February 10, 2008

Baseball Rallies to Sweep Metro State

Big Weekend for Cover; Sheldon Has Strong Loper Debut

     Kearney, Neb. –  The Nebraska-Kearney baseball team used a three run ninth inning to beat Metro State, 7-6, in the second game of a double header Sunday afternoon in Denver.

      In the early game, UNK (2-1) pounded out 18 hits to breeze to a 13-6 victory. All three games this weekend with the 'Runners (1-2) were non-conference.

      Metro used a five run fifth inning to erase a 3-1 deficit and take control of the second game. After UNK scored an unearned run in the sixth, the Lopers took advantage of another error, and two hit batters, to score three in the ninth.

      The inning started with senior Chris Gillaspy (Henderson, Nev.) getting plunked and senior Tyler Keeble (Mesa, Ariz.) reaching on an infield error. Pinch hitter Travis Lindhorst (Gering) then sacrificed both runners over but Metro countered by intentionally walking senior Joe Nowaczyk (Gretna). 

      Gillaspy would get UNK within one run when he scored on a fielder's choice form junior Nate Swearer. Matt Backes then took over for Metro and promptly hit junior Brad Hull (Lincoln) to load the bases once again.

      Sophomore third baseman Blake Cover (Kearney), who hit his first collegiate homer in Saturday's 15-10 loss, came up next and delivered a two run single to right to provide the winning margin.

       In the Metro ninth, sophomore Ryan Seefus struck out the first two batters to record a 1-2-3 inning. Seefus (Blair) earned the win by throwing 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. He also fanned four and gave up just one hit.

      Finally, Seefus got UNK out of the five run fifth by getting Brennan Brown to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. Swearer (Hilton Head, S.C.) and Cover each had two hits in the game with Hull joining Cover with two RBI's.

      In the first game, UNK scored four in the first, three more in the third and then five in the fourth to open up a 12-1 lead. Metro had only eight hits in the game and scored three unearned runs in it's final at-bat.

      Gillaspy, Swearer, Cover and senior Trey Howell (Antonio, Colo.) each had three hits  with Swearer knocking in four runs and Nowaczyk (2 for 4, two runs) three.

      UNK didn't have a homer but did record seven doubles, including two from Cover and two from Swearer. For the weekend, Cover went 6 for 12 with seven RBI's and four runs scored.

      Kearney native and Barton County transfer Ryan Sheldon was strong in his Loper debut, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in five innings of work. Fellow newcomer Bobby Ficenec then came in and allowed only one hit in two innings.

      Weather permitting, UNK will play at Fort Hays State next weekend.

      Pictured below are Cover-Nowaczyk-Swearer-Seefus.