Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The 8th-ranked Emporia State baseball team scored three in the second and five more in the fifth to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 11-5, Friday afternoon in Kansas.

This was the season-opener for both teams. UNK and ESU will be MIAA rivals next year; this was the first time the two met on the diamond since 2004.

UNK, which graduated 16 seniors off last year's 38-19 team, had 12 hits off of three different Hornet pitchers but left eight on base and didn't draw a walk.

A veteran ESU team collected 13 hits, including three from leadoff hitter Dorain Williams and cleanup hitter Joe Kornburst. Overall, this pair combined to go 6 for 9 with four RBI's and four runs scored.

In the Hornet second, Kornburst delivered a two out, two-run triple down the right field line to make it a 4-0 game. The Emporia fifth featured five hits and a Loper error with shortstop Ashton McCoy (2 for 4) hitting a two out, two-run double to left.

Derek Brooks got the win for Emporia as he fanned four, and gave up nine hits, in 5.2 innings of work.

Junior Eric Ringblom (Millard North), one of the few returning Loper position players, went 3 for 4 with two RBI's and hit a solo homer in the eighth. Also, junior catcher Chandler Klute (Kearney H.S.) went 2 for 5 and junior centerfielder Alex Miller (Millard West) went 2 for 5 from the leadoff spot.

Finally, redshirt freshman David Boddiger (Longmont, Colo.) threw two innings of scoreless relief.

The two teams will play single nine inning games on Saturday and Sunday.