Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Written with assistance from Luke Parker, Manchester University sports information intern
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Six Manchester University batters compiled multiple-hit efforts in game two of a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Sunday, April 3.
MU, wrapping up a second straight conference series win, pounded Bluffton University of Ohio pitching to the tune of 20 hits in the nightcap at Gratz Field to the delight of the home crowd. Four home runs were included in the blitzkrieg, as sophomore third baseman Austin Rybicki (Fort Wayne, Ind.) clouted two round trippers and senior utility player Nick Latham (LaPorte, Ind.) and senior shortstop Sean Knepper (Bremen, Ind.) added long balls too, as the Black and Gold routed the Beavers 18-4 in seven innings.
The game two victory helped the Spartans stay a half-game behind Rose-Hulman on the league standings. It also offset a big BU comeback in game one, as the visitors scored eight runs over the final three innings to win 10-4. Bluffton didn't stop there, either, tallying a four-run first inning rally in game two, but the Black and Gold answered with 13 runs over the second through fourth frames.
Freshman right fielder Tyler La Follette (Warsaw, Ind.) led the individual outputs in game two, going four-for-four with three runs scored and three RBI. The trio of junior first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.), Knepper and sophomore second baseman Hunter Lane (Nappanee, Ind.) ended with three hits each, and Rybicki and senior catcher Elliott Ford (Rome City, Ind.) gathered two hits each. The offensive cavalcade aided a masterful bullpen outing from sophomore Stephen Pinarski (Goshen, Ind.). After the visitors knocked out sophomore starter Mitch McDonald (Waterloo, Ind.) by piling up the four-run first inning attack, Pinarski entered and limited the Beavers to just one hit over six and a third frames while striking out six.
Despite the game one defeat, the Spartans' offense did have bright spots. Junior left fielder Chad Schultz (Fair Oaks, Ind.) went four-for-five with two runs scored and an RBI, while LaFollette and Knepper collected a pair of two-hit contests each.
Manchester University (11-9 overall, 5-2 HCAC) closes a span of five straight home games Tuesday, April 5. Defiance College of Ohio visits North Manchester in a 4:15 p.m. first pitch.
NOTES: The Spartans' four home runs resumed an impressive recent run, as they've hit three-or-more in three of the last four contests … Knepper upped his on-base streak to 27 straight games as he turned in multiple-hit efforts in both ends of the doubleheader … The weekend series victory saw MU defeat BU for the 22nd and 23rd times in the 28th and 29th series match-ups.
