NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Manchester Spartans hosted the Pioneers of Transylvania University on Gratz Field for a conference doubleheader on Sunday, March 24.
Manchester split the series 1-1 with Transylvania. The Pioneers took game one 12-7, but the Spartans bounced back with a 4-2 win in game two.
GAME 1: TRANSYLVANIA 12, MANCHESTER 7
- After being down 1-0 in the bottom of the 4th inning, senior Mitchell Baker (Plainfield, Ind., Plainfield) hit a two-run homerun to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead. Baker would go 2-5 at the plate in game one with two RBI and two runs scored.
- The Spartans would go on to score two more runs in the 5th inning on a two-run double from Rocco Hanes (Ossian, Ind., Norwell) and an RBI from second baseman Vian Mariani (South Bend, Ind., John Adams), making it 4-2.
- In the eighth inning, the teams would go back and forth scoring runs, ultimately not enough for Manchester, as Transylvania took game one 12-7.
- Joel Kennedy (Mooreland, Ind., Monroe Central) hit .600 with a double and a run scored in game one.
GAME 1: MANCHESTER 4, TRANSYLVANIA 2
- Game two remained 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh when senior Austin Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas, Athens Christian (Ga.)) brought home Baker with an RBI single.
- With the Spartans up by one, Hanes hit his first home run of the season to put the Spartans up 4-2. Hanes finished game two with a .750 hitting percentage.
- Sophomore Jackson Todor (Fort Wayne, Ind., Homestead) pitched all nine innings for the Black and Gold, allowing just six hits with three strikeouts.
UP NEXT:
The Spartans return to Gratz Field on Tuesday, March 26, to take on the Flying Dutchmen of Hope College in a nonconference matchup. Action between the Spartans and Flying Dutch will begin at 4:15 pm.