UNK Softball: Lopers Go 2-0 on Day 1 of 2023

UNK Has Two More Games on Saturday

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney softball team got some big performances from several underclassmen to beat Colorado-Colorado Springs, 4-3, and Eastern New Mexico, 8-7, Friday in Lubbock, Texas. This was "Opening Day" for Division II softball with these games part of the annual Lubbock Sports College Classic. UNK faces Southwestern Oklahoma State (11 a.m.) and nationally-ranked Lubbock Christian (3 p.m.) on Saturday to end the weekend. Against the UCCS Mountain Lions, true freshman shortstop Mary Chvatal (Wahoo Bishop Neumann) belted a two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth inning and sophomore righty Sydney Thomason (Ripon, Calif.) fanned five over the final 2.1 innings to pace the Lopers. Thomason also went 2 for 4 from the two-hole with UNK erasing deficits of 2-0 and 3-0. In the afternoon, UNK saw sophomore Jaiden Harteker (Windsor, Colo.) go 2 for 3 with three RBI's, true freshman Faith Gaynor (Riverside, Calif.) throw four innings in her collegiate debut and Thomason shut the door again in the seventh. Thomason (1 for 2, two runs) was again effective at the plate. Eastern (1-1) blasted MIAA member Newman, 9-4, in its first game and almost erased a 7-2 deficit against the Lopers. They Greyhounds took advantage of an error, a wild pitch on strike three and three walks to score three in the fifth. Sophomore leftfielder and leadoff hitter Jennifer Gress then smacked a one-out, two-run homer in the top of the seventh. That brought in Thomason who gave up back-to-back singles but then recorded a strikeout and fielder's choice to end the threat and earn the save. Junior left fielder Carly Dembowski (Lincoln North Star) finished 3 for 4 from the cleanup spot and had a key RBI double in the sixth to make it 8-5. Finally, Gaynor worked around five walks and four hits in throwing 101 pitches with sophomore DP Lyndsey Roth (Lincoln North Star) going 2 for 3 with two runs scored from the leadoff spot. UNK erased a 3-0 in the early game with a two-run fourth and a two-run sixth. Junior center fielder Abbie Jo Gaube (Omaha Gross) had an RBI double in the fourth with the Loper sixth featuring two walks and a hit batter. Chvatal brought home sophomores Marisa Chamberlin (Kearney) and Leah Jurgens (Crete H.S.) with a two bagger to right.