NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – A pivotal late-season Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference series couldn't have gone much better for host Manchester University.

The Spartans, winning for the ninth time in their last 10 contests, received a solo home run to right field from senior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.) and run-scoring hits from senior outfielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.) to move them out to a 3-0 lead after three frames. They didn't look back in route to an 8-1 win.

Backed up by the quick start and multiple-RBI efforts from junior catcher Elliott Ford (Rome City, Ind.) and Szarenski, freshman starting pitcher Taylor Kopplin (Westport, Ind.) settled in and made life tough for the visiting Franklin College Grizzlies. Kopplin, earning his first collegiate complete game, was touched for only four hits, didn't issue a free pass and struck out five. After surrendering single hits to the visitors in the first and second, the first-year hurler set down 13 successive hitters.

MU's 8-1 win, resuming a recent skein against FC where the Black and Gold has won nine of the last 10 head-to-head, kept them within in the conference's top four with a 23-12 overall and 16-9 league record, good for third place. They go into the final day of the regular season trailing Rose-Hulman for second by percentage points and first-place Anderson University by only a game.

The weekend set resumes Saturday, May 2, at Gratz Field. Manchester University and Franklin College play a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.

NOTES: Nieman's home run to right in the first extended his on-base streak to 36 successive games. His 11 round trippers equal his total from the 2013 campaign … Kopplin's complete game gem was MU's third of the season, as senior Sean Liedtky (Walkerton, Ind.) has the other two.