NAMPA, Idaho – Junior Mercedes Green knocked home all five runs with a single and a grand slam, and junior Sammi Cadwallader picked up her ninth win of the season as the Western Oregon University softball team salvaged a split of its road doubleheader at Northwest Nazarene University at Halle Field on Friday afternoon. The Wolves took the second game, 5-3, after losing the opener in a Crusader walk off in the opener, 6-5.
 
WOU is now 23-20 overall and 12-9 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, despite seeing their season-long five-game winning streak ended in the opening game. NNU is now 15-25 overall and 9-13 in GNAC play following Friday's split.
 
GAME ONE: Northwest Nazarene 6, WOU 5
Western Oregon carried a 5-3 led into the bottom of the seventh inning, but a pair of home runs, including a two-run walk off dinger, allowed the Crusaders to come back and take the first game, 6-5.
 
The Wolves scored once in the first and once more in the second before notching three runs in the fourth inning to take a two-run lead. Zoe Clark picked up the first run with a run-scoring single to center field, scoring Kelsie Gardner. Ryanne Huffman lined one to the wall in center field for a triple to plate Ashlee Lynch in the second. A two-run double from Brandy Knowles and a pinch-hit single from Alex Frazier in the fourth gave WOU a 5-3 advantage.
 
Alyson Boytz struck out a season-best nine batters before surrendering the go-ahead runs in the seventh to fall to 8-7 on the season.
 
Brooke Bonsen also struck out nine, despite allowing 10 hits, to post the win for the Crusaders.
 
GAME TWO: WOU 5, Northwest Nazarene 3
Green did all of the RBI damage for WOU in game two, lining a single to left center in the second inning to score Lexi Jennings and hitting a grand slam to left field in the third frame for a 5-0 lead.
 
Kelsie Gardner joined Green with a pair of hits, going 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot.
 
Cadwallder took a shutout in to the seventh inning thanks to five strikeouts and a stellar double play that ended a NNU rally in the first inning.
 
The Crusaders tried another comeback, sparking their last frame push with a two-run homer. They had the tying run on first base with two outs before Cadwallader struck out the final batter to ensure the split of the opening day of the series.
 
WOU remains in fourth place in the GNAC standings with six league games remaining. The Wolves remain in Idaho for two more games with NNU beginning at 12 noon Mountain time (11 a.m. Pacific) Saturday.