Kearney, Neb. – Senior Jake Kresse saved two more games and the Nebraska-Kearney baseball team came up with several clutch plays to sweep a double header from Regis, 5-4 and 4-3, Friday night at Memorial Field.

By winning both games, and seeing Metro State lose the first game of a double header at Colorado State-Pueblo, the Lopers (32-13, 27-9 RMAC) secure the 2011 RMAC regular season title. This will make the team the No. 1 seed in next week's conference tournament at Mesa State (May 11-14).

This is the program's first-ever RMAC regular season crown; the 2007 and 2008 Lopers were RMAC Tournament champs. In its NAIA days, then-Kearney State won several NCC (Nebraska College Conference) regular season titles.

In the early game, Scotia senior Todd Stachura improved to 7-1 by throwing eight strong innings. However, Kresse (Bennington) was called upon in the top of the ninth after the first two Rangers (20-25, 18-19 RMAC) reached and UNK ahead by a 5-2 score.

First baseman Steven Brault (3 for 4) greeted Kreese with a sharp come backer that hit Kresse in the left forearm and landed for an RBI single. After a visit by the Loper coaches and athletic training staff, Kresse stayed in the game.

Another single followed, putting the tying run in scoring position. A sac bunt put Rangers at second and third but Kresse managed to get a pop up and ground out to end the game.

The ground out was anything but routine. A slow roller to third, the ball bounced toward the base line with senior Luke Valerius (Golden, Colo.) charging. He managed to bare hand the ball and throw to first just in time.

In the sixth, Valerius (3 for 4) gave UNK the lead for good thanks to a two out, two-run single to right. Regis had tied the game at two in the fourth when freshman DH Jon Shoutta hit his league-leading 15th homer of the year.

The Lopers added what looked like an insurance run in the eighth when senior LF Brian Chritz (2 for 4) hit a two-out RBI single to right. Outside of the home run, Stachura held the Rangers in check, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out four.

Also holding the Regis offense down was Arizona senior Roy Metter (8-3). He blanked the Rangers for the first five innings of game two and finished with seven K's in six innings.

Valerius (2 for 2) gave UNK a 2-0 lead in the second with another two out, two-RBI single. A failed pickoff attempt by pitcher Steve Falconi (4-5) helped put another Loper in scoring position for Valerius.

Regis managed to grab the lead in the sixth despite having just one hit. A Loper error, hit batter and walk loaded the bases with no outs. After a fielder's choice brought one run in, shortstop Ty Lain hit a two-run single to right. Working around another walk, Metter got out of the jam thanks to another fielder's choice and line out.

Senior RF Patrick Oliver (Broomfield, Colo.) then led off the Kearney sixth with a double to left center and scored when senior 1b Andrew Haake (Beatrice) hit a shot to right center that hit high off the wall for a triple. Two batters later, senior CF Jason Trulin  (Blair) bought Haake home with his fifth sac fly of the season.

Kresse, in his 23rd appearance, came on in the seventh and hit pinch hitter Jay Rollinson. However, he managed to get a pop up, on an attempted sac bunt, and then fanned two in a row to win the game. After his second strikeout, the Lopers "dog piled" near the pitching mound

In 23.0 innings this spring, Kresse has fanned 35 and walked just nine while being 4-0 with eight saves.
.
The series concludes tomorrow with a double header starting at one.