Box Score TERRE HAUTE, IND. – A six-run rally over the final two at-bats helped send Manchester University to an 8-4 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Saturday, March 28.
The Spartans, increasing their win streak to eight, broke up a 2-2 draw with two in the eighth and four in the ninth. Sophomore first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.), upping his personal on-base streak to 18 consecutive contests, rapped a two-run single in the eighth, while senior shortstop Trevor Kimm (Anderson, Ind.), cracking his team-leading fifth round tripper, delivered a key three-run shot as part of the four-run ninth inning roll.
Rose-Hulman (8-7 overall, 3-2 HCAC) got out to a quick start against Black and Gold senior starting pitcher Sean Liedtky (Walkerton, Ind.). The Fightin' Engineers got the home crowd at Art Nehf Field on its feet with two scores in the first. However, from that point, MU's staff limited R-H to six hits and struck out three from the second through eighth innings.
Manchester University (11-3 overall, 4-0 HCAC) did use the pitching effort and added in some key defensive plays to close out Rose-Hulman comeback bids. In the sixth, with the Fightin' Engineers loading the sacks with two outs, Liedtky induced a pop out. The seventh saw senior center fielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) cut down a runner at home; the eighth ended on a one-out double play after Rose-Hulman put two on with nobody out; and in the ninth, following two Rose-Hulman scores, freshman relief pitcher Taylor Kopplin (Westport, Ind.) turned in a strikeout and ground out for his third save.
The league weekend set resumes Sunday, March 29, with a pair of nine-inning games beginning at 12 p.m.
NOTES: Norris and senior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.) joined Szarenski in extending long personal strings. Nieman's third-inning RBI single that helped tie the game at 2-2 moved his hit streak to 17 and on-base skein to 18 games in a row, while Norris' hitting streak improved to 16 games behind a ninth-inning RBI double … Liedtky's win increased his record to 3-0 and dropped his earned run average to 3.80 … The decision marked the program's 44th victory in their last 54 conference games.
