BILLINGS, Mont. – Western Oregon University's baseball team extended its Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship streak to 14 straight seasons following a 4-3 victory over Northwest Nazarene University in a winner-take-all game Friday at Dehler Park.

Western Oregon, who finishes the season at 29-24, won its final three games of the tournament to take home the title. The Wolves were led offensively in the final game by senior Marcus Hinkle with a pair of hits, while four other WOU players – senior Matt Taylor, senior Garret Harpole, senior Jacob Whisler, and junior Nathan Etheridge – accounting for the team's other four hits. Taylor and Harpole would each drive in two runs for Western Oregon, as Harpole belted his team-leading ninth home run of the season to drive in the eventual winning run in the bottom of the second inning.

Senior Eric Huson got the start for the Wolves allowing two earned runs on three hits over the opening 3.0 innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen that consisted of junior Tyler Bennett and senior Christian Morrison. Bennett would allow just one earned run on three hits over 3.0 innings en route to picking up his first win as a Wolf, while Morrison also pitched 3.0 innings allowing only one hit to pick up his first save of the season.

Josh Hatfield and Andrew Helmstadter registered three hits each to record six of Northwest Nazarene's seven hits with Tyler Davis recording NNU's only other hit. Helmstadter and Jesse Hilyard would drive in all of the Crusaders' runs, as Helmstadter tallied a pair of RBI to go along with Hilyard's lone RBI.

Blake Mitchell went the opening 4.0 innings for NNU allowing four earned runs on four hits before the Crusaders' bullpen took over with Tyler Marsh and Colton Loomis combining to allow just two hits over the final four innings.

Western Oregon began the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Hinkle led off with an infield single before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Austin Hamilton before coming around to score of Taylor's third home run of the season via a two-run shot over the right field wall to give the Wolves an early 2-0 lead.

One inning later, WOU added two more runs to its total when Etheridge led off with a single through the left side before Harpole belted a two-run home run straight down the left field line extending the Wolves' lead to four runs (4-0).

In the top of the third inning, Northwest Nazarene would cut WOU's lead in half when Helmstadter launched a two-run home run down the left field line to pull the Crusaders within two runs (4-2).

Two innings later, NNU would put its third and final run on the board via a sacrifice fly off the bat of Hilyard that scored Hatfield and pull the Crusaders within a single run (4-3).

Neither team would threaten again until the top of the ninth inning when Northwest Nazarene put two runners on base with one out before a pop out in the infield followed by a game-ending strikeout would give Western Oregon the title with the slim 4-3 victory.

Junior Darrien Moran was named GNAC Championships MVP after capturing the victory in Friday's opener that set up the winner-take-all game.

Western Oregon will now have to wait and see if the Wolves qualify for the NCAA Division II West Regional, as the field will be announced later this weekend.