Kearney, Neb. – Senior Meg Housholder and freshman Sarah Handrahan combined on a five-hitter and newcomers Karlee Arnold and Cheyenne Hamilton both collected three hits to lift Nebraska-Kearney to a 6-3 win over Notre Dame de Namur (Calif.) Friday evening in Las Vegas, Nev.

The game was part of the ninth annual Desert Stinger Classic, hosted by Montana State-Billings. In the late game, the Lopers drew an amazing 14 walks but fell to the University of Mary (N.D.), 13-9.

Against the Argonauts from Belmont, Calif., Housholder (Parker, Colo.) picked up her 14th career win by allowing one earned run over 4.2 innings. Fanning five and walk three, she allowed just two singles. A true freshman from Festus, Mo., Handrahan earned a rare save by throwing the final 2.1 innings. She worked around three hits and two walks thanks to five ground ball outs.  

At the plate, UNK had 10 hits with Arnold (3 for 3, two runs) and Hamilton (3 for 4, two RBI's) doing most of the damage. Batting third and fourth in the lineup, Arnold is a freshman catcher/infielder from Parker, Colo., with Hamilton a junior right fielder who previously played at Adams State (Colo.).

Also for the Lopers, Kearney sophomore shortstop Kaitlyn Johnson went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Housholder helped her cause with a two-run single in the fourth. That set featured four runs and three hits as UNK built a 6-2 lead.

The Mary Marauders (2-1) bounced back from a 14-0 loss to MSUB this morning by beating San Francisco State, 7-6, and the Lopers. Finishing with 13 hits, nine-hole hitter and catcher Racheal Laetsch went 3 for 3 with three runs and three RBI's while shortstop Paige Matuski was 2 for 4 with a run and three RBI's.

Mary didn't score in the sixth but tallied five in the second, three in the first and two in the second and fifth innings. Beside the hit total, the Marauders took advantage of four walks and four Loper errors. The fielding miscues led to five unearned runs.

UNK had just six hits but the 14 base-on-balls and two plunked batters helped them hang around. Arnold, playing second base and catcher, was a very odd 0 for 0 with a run and five walks with leadoff hitter Kaela Samek (Lincoln Pius) 0 for 1 with three runs and three walks. Hamilton (1 for 3, one walk and two RBI's) and Papillion sophomore catcher/third baseman Alexis Howe (2 or 5, one run, one RBI) had the most productive days at the plate

Finally, in the circle, Handrahan struck out three in 1.2 innings of hitless relief.

UNK faces fifth-ranked Humboldt State, Calif. (0-2) and 32nd-ranked Texas Woman's U. (1-1) on Saturday.