(OHAMA) – Rookie Nicky Lopez couldn't have imagined a better homecoming to Omaha. He hit his first major league home run in the stadium where he played college ball, helping the Kansas City Royals to a 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers Thursday night in the first big league regular season game played in Omaha, Nebraska. The game at TD Ameritrade Park coincided with the buildup to the College World Series, which begins Saturday. All eight CWS teams were among the sellout crowd of 25,454 and participated in a pregame ceremony with the major league teams. In his first trip to the plate, Lopez lined Matthew Boyd's pitch into the right field bullpen leading off the third inning. Martin Maldonado followed with a double and came home when Boyd was called for a balk. The Royals tacked on three runs in the fourth and one each the next two innings on their way to their highest run total since May 29. Homer Bailey (6-5) gave up a pair of singles, walked three, hit a batter and struck out six before Jorge Lopez came on to start the seventh. Dawel Lugo tripled past diving right fielder White Merrifield and scored on a groundout for the Tigers' first run. Boyd (5-5), who pitched for Oregon State in the 2013 CWS and threw a four-hit shutout against Indiana, lasted four innings and threw 94 pitches in his shortest outing in six starts.