Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney baseball came up with some big early hits and then worked out of a couple late jams to eliminate Metro State, 5-4, from the RMAC Tournament Friday afternoon in Grand Junction, Colo.

The Lopers (34-15) advance to a winner's bracket game Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Central against the winner of tonight's game between Colorado State-Pueblo and tournament host Mesa State.

Metro (29-17) is eliminated from the tournament and is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing five of its last six games.

UNK has now won 10 straight RMAC tourney games at Suplizio Field and has gone 2-0 in this event for the fourth straight year.

Scotia senior Todd Stachura (8-1), the 2011 RMAC Pitcher of the Year, kept it a 5-3 Loper lead when, with two outs and runners at first and second, he got Metro cleanup hitter Jordan Stouffer to pop up to end the seventh.

Two innings earlier with two outs and the bases loaded, Stachura fanned five-hole hitter Evan Claus with the based loaded.

Junior southpaw Mike Loseke (Arvada, Colo.) took the hill to start the eighth and got the first two 'Runners out. However, two singles and a Loper error not only made it a 5-4 game but put runners at first and second for Metro lead off hitter Zach Krueger.

The right fielder led off the game with a homer to left, his 12th dinger of the year. Senior Jake Kresse (Bennington H.S.) came on in relief of Loseke and Krueger hit a deep fly ball to right that was caught at the wall by senior Patrick Oliver (Broomfield, Colo.)

For the second straight day, UNK was poised for a big eighth inning as single, error and fielder's choice loaded the bases with no outs. However, Mississippi State transfer Corey Collins managed to get three ground outs to keep it a one run game.

The senior right hander threw six scoreless innings of relief, giving up just three hits while walking none and striking out five.

In the Metro ninth, Kresse got two hole hitter David Kaplan to ground out to short and then fanned 2011 RMAC Player of the Year David Fox. After Stouffer walked, designated hitter Sean Reeves struck out looking.

This marks Kresse's 10th save of the season, breaking the school-record of nine set by current senior Ricky Muir (Easton, Conn.) last season.

UNK erased a 2-0 hole, and built a 5-2 lead after two innings, thanks to several two-out hits. In the bottom of the first, seniors Felix Segovia (2 for 4, three RBI's, two runs) and Luke Valerius (Lakewood, Colo.), and sophomore Chandler Klute (2 for 4), each hit two-out run scoring singles.

The Lopers continued to get after Metro starter Zach Cleveland as senior 2b Jordan Mitchelhill (1 for 4, two runs) hit a single to start the second. After Mitchelhill was bunted over and a second out was recorded, Segovia socked his third homer of the year, a deep shot over the left field wall.

Besides Segovia and Klute, senior CF Jason Trulin (Blair) went 3 for 3 for the Lopers.