CLEVELAND — Freshman Evan Bensch threw seven scoreless innings of three-hit baseball as the Truett McConnell baseball team improved to 5-0 to start the 2017 season with a 4-0 win over NCAA Division II opponent Emmanuel Wednesday afternoon.
The Bears jumped on the scoreboard early as Patrick Overstreet hit his second home run of the year in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Overstreet hit the ball a mile high as the ball carried over the left center wall to give TMU a 1-0 lead.
TMU added a second run in the bottom of the second when Calob Rowland singled through the right side, scoring Josh Johnston from third to extend the lead to 2-0. The Bears took advantage of Lion errors in the fourth to double their lead to 4-0, giving Bensch a lead he would not relinquish.
The Lions had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the ninth when Tim Manning hit a shot down the left field line, but freshman Davis Dasher went and robbed the home run to keep the shutout intact.
Bensch (1-0) earned the win after going seven innings and striking out six. Austin Thomas finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored, while Johnston went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
The Bears will have a quick turnaround as they host Indiana Wesleyan this weekend for two doubleheaders. The first doubleheader is Friday at 12 noon in Cleveland.
