LOS ANGELES, Calif-  Sixth-seeded Nebraska-Kearney scored eight unanswered runs on Thursday afternoon to shock the No. 1 team in the nation, Sonoma State, 8-7 at the NCAA West Regional Tournament in Los Angeles.  The Seawolves led 7-0 through three innings before the Lopers went on a tear, sending the Seawolves into the loser's bracket with a humbling loss.  SSU now must win five straight games to advance to the College World Series.

Sonoma State will play again at 11:00 am against the loser of tonight's UC San Diego / Mesa State game.

The Seawolves fall to 49-11 on the season while UNK, the RMAC Tournament champions, improve to 33-22.

SSU scored four runs in the first inning off six hits to stake starter Glen Wood to a nice lead.  A Tyler Wightman RBI triple in the second and a Konrad Thieme two-run homer to dead center in the third made it 7-0 and it looked like the rout was on. 

Wood was brilliant through four, allowing just two hits before encountering trouble in the fifth.  After two quick outs, UNK's Griff Watson singled in a run.  On the next play, Chase McGuire was charged with an error on a hard shot to third, scoring Tyler Keeble.  The next batter, Brad Hull knocked a three-run home run to pull the Lopers to within two at 7-5. 

SSU turned to Matt Means in the sixth and he looked solid until the seventh when more trouble came around the bend.  After a one-out walk to Tyler Keeble, Means induced a ground out.  With two outs, Hull reached on catcher's interference and the Seawolves turned to closer Paige Dumont.  Dumont, who hadn't given up a run in his last 18 appearances saw his first pitch, to RMAC Player of the Year Cody Lusero blasted over the left field wall and, all of a sudden, the Lopers led 8-7.

SSU was pretty much helpless against UNK reliever Cody Hovdestad (W, 4-2), who entered the game in the second in relief of starter Seth Svoboda.  Hovdestad went 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and just two runs, one of them earned.

The Seawolves had the tying run on base in the ninth, but UNK's Ryan Seefus struck out the final two batters of the game to record his first save of the year.  Dumont was charged with the loss as he falls to 5-2 on the year.

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