Box Score PUEBLO, Colo. (February 14, 2015) ~ The University of Nebraska Kearney broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Colorado State University-Pueblo baseball team, 3-2, Saturday at Rawlings Field.
With the win, the Lopers even the three-game series at one game apiece. The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 12 p.m. The ThunderWolves overall record drops to 4-2, while Nebraska Kearney improves to 5-4 on the season.
Wyndam Williams (Sr., Golden, Colo.) suffered the loss for the Pack, while Aaron Smith earned his first victory of the season for Nebraska Kearney. Joe Smidt collected his third save of the season.
ThunderWolves' starter Kolby Rimer (R-Sr., St. George, Utah) tossed five effective innings, surrendering four hits and no earned runs while striking out two.
The Pack outhit the visitors, 8-7. Both teams finished with one error. The Lopers left 12 men on base compared to 10 for CSU-Pueblo.
Beau Cebulski (Jr., Las Animas, Colo.) and Mike Wagner (Golden, Colo.) paced the ThunderWolves with two hits apiece. Cebulski notched his first homerun of the season, a solo shot to left field in the fifth inning. Lawrence Chavez (Sr., Estancia, N.M.) tallied a triple and a RBI.
Brandon Landanger, Danny Droll and Coby Roming each had a pair of hits for the Lopers. Connor Messinger had the lone RBI for the visitors with the other two runs scoring unearned.
Nebraska Kearney jumped on the scoreboard first, tallying an unearned run in the top of the first inning.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning when Cebulski launched a solo homerun over the leftfield fence, knotting the game at 1-1.
The Lopers regained the advantage in the top of the sixth, working a run across to move ahead, 2-1.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with two outs and a runner on first, Chavez laced a line drive into the gap in right centerfield. Pinch runner Chris Ramsey (Sr., Westminster, Colo.) scored on the play as Chavez ended up at third base with a triple.
With the score tied at 2-2, Williams entered the game in the top of the ninth inning. Roming led off the inning with a double then advanced to third on a ground out. Two batters later with runners at the corners and one out, Williams was called for a balk, which drove in Roming with the go-ahead run.
The ThunderWolves had a chance to tie the contest in the bottom of the ninth inning, but were unable to get a runner home from third with two outs as the Lopers escaped with the win.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
