Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney baseball team scored on a passed ball in the eighth and a wild pitch in the ninth to get past Wayne State, 12-10, Wednesday afternoon in Wayne.
 
The Lopers improve to 10-8 while the Wildcats (3-12) lose a seventh straight.
 
The game, the only meeting between the two this spring, featured a combined 22 runs on 29 hits, nine walks, five errors and three hit batters.
 
UNK never trailed but saw the 'Cats come back from deficits of 3-0, 5-1, 7-3 and 10-7. Wayne's final rally came in the seventh when the used three singles, a double and sac fly to score three.
 
With one down in the Kearney eighth, sophomore second baseman Josh Estrada (3 for 4, two runs) hit a double to right center. Taking third on a ground out, he then scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
 
The Loper ninth saw senior leadoff hitter and shortstop Shane Sharkey (McKinney, Texas) get plunked. He moved up 90 feet thanks to a wild pitch and with junior center fielder Easton Edmond (2 for 3, two runs) bunting him over to third. That sac bunt proved big as another wild pitch allowed Sharkey to score.
 
Senior closer Joe Smidt (North Platte) worked the ninth to record his second save of 2016. While he gave up two singles, he also got third baseman Cody Jenkins (3 for 6) to hit into a game-ending 6-4-3 ground ball double play.
 
At the plate for UNK, senior first baseman Connor Messinger (1 for 1, one run), junior outfielder Jacob Richardson (1 for 2, one run) and sophomore outfielder Shane Stock (Millard South H.S.) each drove in a pair of runs.
 
Finally, Iowa junior Weston Glienke earned his first win as a Loper by throwing a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts.
 
The Lopers play a three-game set at Central Missouri this weekend. UNK, UCM and Emporia State are all tied for first in the MIAA with 7-2 records.