LACEY, Wash. – In the home opener, powered a strong pitching performance by Clark Streby, followed by timely hits by Kahi Hirano and Austin Feist, the Saints pulled off a 4-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
 
The Saints (2-11, 1-0) capitalized early on a fielding error by the Nighthawks (2-13, 0-5), allowing Steven Sordahl to reach base, and Hirano to score in the third inning.
 
In the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, freshman Bryant Nakagawa managed to work a walk, scoring Colton Peha and extending the Saints' lead to 2-0. The Nighthawks' lone run of the game came in the sixth inning, when a single to right field scored the runner on third.
 
However, the Saints quickly added two insurance runs, their first coming in the bottom half of the sixth. Hirano delivered a single up the middle, allowing Ryne Oshiro to score from second base. The final nail in the coffin came in the seventh inning when Austin Feist connected on a pitch, homering to left field, his second home run of the season, and seventh RBI.
 
Streby (1-2) pitched another strong outing for the Saints, going six innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking one and striking out six. Luke Hare pitched a clean seventh, striking out two, turning the ball over to Tanner Inouye in the eighth, who struck out two. Adam Eskil recorded his first save of the season, striking out one in the ninth and sealing the 4-1 victory.
 
The second game of the doubleheader went into extra innings, with the score tied 1-1. The game will resume in the top of the ninth on Monday, March 12. The final two games of the series will be played after the finale of the first game.