BELLEVUE, Neb. - Four home runs and eighteen hits powered No. 2 IU Southeast to a 17-7 run-rule victory over No. 3 Huntington in game two of the Bellevue, Neb., bracket Monday afternoon.
The Grenadiers got the bats going early, starting with a two-run home run by Trevor Goodwin to open the scoring. IU Southeast extended their lead by four in the next inning. Caden Lockwood led off the inning with a single, Alex Schuler walked, and Kasen Parks laid down a well-placed bunt to load the bases.
Two at-bats later, Chance Bentley recorded a productive out with a sacrifice fly to score Lockwood, then Coulter Hamilton hit a three-run bomb to make it 6-0. IU Southeast tacked on four more in the bottom of the third.
Lockwood, after scoring one inning prior, tapped the dish again with a solo home run over the wall in left field. Schuler doubled, Parks walked, then Bentley was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again. With the bases loaded and two away, Hamilton singled to center field to make it 8-0, then Goodwin singled to right to make it 10-0.
Two more runs crossed home plate in the fourth. With two outs and the bases empty, Schuler hit a solo home run to left. Parks doubled, Kannon Stull drew a walk, then Bentley hit an RBI single to make it 12-0.
Huntington got on the board in the sixth, pushing three runs across on four hits. IU Southeast countered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Goodwin hit an RBI single, Kemper Whisman scored after an error, and Gabe Yonto hit an RBI double.
A grand slam by the Foresters negated the run-rule in the top of the seventh, leaving open an opportunity for the Grenadiers to walk it off. Schuler got the rally started with a leadoff single, advanced to second after Parks reached via error, then made it to third after Stull grounded out. With runners on the corners and two outs, Hamilton ended it with a single to center field to secure the 17-7 victory.
Brendan Whalen picked up his ninth win of the season on the mound for the Grenadiers. Whalen pitched 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and five strikeouts. Whalen improved to 9-0 on the year with the victory.
Coach Vincent Tornincasa's squad will be back in action Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. EST for game five of the Bellevue bracket.
