Lopers stay alive with 4-1 regional victory

In sweltering California heat, Nebraska-Kearney senior right-hander Ryan Wrobel threw a complete-game nine-hitter and saw his teammates play outstanding defense behind him to help the Lopers beat 25th-ranked Western Oregon 4-1 in an NCAA Tournament elimination game Friday.

UNK (34-26) will play again at 5 p.m. CDT Saturday against either Cal State Stanislaus or the loser of the UC San Diego and Chico  State game. The opponent was to be determined after Stanislaus played Sonoma State later Friday.

With temperatures in triple digits, and with no wind to speak of, both the sixth-seeded Lopers and fifth-seeded Wolves (39-19) had to battle the elements.

A native of Scottsdale, Ariz./, Wrobel (5-6) must have felt at home in the heat as he tossed his third complete game of the season and showed why he was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason pitcher of the year.

"It was the Ryan Wrobel Show out there today," UNK coach Damon Day said. "He maybe didn't live up to expectations earlier this year but he has been throwing great the last month. To throw a complete game in these conditions is just a tremendous achievement."

Wrobel got all the support he needed when the Lopers wrapped six hits off of WOU starter Mike Cusick (5-5) over the first two innings.

For the second straight game, UNK senior Chris Gillaspy (2-for-5) led off the game with a single and was then sacrificed to second by senior Joe Gonzales. A sharp single to left by senior Trey Howell quickly put UNK on the board.

In the second, Loper sophomore Blake Cover (2-for-4) hit a two-run double to right center that increased the UNK lead. A triple by another Arizona native, Tyler Keeble (2-for-3), soon followed and the Lopers had the Wolves and Cusick on the ropes.

However, the right-hander kept Kearney off-balance after that, allowing only six hits over the next 6 2/3 innings. Cusick also had three strikeouts and one walk in the game.

Limiting Western to only two hits over the first three innings, Wrobel saw Cover making back-to-back diving catches to end the fourth inning. 

"Those are two of the better catches I've seen this year," Day said.

Western came back in the fifth by loading the bases with no outs. However, after a sacrifice fly, Wrobel got two strikeouts to end the threat.

The Wolves, from Monmouth, Ore., would see two runners reach base in each of the next three innings, but each time, Wrobel managed to get out of the jam.

Western also used a trick up its sleeve to keep the deficit at three runs. In the UNK ninth, the Lopers managed three hits, but no one scored.

After a leadoff single and a sacrifice but, WOU second baseman JJ Mascolo pulled off a hidden ball trick and tagged out junior Brad Hull at second.

Western then had something brewing in the bottom of the ninth as Dylan Brock (2-for-5) led off with a single and then Cesar Lopez hit a rocket to third. However, Howell somehow managed to backhand the ball and throw out Lopez at first.

Had the ball gotten by him, Western would've had two on and no outs.

The next two Wolves went in order and allowed UNK to pick up its second-ever NCAA Tournament win.

Also for the Lopers, juniors Nate Swearer and Leon de Winter were 2-for-4 at the plate.