Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The 8th-ranked Emporia State baseball team scored all four of its runs after two outs to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 4-2, Saturday afternoon in Kansas.

The MIAA Hornets (2-0) beat the Lopers (0-2) on Friday by an 11-5 score. The series will wrap up Sunday at noon.

Out hitting UNK 11-7, Emporia scored a run in the first, another in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Both runs in the sixth came on the strength of a Loper error and wild pitch.  

UNK scored twice in its half of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead but also left the bases full. The inning featured only one Loper hit as Emporia hit three different players, twice bringing in runs. Kansas State transfer Brandon Faulkner managed to get out of a bases loaded, one out situation thanks to a ground out and strike out.

He would go five full innings, fanning five and walking two while giving up three hits. Junior Zach Gove earned the win in relief as he threw two scoreless innings.

In the fateful sixth, the first two Hornets went down in order. Back-to-back singles followed, however, and an errant throw not only allowed the tying run to score but put the go-ahead run at third. A wild pitch followed to finish the day's scoring.

Making his Loper debut, Bellevue junior Cory Ridenour allowed two earned in 5.2 innings. He also fanned three and walked just one. Lincoln junior Adam Peters then came in and tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.

At the plate, junior 1b Brian Wuest (Prosper, Texas) and junior LF Tommy Barnes (Perry Hall, Md.) each collected two hits with Barnes scoring once.

For Emporia, junior 2b Eric Dawson went 3 for 4 and junior 1b Caleb Compton went 2 for 4 with two RBI's.