NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Manchester University received a strong starting pitching contest from senior MacKenzie Williams (Kendallville, Ind.) in the opener and a meteoric offensive performance from sophomore infielder Laurren Ladwig (Crown Point, Ind.) in the nightcap to spotlight their 2016 home and season-opening doubleheader Tuesday, March 8.

Williams battled with Huntington University starting hurler Emily Puterbaugh for the first four frames with neither giving ground. However, the visiting Foresters posted a four-run rally in the fifth, gathering four hits and all of its tallies with two outs. From that point, Puterbaugh stepped to the forefront, handcuffing the home team on three hits while striking out 12 in route to a 4-0 decision.

The nightcap saw the Spartans' bats awaken with Ladwig providing the power source. She clouted a solo home run in the second, trimming HU's edge to 2-1, and then brought the home crowd to its feet in the bottom of the fifth, drilling a pitch from Forester starter Ariel Sheets deep over the center field fence with the bases loaded to cut a once 9-1 deficit to 9-5. The game was concluded with HU's defense recording three straight outs after the grand slam with darkness setting in, as the Foresters moved to 2-4 on the season by concluding the sweep to send the Spartans to 0-2.

Ladwig's three-for-three, two-runs-scored, five-RBI nightcap line topped a trio that recorded multiple hits during the afternoon. Freshman catcher Sydney Thompson (Logansport, Ind.) and junior outfielder Emilee Liston (Cicero, Ind.) each registered a pair of hits during the twinbill.

The Spartans continue a six-game weekly schedule Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, at Centre College of Danville, Ky., They will face the Praying Colonels and Adrian College of Michigan in a pair of doubleheaders during the weekend.

NOTES: Williams' complete game was the seventh of her career and the first since her sophomore campaign … Ladwig's round trippers were the 12^th and 13^th of her brief collegiate career. It was the third time she's hit two in a game.