NAMPA, Idaho—Needing two extra innings in the season finale, Western Oregon defeated Northwest Nazarene, 8-6, in the nightcap for a GNAC split on Friday. NNU defeated Western Oregon 14-7 in the opening game of the day.
Western Oregon (24-20, 24-16 GNAC) will enter next week's the GNAC Championships as the No. 2 seed. The Wolves will play the opening game of the tournament against the No. 3 seed and tournament host Central Washington. The first game of the four-team and three-day tourney will begin on May 9.
Game 2: Western Oregon def. Northwest Nazarene, 8-6 (9 inn.)
Tying it up in the top of the 6th, Western Oregon scored the winning runs in the 9th to defeat Northwest Nazarene, 8-6, in the season finale.
Griffey Halle and Spencer Bennion provided the game-winning RBI hits for the Wolves after
Jay Leverett started the inning by reaching on a hit by pitch. Jared McDonald followed with an infield single to set up the go-ahead scores.
The Wolves were placed in come from behind mode after NNU scored four in the bottom of the 4th inning for a 6-4 lead.
WOU scored a single unearned run in the 5th while Leverett drove in Hunter Johnson in the 6th to knot the game at 6-6.
WOU's third pitcher of the game, Kolby Bales picked up the win with two innings of no-hit work from the mound.
Game 1: Northwest Nazarene def. Western Oregon, 14-7
Trailing 5-0 heading into the bottom of the 3rd, Northwest Nazarene scored in five separate innings to double-up Western Oregon, 14-7, on Friday.
Griffey Halley opened the WOU account with a 2-run double in the 1st inning. The Wolves tacked on three more runs in the 3rd as Connor McCord and Nyles Nygaard both sent hits over the outfield fence.
NNU matched WOU's 3rd inning total with three runs of its own and the team went on to take the lead with a five run 6th. The Nighthawks registered 21 hits in the game with all nine starters recording at least one hit. Penrod was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with four runs scores.
Jacob Martinez led WOU by going 3-for-3 in the game with one run scored.