NAMPA, Idaho – Facing one of the top offenses in the region, Justice Yamashita imposed his will all night long. The sophomore was nearly unhittable, tossing his first complete game shutout as the Saints split the pair against Northwest Nazarene on Friday.
 
The afternoon began with the Nighthawks' offense showing what it was capable of, scoring 15 runs over the first nine innings.  Despite home runs from Michael Yamaguchi and Aaron Renaud, and RBI hits from Ryne Oshiro and Griffin Williams, the Saints were unable to catch up to early deficit, falling 15-6.
 
However, the script completely flipped in the second game with Yamashita on the mound. After retiring the Nighthawks in order in the first, the Saints got the only run needed in the second inning.
 
Cody Chavis led off the frame with single and made it over to second on a passed ball. After a strikeout, singles from Chayson Dulatre, and Drew Forgione loaded the bases up with one out. It was not a hit, but a wild pitch that allowed Chavis to score for SMU to take the 1-0 lead.
 
A 1-0 lead that held for the rest of the game. Yamashita worked out of a jam in the second with two runners on with back-to-back punch outs. After a quiet third, Yamashita stranded another two runners with a clutch fly out. Northwest Nazarene left another pair of runners on the bases in the fifth and went down 1-2-3 in the sixth.
 
Needing three more outs to complete the game, Yamashita struck out the first batter in the seventh before a single. The righty finished the game with a groundball, resulting in a double play to put away the Nighthawks 1-0.
 
Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene finish the four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.