NAMPA, Idaho – After nationally ranked Northwest Nazarene took the opening game of the doubleheader, the Saints responded behind another masterful performance from Tanner Inouye before falling in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Dakota Hill proved to be unstoppable at the plate, driving in eight of the Saints' 19 runs, with four coming each game. Northwest Nazarene's offense cruised to a series opening win with a 25-8 victory. However, Inouye wasn't fazed going into the second game. The senior tossed another five innings, allowing two runs, and struck out seven Nighthawks. But it was the Nighthawks who came back down 10-2 to win 12-11 in the final innings.
 
Hill put the Saints up early in the first game with a RBI single to drive in Cody Chavis. Northwest Nazarene answered with five runs over the next three innings to take a lead.

Saint Martin's cut into the lead with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by Hill's two RBI double. Mark Steward drove in one with his double earlier in the inning as the Saints trailed 5-4. But the Nighthawks managed to run away with the game with two nine run innings in the sixth and eighth.
 
Once again, the Saints struck early, with Hill again driving in two with his RBI hit. Then with the bases loaded, Hunter Holmason cleared the traffic with a double down the left field line, putting SMU up 5-0.
 
The only runs Northwest Nazarene managed to get off Inouye was a solo blast in the second, and a RBI double in the third.
 
Saint Martin's widen their lead in the fourth when Aaron Renaud drove in Ryne Oshiro, followed by RBIs for Steward and Hill. Their lead topped out in the sixth when Hill and McNally added to the lead to make it 10-2.
 
When it looked all but sealed, the Nighthawks' offense came alive again, scoring 10 runs in the final two innings, including seven in the seventh to pull off the comeback.
 
The two teams close out the series tomorrow starting at 11:00 AM PST with live stats and streaming available on smusaints.com.