Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KOKOMO, Ind. - The Manchester baseball team competed in day one of the 2023 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Baseball Tournament, where they finished the day with a 1-1 record. 

In their opening game on Thursday, the #6 seeded Spartans downed the #3 seeded Bluffton Beavers by a final score of 11-3. 

The Spartans then faced the #1 seeded Franklin Grizzlies in game three of the tournament. The Grizzlies edged the Spartans in walk-off fashion by a final score of 7-6.

SPARTAN STATS
#6 Manchester vs. #3 Bluffton 

• The Spartans took an early 4-0 lead in the top half of the third inning of game one. Two back-to-back home runs by Harrison Pittsford (Ellettsville, Ind., Edgewood) and Rocco Hanes (Ossian, Ind., Norwell) extended Manchester's lead to seven runs in the seventh inning. The Spartans would score another run on a two-run home run by Austin Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas, Athens Christian (Ga.)) in route to an 11-3 victory to advance to game three of the 2023 HCAC Baseball Tournament.
• Pittsford went 3-4 at the plate with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk.
• Manchester junior Mitchell Baker (Plainfield, Ind., Plainfield) went a perfect 3-3 from the plate with a double and two runs scored.
• Ty Layson (Fort Wayne, Ind. , Homestead) earned his fifth win of the season on the mound for Manchester, throwing a complete 9.0 innings on Thursday. The first-year gave up 10 hits with three strikeouts. 

#6 Manchester vs. #1 Franklin 

• The Grizzlies jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first three innings of game three of the HCAC Tournament. The Black and Gold would cut Franklin's lead to two runs in the sixth inning following two RBI singles by Griffin Garwood (Fishers, Ind., Mt. Vernon) and Mitchell Baker (Plainfield, Ind., Plainfield). Baker would score on wild pitch. Austin Knowles hit his second home run of the day in the eighth inning to bring the Spartans within one run. Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Grizzlies would take the game in walk-off fashion following an RBI double to take the 7-6 win. 
• Senior Cole Filson (Plymouth, Ind., Plymouth) went 2-3 at the plate for the Black and Gold. Filson hit two doubles while scoring one run against the Grizzlies.
• Carter Hooks (Rochester, Ind., Rochester) threw 7.1 innings against the Grizzlies, scattering 10 hits with five strikeouts.

UP NEXT 

• The Black and Gold will face #4 seeded Rose-Hulman as they look to battle out of the losers bracket on Friday, May 12. 
• First pitch between the Spartans and Fightin' Engineers is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. in Kokomo, Ind.