LACEY, Wash. – The Saint Martin's baseball team (9-16, 6-6 GNAC) rallied for three big victories in their weekend series against regionally ranked Northwest Nazarene (15-19, 9-7 GNAC). After dropping the first game 6-2 in extras, the Saints pulled off a 7-4 win, a 5-4 win, and 8-7 win to round out the series for their first outright series victory of the 2023 season.
 
Game one was the lone victory for the visitors as it took extra innings for the Nighthawks to finally pull it off. It was one of the best starts of the season for Finnley Butler as the hurler went 7.2 innings and allowed just one earned run. Butler also added four strikeouts.
It was an RBI single from Brady Bean that notched a run for the Saints in the fourth. After SMU went down 2-1 thanks to an NNU homer, the Saints rallied down to their final out as Damon Ingram got hit by a pitch to get on first. Ingram stole second to get in scoring position, then Reid Little came through in the clutch to equalize the contest and send it to the 10th.
Unfortunately for the Saints, the Nighthawks slapped a grand slam in the top of the next inning that was enough to finish off their victory by that four-run margin.
FINAL: Northwest Nazarene 6, Saint Martin's 2
 
Game two on Friday was a seesaw battle with defensive struggles happening throughout. The teams committed a total of nine combined errors with the Saints taking advantage of many of the mistakes from NNU. Trevor McCorkle ripped an RBI single in the bottom of first that scored Brady Bean to make it 1-1, with Michael Yamaguchi following in behind to make it two thanks to an E7.
The Nighthawks rallied in the top of the sixth, but after losing the lead, Saint Martin's turned on the jets in the bottom of the inning. McCorkle started it off with a walk, then Austin Schaler pinch ran and stole second. Griffin Williams flipped a ball deep to center field that went all the way to the wall and allowed Schaler to score a tie the game. Braeden McNally then dropped down a perfect bunt for hit that had the NNU pitcher skying a throw to first which brought home Williams to put SMU in front. Then Dylan McLaughlin did the same exact thing and another E1 brought home McNally. Bean doubled to left center to score a run, and Mark Steward ripped an RBI knock to score Bean and complete the five run sixth.
After Justice Yamashita pitched the first six innings allowing two earned runs and striking out five, Sam McCauley pitched the final frame to finish off the win.
FINAL: Saint Martin's 7, Northwest Nazarene 4
 
Saturday started off with a thrilling fixture that took until the final moment for Saint Martin's to snatch the win. NNU took a 2-0 in the top of the first, and it was the Saints that cut that advantage in half in the fourth on an RBI double from McNally. In the fifth, Yamaguchi launched a sac fly that pushed Alohi Arecchi over the plate to tie the game. In the seventh, the Saints flew into the lead. First, Arecchi brough McNally across on a single, then Arecchi scampered across on a wild pitch.
One in the eighth and one in the ninth tied up the score at four and sent the stage for a dramatic bottom of the ninth. McLaughlin got aboard with a walk to represent the winning run at first. Then it was Arecchi who continued his stellar game with a knock that allowed McLaughlin to scamper all the way to third. Arecchi had a 4-4 day. After Arecchi stole second, the Nighthawks intentionally walked Bean to bring up Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi wasted no time clocking a ball over the head of the NNU second baseman and into right field for McLaughlin to easily jog home and score the winning run.
The walk-off winner shouldn't overshadow the outstanding start from Cole Hatton who went the full nine to notch his first win of the season. The righty fired 140 pitches, allowing four earned runs and striking out seven.
FINAL: Saint Martin's 5, Northwest Nazarene 4
 
Yamaguchi got right back to work in the final game of the week, opening the scoring with a single that scored Bean in the first. Yamaguchi got home on an RBI by Ingram, then Ingram scampered home thanks to a combination of a wild pitch and an error by the catcher. The Nighthawks responder in kind, however, putting up four in the second and taking the lead. After they tacked on one more in the fourth, the Saints would equalize the game in the bottom of that frame. First, Steward looped a run-scoring double into right field before Ingram singled into center to get Steward across.
Neither side had found a difference as we entered the bottom of the sixth and when the Saints got Bean aboard with a walk, they knew they were in business with the go-ahead run on base. Bean stole second and third before Steward walked to put runners on the corners for Ingram. On the first pitch, Ingram catapulted a moonshot over the right field fence to wipe the bases clean and put the Saints up three.
Mattingly Milledge had to come on clutch in the final inning as the new Saint picked up his first save for SMU inheriting the tying run on first with zero outs. A fielder's choice, a foul out, and fly out to center was what Milledge forced out of the Nighthawks to ensure the series victory for Saint Martin's. Carson Jones picked up the win for SMU going 2.2 innings.
FINAL: Saint Martin's 8, Northwest Nazarene 7
 
The Saints now head on the road where they'll battle with Western Oregon (12-8, 6-4 GNAC) in a series that starts Saturday, April 1^st down in Monmouth, Oregon.