NAMPA, Idaho – Winning twice by the same score on Friday at the NNU baseball field, Northwest Nazarene University took both ends of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader from the Montana State University Billings baseball team.
 
The Nighthawks (27-19, 19-11 GNAC) claimed the opener 9-4, before winning the nightcap 9-4 as well. The Yellowjackets slipped to 22-22 overall and are now 13-13 in conference play after Friday's split. "Today just wasn't our day," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "We played solid defense, but just didn't get enough consistent pitching to keep us in games. We are looking forward to competing tomorrow as it is a new day."
 
The Yellowjackets totaled four home runs in the doubleheader, with Hayden Foltz and Ethan Babcock-Barrie going yard in Game 1 and AJ Wagenmann and reigning NCAA West Region Player of the Week Mitch Winter clearing the fence in Game 2. But it wasn't enough to overcome a three-home run day for NNU's Parker Price, who went 6-for-8 with five RBIs in Friday's doubleheader.
 
Game 1 - Northwest Nazarene 9, MSU Billings 4
 
The Nighthawks jumped on MSUB starter Dylan Barkley, scoring four times in the bottom of the first inning to take command of the game early. Price led off the game with his first home run of the day, before doubles by Haden Keller, Duke Pahukoa, and Alex Salsman completed the early rally.
 
The Yellowjackes had a chance to get even immediately, loading the bases with no outs in the second inning. Keller wiggled out of trouble however, using a ground out and back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat and strand the bags full.
 
Mason Powell got his big day started in the top of the third, lining a two-out, RBI-single to left field that brought home Tyler Godfrey for the Yellowjackets' first run of the day. Foltz led off the fifth with his second home run of the year, and the Yellowjackets took advantage of an NNU error that set up another two-out, RBI-knock off the bat of Powell. "Mason was outstanding in Game 1 and kept giving us opportunities with his bat," said Waddoups. "Ethan and Hayden had the home runs, but it just wasn't quite enough."
 
Tyler Best and Keller started the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back doubles, which gave NNU a sliver of breathing room up 5-3. The Yellowjackets got the run back on Babcock-Barrie's leadoff home run, but NNU again responded immediately with a two-run bottom of the sixth.
 
A walk to Ryan Dearing ended Barkley's day with one out in the inning, before Price jumped on a high fastball from Tyler Elliott and crushed a two-run homer over the fence in left to make the score 7-4. The Nighthawks plated two more runs in the ninth, giving Blake McFadden more than enough breathing room to close out the game on the mound.
 
The left-hander retired the first nine Yellowjackets he faced, before hitting Carson Green and allowing a single to Foltz in the top of the ninth. Although the Yellowjackets got the tying run into the on-deck circle, a harmless popup and a double play ended the series opener.
 
Barkley wound up tossing 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking three while allowing six runs on nine hits.
 
Keller meanwhile struck out nine while walking three, and giving up four runs on six hits in his five innings of work. McFadden earned the save, striking out a pair while allowing just the two baserunners over the final four innings.
 
Game 2 – Northwest Nazarene 9, MSU Billings 4 (7 Innings)
 
The Nighthawks got off to another hot start, scoring all nine of their runs in the first three innings to force the 'Jackets into comeback mode right away. MSUB managed two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth, but the rally ran out of gas.
 
NNU's Nick Irwin and Brennan Patterson combined to allow just three hits over the final two innings of play, backing up a win for starter Brock Moffitt who allowed four runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks in five innings of work.
 
Sage Wayment was outstanding on the mound for the Yellowjackets, scattering four hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings while working around five walks and striking out a pair. "Wayment came on in relief and was outstanding putting up three zeroes," Waddoups said. "The early runs we gave up just proved to be too much."
 
Price homered in the first inning for the second straight game, and struck again with an RBI-single during NNU's four-run second inning. Rumble Reyes had the big blow in the frame, with a two-run homer over the fence in right off of MSUB starter Matthew Houlihan. The right-hander allowed nine runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 2 1/3 innings pitched.
 
The 'Jackets got a run back on Wagenmann's solo home run in the third, but Salsman answered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame. An error and a walk helped NNU cap another four-run inning and put the game out of reach.
 
MSUB's final damage came on a two-run homer by Winter in the fifth, and an RBI-double off the bat of Cooper Dulich in the sixth inning. "Winter and Dulich both swung hot bats in Game 2," Waddoups said. "Hopefully they will come out ready to hit again tomorrow."
 
THE BUZZ: Powell was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day.
 
UP NEXT: The series concludes on Saturday with a doubleheader slated for noon. Live coverage will be available online here.