by Max Mercy
HIBBING -- The Hibbing Miners scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a walk-off win in the opening game of the annual Hibbing Hull-Rust Tournament. Hibbing forced an extra inning by scoring a run to tie the score at 2-2 through seven innings, but Duluth scored four runs in the top of the eighth to take a 6-2 lead.
A low-scoring pitchers' duel for seven innings turned sour in the eighth. Duluth scored its four runs in the eighth on no hits, two errors, three walks, and a hit batsman. Hibbing scored its five runs in the eighth on two hits, one error, two walks, a hit batsman, and a wild pitch.
Losing pitcher Hermano Hendrickx did not allow an earned run in 7.2 innings pitched. He allowed five hits, three walks, and a hit batsman with five strikeouts.
Matt Chruscielski was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, and Tim Nylund and Greg Schullo each scored twice for Duluth.