Friday, May 21, 2021

NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene weathered more than one storm on Friday en route to winning its second GNAC Baseball Championship and its first since 2016.

The Nighthawks scored three runs in the ninth inning to top No. 2 seeded Central Washington, 9-6, and earn the GNAC’s automatic qualifier in the NCAA Division II Championships.

“These guys get it done when they need to get it done,” Northwest Nazarene head coach Joe Schaefer said. “We grind at practice and they buy into doing the little things at a high effort. Things don’t always go our way but they bounce back and find ways to stay competitive and positive.”

Due to inclement weather, the start time of the game was delayed for over two hours at Northwest Nazarene University's Vail Field. The Nighthawks struck in the first inning as junior center fielder Ryan Dearing reached on an infield error and came around to score later in the inning on a single to center off the bat of senior third baseman Shawn Grandmont.

The Nighthawks picked up four more in the second inning. Central Washington starting pitcher Reid Rasmussen battled the elements and walked in a pair of runs before handing the ball to sophomore Josh Touhey, who hit NNU freshman outfielder Grant Kerry with the bases loaded to give the Nighthawks another run. Senior designated hitter Ben Johnson made it a 5-0 ballgame with a sacrifice fly to center.

Senior third baseman Mitch Lesmeister provided the offensive power for Central Washington. He went 3 for 4 in the game with two doubles, a walk and four RBI. Lesmeister doubled down the right-field line in the third to drive in the Wildcats’ first two runs and then tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth with an RBI double to right-center that scored junior outfielder Michael Copeland.

The Wildcats held the Nighthawks scoreless for five innings before allowing a solo home run to left-center by senior first baseman John Gonzalez. Gonzalez went 2 for 5 in the game and 4 for 9 with three runs, four RBI and two homers in the series on his way to being named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“I’m kind of at a loss for words,” Gonzalez said. “We come out here wanting to win and to compete. I just take the same approach every single time. It’s a great feeling to be on top right now. I wouldn’t be here without every single one of my teammates. Through the ups and through the downs that we’ve all been through this year, it’s just really nice to do it together.”

Late-game heroics won it for NNU. Kerry doubled to left in the ninth to put the Nighthawks up by two. Johnson followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to three runs.

Northwest Nazarene starter, senior Sasha Jabusch, took a no-decision after allowing three earned runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in five innings of work. Junior Max Holtzclaw picked up his fourth win of the season after tossing 1.2 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts.

Sophomore Riley Wingerson took the loss for CWU after allowing three earned runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in just 0.2 innings.

Northwest Nazarene improved to 31-7 on the season with the win and will likely host the NCAA West Regional, which begins on Thursday, May 27. The NCAA Division II selection show airs on Sunday at 10 p.m. (ET).

“God is good,” Schaefer said. “God’s taking us on a special journey right now with this team and now we get to go do something special next week. It’s exciting. I’m proud of these guys and looking forward to it.”