March 2, 2008

Baseball Bounces Back, Sweeps No. 27 Pueblo

Lopers Score 45 Runs in Four Game Series

     Kearney, Neb. –  The Nebraska-Kearney baseball shook off a pair of tough losses on Friday to sweep 27^th-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo, 25-11 and 6-3, Saturday afternoon in Pueblo.

      On Friday, UNK (6-7, 2-2 RMAC) fell to the Thunderwolves by scores of 11-10 and 6-4. The league series was moved up one day due to projected bad weather Sunday.

      In the series opener, the Lopers had 17 hits but left 16 runners on base to fall to the T-Wolves (9-5, 2-2 RMAC) by one run in a nine inning game. Pueblo scored only three runs over the final six innings but that was enough to hold off UNK, who did tally one in the ninth and had the bases loaded when the final out was recorded.

      Junior Ryan Sheldon (Kearney) appeared to have UNK headed for a 4-0 win in the second game as he no hit Pueblo over the first five innings. However, the T-Wolves broke up the "no no" with a lead off single in the sixth and that led to a six run set.

      The inning featured all four Pueblo hits, two hit batters, one walk and a wild pitch. Matt Wiseman had the big blow, a two out, tow run homer that provided the winning margin. 

      Offensively, UNK had six hits and left eight stranded. All four runs, and four hits, came in the top of the fifth.

      The third game of the set turned out to be an offensive explosion as the two clubs combined for 36 runs and 43 hits. UNK had 27 hits, and took advantage of seven walks, to score  25 runs. The effort included an 11 run sixth that featured eight hits.

      The first four Lopers in the batting order had three hits with seniors Trey Howell (Antonito, Colo.) and Griff Watson (Omaha North) each having four. Junior Nate Swearer -- hitting two homers in the same game for the second time this year -- Watson and senior Chris Gillaspy (Henderson, Nev.) led the RBI parade with four a piece.

      Kearney sophomore Jared Loschen was the beneficiary of all this support, earning the win by allowing five earned runs over six innings.

      UNK continued the hit parade in the series finale by scoring four times, and having three hits, in the first inning. Having only five hits the rest of the game, the Lopers hung on for the win by getting strong pitcher performances from senior Seth Svoboda (Kearney) and Jeff Foster (Ranger, Texas).

      Svoboda earned the win by allowing just two hits in 3.1 innings with Foster pickup up the save by allowing no runs in 3.2 innings.

      For the weekend, UNK batted .408 with 15 doubles, four homers and 43 RBI's. Howell led the way, batting .667, with eight different players having at least four RBI's.

      UNK is at Nebraska Tuesday before heading to Regis next weekend for another four-game RMAC series. Pictured below are Howell-Swearer-Loschen-Svoboda-Foster.