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NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – A late-innings rally in the opener Tuesday, March 31, helped Manchester University capture one of two in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.

The Spartans (12-6 overall, 5-3 HCAC) answered a 9-4 deficit in the middle of the fifth, tallying two in the fifth, two in the seventh, one in the eighth and one in the ninth for a thrilling 10-9 win over league rival Anderson University. The crowd at Gratz Field got to its feet in the final at-bat when a wild pitch sent senior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.) scrambling home and evading the tag of Ravens' catcher Jacob Morgan with the winning run. Sophomore first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.) played a key role in the rally, hoisting a pair of long home runs over the fence in right field as part of a three-for-three, four-RBI game. MU's bullpen also figured in as freshman Jacob Tucker (Elkhart, Ind.) stymied AU's bats to the tune of only one hit over three and two-thirds innings, while Nieman came in to work the ninth for the win.

Tuesday's nightcap saw the home side get out to a strong start. AN RBI double from Szarenski in the first and an RBI sacrifice fly from sophomore designated hitter Chad Schultz (Fair Oaks, Ind.) put MU up 2-1 after two, but the Ravens pieced together a seven-run comeback of their own over the third and fourth frames to take an 8-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Black and Gold trimmed the deficit to 8-6 after seven, but the visitors tallied three in the top of the eighth to help salt away an 11-7 victory. Szarenski added two more RBIs for a six-RBI afternoon and evening, as he, senior outfielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Nieman each registered two hits in game two.

MU, sitting in a four-way tie for second two games behind league-leading Bluffton University, returns to action Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4. The Spartans welcome Earlham College to Gratz Field for a single game Friday at 4:15 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday that is set for a 12 p.m. start.

NOTES: Rough fielding took its toll in each contest for the home team. A combined 12 errors were placed on the scorebook as just eight of AU's 20 runs were earned … Nieman stretched his hitting and on-base skeins to 21 and 22, respectively, while Szarenski upped his on-base string to 22 straight games.