Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Senior third baseman Makenzi Dallas led off the top of the seventh with a home run to help Nebraska-Kearney hold off Mary, 12-11, Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
This was the Lopers (2-1) only game on the second day of the 7th Annual Desert Stinger Tournament.
 
UNK led 11-3 after three and a half innings but the Marauders (0-3) tallied five in the fourth to make things interesting.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Mary used three hits and a walk to score three more. With the tying at third base, junior newcomer Kami Merrill (Calgary, Alberta) got a pop up to right to end things.
 
Now 1-0 on the year with a save, Merrill's first start as a Loper featured six earned on four walks and 14 hits. Fanning five, she blanked Mary in three innings.
 
Offensively, five different Lopers had a multi-hit game, led by Elmwood senior catcher Erin Dwyer (3 for 4, three runs & two RBI's). Finally, senior designated player Nicole Larsen (Murrieta, Calif.) went 2 for 4 and belted her first homer as a Loper.
 
UNK battles Minot State (1:30 p.m.) and Concordia-St. Paul (4:00 p.m.) on Sunday afternoon.