Portland, Ore. | Cascade Collegiate Conference play started for the Knights of Warner Pacific University on Friday afternoon as the squad hosted the Eagles of Northwest University. The Knights split the first day of the series with the Eagles moving them to 8-3, 1-1 CCC and the Eagles to 3-10, 1-1 CCC.
 
Coming off a very dominant performance on Monday night, the Knights were hoping to keep the momentum going for opening weekend but their offensive dominance let up in game one, as they only got five hits as opposed to giving up 11 to the Eagles. Despite the rather large difference between hits for the two teams, Warner Pac walked away with a 3-2 win.
 
After a five inning, tied at two ball-game, Coach Nathan Ohta made a smart decision in substitutions in the sixth inning for the game winner. In the bottom of the 6^th, Katie Gleasman was walked and Ohta called in a pinch hitter and got the next batter to SAC Bunt to get the runner to second. With a pinch runner at second and one out, Ohta put McKenzie Pierce in as a DH for Chase Eisenhauer.
 
Knowing her role in this very instant, Pierce did exactly what was asked of her; a single RBI brining the pinch runner home. The Knights finished out the top of the seventh inning and closed out the 3-2 victory over the Eagles in game one.
 
In the night-cap, the Knights rallied from behind from the start. NU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before making it 4-0 in the fifth.
 
The Knights' late rally came from a few Eagle errors, allowing WPU to get on the board with a passed ball advancement and with 2.5 innings remaining. As of late, its seems that when an RBI is needed, Makenzie Kimura is in the lineup to get just that. With two on base, Kimura singled to the left-field bringing in Sarah Stanfill.
 
Carrying the momentum of a two-run fifth inning into the sixth and with the help of a few pitching errors by Northwest, Grace Utto-Galarneau took the walk, stole a base and was brought in with yet another left field single, this time by Emma Foster. The Knights trailed 3-4 with one inning to go but weren't able to keep the rally going.
 
With the night-cap victory, the Eagles broke a four-game win streak for Warner Pacific.
 
The Knights finished the first of the two day series with 5 RBI's on the 13 hits. Uncharacteristically, the Knights failed to have a HR on Friday; they have hit at least one homer in all but four of their first 11 games.
 
Looking for a different outcome in day two of the series, the Knights will face the Eagles for the final two games of the series on Saturday with game times scheduled for 11am and 1pm.