field fence in the top of the second inning, as Northwest Nazarene grabbed an early 2-0 lead.

Colben McGuire would get the start for NNU, as he allowed two earned runs on four hits in 8.0 innings on the mound en route to earning his fifth win of the season before Colton Loomis pitched the ninth inning to record his first save of the year.

In a game that included a combined 11 hits between the two teams, runs were hard to come by as Northwest Nazarene struck first in the top of the second inning via Jones' first home run of the season.

Two innings later, Oliver would tie the game with his aforementioned home run that also scored Sullivan after he reached via a two-out single up the middle.

Neither team would score again until the top of the ninth inning when Northwest Nazarene produced the game-winning run before Western Oregon could record an out.

Western Oregon will return to the diamond later tonight – May 7 – when the Wolves take on No. 1 seed and regular season champions Montana State University Billings starting at 7 PM (MT) inside Dehler Park in Billings, Montana.