Kearney, Neb. - The Mesa State baseball team scored six runs in the third and seventh innings to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 12-6, Friday night at Memorial Field. 

Mesa, leaders of the Mountain Division, improve to 17-10 (15-6 RMAC) while the Lopers, in first in the Plains Division, drop to 19-8 (15-4 RMAC).

Things started off well for UNK as senior 2b Jordan Mitchelhill (2 for 6) led off the bottom of the first with a double and took third on a wild pitch. After senior OF Patrick Oliver (2 for 4, two runs) walked, sophomore catcher Chandler Klute (3 for 4, two RBI's) brought home Mitchelhill with a sac fly.

Mesa starter Nolan Snell (4-2) kept the damage at a minimum, however, as he got an inning ending strikeout after the Lopers had loaded the bases. Coming in with a 1.79 ERA, Snell settled down and shut out UNK over the next five innings.

The Mavericks first big inning featured four hits, a walk and two Loper errors. One of the hits, a two-run single to second, looked like a double play ball but instead took a wicked hop that almost hit Mitchelhill in the face.

In the Mesa eighth, they used another four hits, two walks, two wild pitches and a error to score six more times. UNK tried to rally late, getting Oliver's first homer of the year in the seventh and using four hits in the ninth to score four times.

For Mesa, leadoff hitter Ryan Shelton went 2 for 4 with three RBI's and two runs scored with No. 2 hitter Colton Little 3 for 6 with two RBI's.

Senior Todd Stachura (Scotia) fell to 5-1, allowing six earned on 10 hits and four walks in 6.1 innings.

The two teams play a double header Saturday at 1:00 p.m.