Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Right handers Jared Sterling and Landon Hallam combined for eight shutout innings and designated hitter Dylan Tinkler went 2 for 4 to help Central Oklahoma beat Nebraska-Kearney, 5-4, in the first of a best-of-three series Thursday afternoon in Edmond.
 
The two teams will play Friday at 2:30 p.m. and, if necessary, Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Both games can be heard live at on KGFW AM 1340 and at www.kgfw.com.
 
Sterling (7-3) allowed six hits and four earned runs in 6.1 innings with Hallam picking up his first save of 2014 by throwing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball.
 
All four of Kearney's (30-18) runs came in the fourth as they got back-to-back two-run hits to right center from senior left fielder Jayke Brock (2 for4) and junior catcher Max Ayoub (2 for 3).
 
Additional Loper scoring opportunities were snuffed out in the second and sixth innings when UCO turned double plays. Brock singled with two down in the eighth but Hallam recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
 
UCO (35-15) tied the game with a three-run fourth that featured a two-run homer to right off the bat of Tinkler. A double, single and ground out brought home the tying run. The inning started with a Loper error making two of these runs unearned.
 
Two innings later, Tinkler led off the Broncho sixth with a double down the right field line. He moved to third on a single and scored the winning run on a sac fly to right by nine-hole hitter Dylan Raper.
 
A stiff wind blew all day to right and right center. UCO right fielder Wacey Henderson had four put outs, including a running grab of a potential double by Loper sophomore second baseman Joey DeSimone (Thornton, Colo.) to start the seventh.
 
In his first collegiate game, DeSimone saved a run when he knocked down a ground ball for an out in the first. His second at-bat featured a hard shot to right center that was caught by a streaking Dilon Argo, UCO's center fielder.
 
Besides Brock (Grand Junction, Colo.) and Ayoub (Grand Island), Papillion freshman Josh Kiger went 2 for 4 with Kearney sophomore DH Drew Butler (1 for 3) collecting UNK's other hit.
 
On the mound, Florida senior Alex Sosa (1-2) gave up three earned on two walks and seven hits in five innings. Wyoming lefty Aaron Smith had another strong outing, fanning three in three scoreless innings.

The former Scottsdale College (Ariz.) Fighting Artichoke has allowed just one earned run over the last 20 innings.

"It was a well-played college baseball game," UNK head coach Damon Day told the Kearney Hub. "At the end of the day, they got one more big knock than we were able to get. I was disappointed that we lost, but not disappointed in the way we played."