Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Senior southpaw Mike Loseke pitched eight innings and the Nebraska-Kearney offense erupted for eight home runs in a 24-8 win over Regis Sunday afternoon at a windy Memorial Field.

UNK (7-13, 6-6 RMAC) salvages the last game of the series while the Rangers slip to the .500 mark (10-10, 5-7 RMAC).

Things didn't look good for the Lopers early on as Regis scored five in the top of the first and added two more in the second to lead by three, 7-4, after three complete. First baseman Jon Shutta had the big blow for Regis, a three-run dinger in the first.

However, Loseke (Arvada, Colo.) settled down and shut out Regis for four straight innings, allowing just two hits during this stretch. Offensively, with the winds picking up, UNK chipped away, scoring two in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth and two more in the seventh to grab a 13-7 lead.  

In a sign of things to come, junior third baseman Chase Saxton (3 for 6, three runs, six RBI's) hit his first homer as a Loper in the bottom of the fifth to tie things at seven.

The Loper sixth featured a two-run triple to right center by catcher Chandler Klute (3 for 5, two runs, four RBI's) and a two-run shot over the right field wall by junior first baseman Eric Ringblom (4 for 5, five runs, five RBI's.).

UNK then had one of its biggest innings in recent memory, scoring 11 times in its half of the eighth thanks to nine hits, five being homers. The Division II record for home runs in an inning is six.

Ringblom started the madness with a solo shot to left and then redshirt freshman second baseman Dillon Schroeder (2 for 5) hit an opposite field, three-run shot to left. Next, junior first baseman Brian Wuest (4 for 6, four runs, three RBI's), who had already homered in the seventh, hit a two-run shot to left, Ringblom added another two-run shot to left and Saxton into a two-run bomb to left center.

Loseke earned his first win of 2012 by allowing six earned in eight innings. Fanning two, he gave up 10 hits and walked two. Besides the long balls, UNK also had two triples and three doubles among its 24 hits.

UNK is at Colorado School of Mines next weekend. The Orediggers came into Sunday's action tied with a 5-6 RMAC record.