March 20, 2008

Baseball Rallies Past Highlands Twice

Keeble Has 2nd Career Homer; Sheldon K's 11

     Kearney, Neb. – – The Nebraska-Kearney baseball team rallied from deficits of 5-1 and 4-0 to sweep the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys, 10-8 and 6-5 (8 innings), Thursday afternoon at Memorial Field.

      This four-game RMAC series, already moved up due to Easter, included two games today because of impending bad weather Saturday. UNK (12-13, 7-7 RMAC) has won five in a row while the Cowboys (13-15, 2-12 RMAC) see a five game win streak snapped.

      In game one, the Lopers trailed 5-1 after two innings but scored four in the third and five in the fifth to come back for the win. Junior Ryan Sheldon overcame a rocky start -- seven hits and five runs -- in the first two innings to throw his first complete game of the season.

      The Kearney High graduate struck out a season-high 11 to help him work around 14 hits. He is now 4-2 on the year and among the RMAC strikeout leaders (42).

      A balanced offensive attack featured 11 total hits with seven different Lopers having at least one RBI. Senior shortstop Tyler Keeble (Mesa, Ariz.) went 2 for 3 with two RBI's while senior catcher Griff Watson (Omaha North) was 2 for 4 with two RBI's.

      In the big fifth inning, Keeble had a two run single to left and Watson had a two run double down the right field line. Fittingly, the game ended with Sheldon getting a called third strike on Highlands Kristian Sifuentes.

      For the first five innings of game two, UNK was shut out by Highlands' redshirt freshman Kohoku Piho. The slight right hander from Hawaii allowed just three hits over the first five innings but the Lopers scored four in the sixth to tie things up.

      The big inning saw the first three UNK batters reach on a walk and two singles. Two sacrifice flys got UNK within two, then Keeble stepped to the plate. With a runner on first, Keeble belted the ball over the left field wall.

      The homer is just Keeble's second in a Loper uniform. His first dinger came last May in the RMAC Tournament semifinal win at Mesa State.

      However, Highlands scored one in the seventh to retake the lead. UNK came back once again as senior Joe Nowaczyk (Gretna) led off the bottom of the inning with sharp single to left.

      Pinch runner Jason Trulin (Blair) then tied the game when he scored, all the way from first, on a long single to right center by senior Trey Howell (Antonito, Colo.). Howell would get to third base, with no outs, but relief pitcher Erick Carranza got out of the jam without any further damage.

      After senior Jeff Foster (Ranger, Texas) worked a 1-2-3 eighth, UNK got something going in the bottom of the eighth when senior Chris Gillaspy (Henderson, Nev.) hit a one out single to center. Keeble (3 for 4, two RBI's) would sacrifice him over to second and give junior Brad Hull (Lincoln East) a chance to win the game.

      But, Richard Nicasio would plunk Hull and the hero for UNK would have to be Blair junior Kyle Smith.

      Coming into the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth, Smith blooped the first pitch he saw to short right field. The Highlands' second baseman and two out fielders converged on the ball but no one caught it, allowing Gillaspy to score the winning run.

     Finally, Blair sophomore Ryan Seefus (three earned runs) started the contest and threw seven strong innings.

      The two teams will finish the series tomorrow with another noon double header (first game nine innings, second game seven innings). Pictured below are Sheldon-Keeble-Smith.