Baseball goes 3-1 vs CCU
Posted by Administrator on Mar 25 2009
Sports >>

Photo by Cody Riedel
Blake Cover, a junior third baseman from Kearney, rips a single into center field Saturday at Memorial Field. The Lopers won a four game series, 3-1 against Colorado Christian.

By Matt Lindsay
Antelope Staff

Loper Baseball had a chance to sweep Colorado Christian University Sunday at Memorial Field but wasn't able to get the job done as they were shutout in the final game of the four game series, 9-0.

Christian used a five-run second inning to pull away from the Lopers, who committed three errors and was out-hit by the Cougars 12-6.

Bennington sophomore pitcher Jake Kresse took the loss for the Lopers after giving up four hits and five runs in one and two-thirds innings of work. Christian tacked on three runs in the fifth inning and one more in the seventh to seal the win. Nicholas Leader pitched a seven-inning complete game for the Cougars, giving up six hits and striking out two.

In game one of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Lopers used 15 runs to plow past the Cougars 15-6. Strong efforts on both offense and defense were key as the Lopers recorded 18 hits, and Lincoln freshman pitcher Jacob Hiatt of Lincoln threw seven shutout innings.

Lincoln senior outfielder Nate Swearer hit his fourth homer of the week in the seventh inning as he finished the game 3-5 with four RBIs. Kearney junior third baseman Blake Cover finished the game 3-6, and Persia, Iowa sophomore designated hitter Mike Stamp scored two runs and finished the game 3-4. Ten different Lopers recorded a hit in the win.

It was all Lopers in the first two games of the four-game weekend as Kearney senior pitcher Ryan Sheldon and Kearney junior pitcher Jared Loschen each pitched complete games as the Lopers won by scores of 5-3 and 9-3 Friday afternoon. Sheldon won his fourth straight game as he struck out a season-high 14 batters. Swearer and Beatrice sophomore first baseman Andrew Haake each hit solo homeruns for the Lopers, who managed nine hits to win.

With Loschen on the mound in game two, the Lopers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings of play. Three more crossed the plate for the Lopers in the fifth inning before Christian managed to get back to within three with a three-run sixth inning. The Lopers put the game away in its half of the sixth with three more runs, highlighted by a two-out RBI single by senior catcher Leon de Winter of the Netherlands. De Winter finished the game a perfect 4-4 at the plate.

The Lopers are now 8-8 in the RMAC and 10-16 overall, while Christian is 4-12 in the conference and 10-17 overall.