Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Senior third baseman Ryan Light drove in five runs and senior southpaw Austin Klein threw five strong innings to help Lindenwood beat Nebraska-Kearney, 8-4, in game one of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field.
The second game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth with the UNK (25-16, 18-11) ahead, 3-2. That contest will resume Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and then the teams will play a nine inning game afterwards.
In the top of the first of game one, the Lions (22-19, 13-12) recorded three straight singles after two were out. The third was a base knock to left by Light (3 for 4).
Loper starter
Jacob Dittman (3-4) also got the first two outs of the third inning before LWU rallied. A walk and a ball that ricocheted off Dittman and into right center for an unlikely double put two runners into scoring position.
Light brought them both in with a single to center. However, on the play, he was thrown out at second, 8-2-6.
Lindenwood moved ahead 5-0 when Light belted a two-run shot, his fourth of the year, in the top of the fourth. Senior center fielder
Brandon Landanger (Kearney H.S.) responded with his own two-run bomb in the bottom of the inning.
That marked UNK's 60th homer of the season, a new school record. The 2002 Lopers held the mark with 59 in 54 games.
Kearney could've made it a two-run deficit but LWU right fielder Drew Quinones (2 for 4) threw out junior right fielder
Anthony Pacheco (Kearney Catholic H.S.) at home plate to end the fourth. Both teams scored twice in the fifth with the Lions adding the final run in the sixth on a bases loaded sac fly.
Klein (2-5) threw 3.1 innings of hitless ball and finished with four strikeouts and one walk in five full innings. He allowed four earned on seven hits, four going for extra bases.
For UNK, senior DH
Dillon Schroeder (Kearney Catholic H.S.) went 3 for 4 with Pacheco knocking in two runs and Grand Island junior
Chayse Gulzow throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
In the night cap, the Lopers scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the third to erase a 2-0 hole. UNK's big inning was the result of three bunts, two that resulted in errors and another that brought home a run.
The Lions got out to that lead thanks to two solo homers.
