Boxscores:
Game One Game Two
Hilo, Hawaii - Ryan VanBeek singled home two runs in the top of the ninth, plating the game-winner, as the Northwest Nazarene University baseball team opened the 2010 season with a doubleheader split against the University of Hawaii-Hilo on Thursday evening at Francis Wong Field in Hilo.
VanBeek's two-run single in the top of the ninth snapped a 4-4 tie and Northwest Nazarene went on to score four runs in the inning as the Crusaders beat Hawaii Hilo
8-4 in the nightcap.
The Vulcans won the first game 2-1 as the two NCAA Division II West Region schools opened their respective seasons by dividing the doubleheader. The games are the first two of a six-game series.
NNU led 4-1 after an inning and a half, but UHH got single runs in the third, sixth and seventh to tie the game. But in the ninth, Greg Christensen and Spenser Lind started the inning with singles. After a sacrifice bunt by Joel Oliver, VanBeek put NNU ahead 6-4 with his base hit.
A walk, two wild pitches and a RBI ground out by Tyler Nicholson resulted in a pair of insurance runs for Sean McDonald, who pitched the final two innings allowing two hits and no runs to get the win.
NNU had 10 hits in the game including two each by Ty Windall, Christensen and starting pitcher Jon Keller. Keller and VanBeek each had two RBI.
In the first game, Ronnie Loeffler outdueled Zeb Sneed. NNU's Sneed gave up just four hits and two runs in six innings, walking three and fanning seven, while Loeffler allowed just five hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Sheldon Otsuka got the final out in the seventh with the tying run on third base to get a save.
John Hoffman scored the game's winning run in the fifth on a wild pitch by Sneed. NNU's lone run came in the fourth on a single by VanBeek.
The Vulcans (1-1) and Crusaders will play a single game tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. in Hilo.