NAMPA, Idaho – Senior pitcher Alyson Boytz threw a four-hit shutout in Saturday's first game as the Western Oregon University softball team split with host Northwest Nazarene. The Wolves cruised to a 6-0 win before NNU took the series finale, 8-1, behind offensive outputs from their senior class.
 
WOU, who remain two games ahead for the final qualifying spot for the upcoming Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament, is now 24-21 overall and 14-10 in league play. NNU is 16-26 on the year and 10-14 in the GNAC.
 
GAME ONE: WOU 6, Northwest Nazarene 0
Boytz was magnificent in the circle by inducing 13 ground ball outs and striking out three during her shutout performance. Her record improved to 9-8 on the year.
 
WOU scored early against the Crusaders after Courtney Lau Hee singled with one out and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Lexi Jennings. Kelsey Gardner made it a 2-0 lead with a run-scoring single in the second inning that plated Brandy Knowles.
 
Ashlee Lynch fired a laser shot over the wall in left field to lead off the fourth frame for a 3-0 lead that could have been more after WOU stranded two runners in scoring position.
 
The Wolves added three more runs of support in the fifth on three hits and two errors from NNU. Mercedes Green had a RBI single to cap the scoring for WOU.
 
Western Oregon outhit the Crusaders nine to four as Knowles and Kelsie Gardner each had two hits.
 
GAME TWO: Northwest Nazarene 8, WOU 1
After an early 1-0 WOU lead, the host Crusader scored the final eight tallies to defeat the Wolves, 8-1.
 
NNU tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second and scored three more times in the fifth and posted four more runs in the sixth due to well-timed doubles.
 
Lynch scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning on a single from Green, but a lineout from Ryanne Huffman to third ended the Wolves' chance at any more runs.
 
The Wolves finished with six hits in the game, but four pitchers combined to allow 10 hits to NNU. Three of those hits were doubles for the Crusaders late in the ballgame.
 
Lynch had the only multi-hit game for the Wolves going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
WOU will play its next four games at home, beginning with a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday against Northwest Christian University at 2 p.m.