Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney softball team opened the 2011 season by playing four games in the NSIC/RMAC Crossover, hosted by Winona State, and played at Rochester Regional Stadium in Rochester, Minn.

UNK played four games over two days, starting off with a 15-4 setback to Winona on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, the Lopers lost 4-0 to the Peacocks of Upper Iowa, 8-0 to Minnesota State and 7-5 to the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears.

In the loss to the WSU Warriors, the Lopers scored all four runs via home runs by seniors Cassie Keck (Blair) and Jessie Thomas (Yutan)  Keck finished 2 for 3 with three RBI's, two runs and two HR's while Thomas scored twice.

Keck is now second on the Lopers all-time homers list with 32. Darcie Berry holds the school record (48).

In the first game on Saturday, Upper Iowa got a strong pitching performance from starter Ashley Brown to blank the Lopers.

Junior Kirstie Hiatt (McCook) pitched a 12-hit complete game while striking out five and walking three. Brown and one reliever limited UNK to five hits with true freshman Emily Mierau (Grand Island) finishing 2 for 3 in the eight hole.

Minnesota State used a five-run third inning to earn a 8-0 victory in the next game. True freshman Bailey Backhuus (Bennington) pitched 2.1 innings in relief of starting pitcher junior Dani Mowinkel (Hooper), who went 2.2 innings with two strikeouts.

Courtney McKelvogue threw a complete game two-hitter for the Mavs, fanning nine and walking one in the process.

In the final game of the day, the Lopers scored two in the fourth and three in the sixth but it wasn't enough against a CSP team that tallied four in the top of the sixth.

St. Paul got on the scoreboard first by getting three runs in the first inning. Hiatt overcame the rocky start by shutting out the Golden Bears over the next four innings. 

Kearney got within a run by the fourth after Thomas doubled to score freshman Whitney Frederick (Blair) from second. Two batters later, junior Ali Seberger (Lexington) hit a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Thomas.

Concordia then built a 7-2 lead by scoring four in its half of the sixth, the big blow behing a three-run homer from DP Ashley Kluever (2 for 3, four RBI's).

UNK tried to come back once again as Seberger (1 for 2, four RBI's) belted a three-run dinger in the bottom of the sixth. However, no Loper reached base after that as Cassye McMahon threw a complete game four-hitter to earn the win.

Hiatt took the loss, allowing eight hits and six earned over seven innings.

In the series, Mierau and Frederick both had four hits and are currently leading the team .364 and .333 batting averages.

Nebraska-Kearney starts conference play at Chadron State next weekend.