UNK breaks out brooms for weekend sweep
By Ryan Boyd
UNK spent the past weekend going to bat against non-conference opponent Minot State. The Beavers pushed the Lopers for success, and it worked in UNK’s favor, only challenged in two out of the four matchups in the series.
On March 9, UNK started the game down 2-0 to Minot State after one inning. The Lopers then began their rally back into the game by scoring a run in the second inning. Then, junior third baseman Alex Achtermann from Denver, Colorado, nailed the ball out to left field to send two Loper runners home in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Achtermann, an exercise science major, continued his batting excellence from last week’s matchup against Central Oklahoma with his double in the fifth to build the momentum back in favor of UNK.
Brett Young, a junior business administration major from Lodi, California, had the Loper highlight performance of the day with a three-run homer in the very next inning to give UNK the lead, and they did not look back.
Ty Roseberry would finish off the Minot State Beavers with a home run in the seventh inning to put the lead at 7-5 for UNK, and the Lopers held on to keep that score through the rest of the evening. Roseberry, a sophomore physical therapy major from Kearney, had two hits during his four times at bat with two runs scored to top his performance.
A DIFFERENT STORY SATURDAY
Saturday, March 10 saw two games with two different stories for UNK. The Lopers decidedly won their first game 15-0 over Minot State. In game two of the day, the Beavers gave UNK a tough go and only lost by one run.
A combined team effort for both games saw 14 total strikeouts and an astonishing 30 hits for UNK, putting Minot State down, and they could not get back up.
Evan Hill had an MVP-like performance in the first game, only allowing one hit through seven innings. Hill, a junior psychology major from Sebastopol, California, had ice in his veins all game, picking up his second win on the season for UNK.
Roseberry would pick up his sixth home run on the year in this game, and Achtermann would send a ball over the fence too. Both men scored two runs on the day. Nine Lopers tallied at least one hit during the game.
FIFTH INNING SURGE IN NIGHT GAME
Game two of the evening saw UNK down 7-5 after three innings to Minot State. Thanks to clutch pitching from junior Josh Cooper and some key hits from sophomores Tyler Mestl and Calvin Rudolph, the Lopers gained the lead after the fifth inning and didn’t look back.
Cooper, a business administration major from Roseville, California, threw seven strikeouts for the game and didn’t allow a run from the fourth inning clear until the top of the ninth inning when Minot State finally scored two runs.
Mestl, a radiologic technology major from Kearney, scored two runs on the day and had a crucial scoring double hit in the fifth to build momentum for the Lopers.
Rudolph, a business administration/finance major from Omaha, had a big single home run in the same inning to cap off the seven runs that UNK totaled for the fifth inning.
The Lopers got hot at the right time against the Beavers and would finish the game with a 10-9 victory.
Sunday March 11 was a cold and windy afternoon for fans in attendance, but the Loper spirits were red hot as eight different hitters for UNK made a connection with the ball on the day.
The game was routine for the Lopers as they took an early 4-2 lead after three innings over the Beavers and closed Minot State out from there. The Beavers didn’t score anymore runs, and UNK posted nine strikeouts against the Minot State batters.
Roseberry had the only home run on the day, bringing his total to seven for the season, and Brandon Hernandez was the consistent hitter at the plate.
Hernandez, a junior sports management/business administration major from San Diego, California, had three hits for his five times up to bat. Hernandez would also add a run to his busy afternoon for UNK.
After the Lopers’ dominant 11-2 victory over Minot State and even more impressive four game sweep, they now sit at 10-10 on the season, with a 5-2 home record. UNK plays at home again on March 16 in a three game weekend series against the Missouri Southern State Lions.
