BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene dropped its first Great American Conference game of the season 11-5 to Northwestern Oklahoma State at Feland Field on Friday.
 
There were no shortage of bats in the conference opener as the Rangers (8-1, 1-0 GAC) tallied 18, while the Crimson Storm (3-4, 0-1 GAC) recorded 12. The cold weather had an effect on everyone in the field as there were seven combined errors in the game, four from SNU and three from NWOSU.
 
Jack Campbell led the way for the Crimson Storm at the plate as he finished 3-for-5 with a run scored. Cole Lee, A.J. Nelums, and Garrett Perez each had two hits in the game as Lee went 2-for-5 with an RBI, Nelums finished 2-for-4, and Perez went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two walks.
 
Shelby Reese also drove in a run as he went 1-for-5, while Connor Dayton finished 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Jefferson Harris got the start on the mound for Southern Nazarene and the senior took his first loss of the season. He tossed 3.1 innings and allowed eight runs, seven earned, and struck out three batters on 11 hits.
 
Noah Serrano, Triston Graves, and Zach Birkle all came in to pitch for the Storm as Graves struck out one while Birkle retired five.
 
Northwestern jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first and later extended that lead to 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third. SNU got on the board when Lee singled to right field, scoring Perez and cutting the lead to 3-1. The Rangers' bats exploded in the top of the fourth as they pushed six runs across and bumped their lead up to 9-1.
 
NWOSU scored two more in the fifth to take an 11-1 lead, before Dayton reached on a fielder's choice that scored Campbell in the bottom of the fifth to make it 11-2. The Storm got two more runs in the sixth inning when Reese drove in Perez and stole third and later reached home on a throwing error to make it 11-4.
 
SNU added one more run in the seventh when Tanner Ladon reached on a fielder's choice that scored Christian Dent to make it 11-5, but that's the closest the Storm came as the Rangers shut the door in the final two innings.
 
Southern Nazarene is back in action tomorrow for a doubleheader with Northwestern Oklahoma State to close out the series. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Feland Field.