Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Emporia State sophomore right hander Tanner Cairns struck out nine and didn't issue a walk in tossing a three-hit shutout to help the Hornets beat Nebraska-Kearney, 7-0, Saturday evening in Kansas.

Now 3-0 on the year with a 3.21 ERA, Cairns retired the final 13 batters he faced. Throwing 111 pitches, he had eight of his K's over the last four innings and fanned the side in the ninth

Junior lefty Bradley Brown (2-2) threw well in defeat, allowing five earned on nine hits and a walk over seven full innings. He blanked the Hornets for three straight innings and had a season-best eight K's in tossing 121 pitches.

The Hornets (21-5, 10-2) scored three in the first and three more in the fifth to take a commanding lead. Two of their runs were of the unearned variety in the first while two of the runs in the fifth came with two down.

Three-hole hitter and catcher Mason Brown went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI while second baseman Ryan McBroom finished 1 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI's.

Besides Brown, UNK (8-17, 1-11) saw Kansas senior Sean Laughlin toss a scoreless ninth.

The series finale will be Sunday at 12:00 p.m.