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Zimske's bomb helps HU past Truett McConnell

Tyler Zimske launched a three-run homer to spark a five-run explosion in the eighth inning which carried the Huntington University baseball team past Truett McConnell, 11-6, on Wednesday afternoon in an elimination game at the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Tournament in Montgomery, AL.

Zimske's bomb turned a 6-5 HU lead into an a 9-5 lead, and Dylan Henricks later plated two more insurance runs with a double for an 11-5 lead. That made McConnell's final tally of the game in the night irrelevant and pushed HU into the opening round championship gainst Faulkner, which orginally sent HU to the loser's bracket on Tuesday.

Henricks planted a two-run home run in a four-run fourth inning to give HU, 35-12, a 4-0 lead. McConnell got one back  in the fifth, but Shea Beauchamp went deep for two more runs in the seventh for a 6-1 lead, before the Bears erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth to throw a scare into the Foresters.

The Foresters notched 14 hits on the afternoon, with Beauchamp, Henricks and Michael Crowley each having three. Dalton Combs added two safeties.

Henricks and Zimske each had four runs batted in.

Tanner Wyse went the first 6.1 innings for HU and got the win, giving up just one earned run on nine hits, with one strikeout and two walks. Tarrin Beachy was victimized for four earned runs on two hits, with one strikeout, in 1.1 innings, and Caleb Landrum went the final 1.1 innings and gave up one earned run on two hits.