Winchester, KY - Manchester University Baseball opened the 2026 season with a three game series against Asbury this weekend. The series, originally slated to be played at Asbury, was relocated to George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester due to impending weather and field conditions. First-pitch times also changed alongside the relocation; Friday's game was shifted from 4:00PM to 7:15PM and Saturday's doubleheader moved to a 1:00PM start instead of 12:00PM. 

Game One:
Manchester dropped an 11–6 decision to Asbury, battling back after a tough opening stretch before coming up short late. The Spartans fell behind early as Asbury scored four runs in both the first and second innings, but Manchester chipped away throughout the middle frames and showed resilience at the plate.

Manchester finished with nine hits and drew eight walks, turning multiple scoring chances into runs. The Spartans got on the board in the third inning and continued to push runs across in the fourth and sixth, highlighted by timely hits from the top and bottom of the order. Max Horner and Michael Dierckman each collected two hits, while Beau Kaler reached base four times and scored twice. Owen Ritchie and Horner each drove in key runs as Manchester kept pressure on Asbury's pitching staff.

On the mound, Jackson Todor provided a steady effort in relief, working 6.1 innings and allowing just three earned runs while striking out six to help settle the game after the early deficit. Manchester continued to battle into the late innings, adding two more runs in the eighth, but Asbury answered to hold off the comeback attempt.
Game Two:
Manchester's bats broke through in a big way Saturday afternoon, powering the Spartans to a 9-6 win over Asbury. Manchester jumped on top immediately when Max Horner launched a lead-off home run in the first, but Asbury answered with a four-run second inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Spartans stayed composed, cutting into the deficit in the fourth on a two-run blast from Alex Westfield, then Horner tied the game at 5-5 with his second homer of the day in the fifth.

The game flipped for good in a four-run sixth inning. Donavin Massing worked a leadoff walk, and after a pitching change Westfield ripped a double to set the table. Will Jacobs delivered an RBI single, Owen Ritchie added a sacrifice bunt RBI, Beau Kaler knocked in another run with a single, and Horner capped the surge with an RBI triple to make it 9-5. Asbury scratched one run in the seventh, but Manchester's bullpen closed the door from there.

Horner was the offensive headliner, going 3-for-5 with two homers, a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. Westfield matched him with a huge all-around day (3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI, and two runs), while Evann Schmidtendorff added two hits and scored twice. On the mound, Ty Layson battled through five innings to earn the win, and Quinton Black was sharp in relief over the final four frames to lock down the save.

Game Three: 

Manchester jumped on the board first, but couldn't slow Asbury's offense in an 11-1 setback Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans struck in the top of the first when Horner opened the game with a double to right, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on Matthew Subler's two-out RBI single to center. Manchester put consistent traffic on the bases all day—finishing with six hits and five walks—but couldn't find the big hit after that first-inning breakthrough, leaving 11 runners stranded.

Asbury answered quickly with three runs in the bottom of the first, then broke the game open with a four-run second that included a three-run home run. Manchester had chances to close the gap later, including multiple innings with runners in scoring position, but Asbury's pitching worked out of trouble and the Spartans came up empty the rest of the way.

At the plate, Horner, Subler, Dierckman, Ritchie, Muhlhauser, and Kaler each recorded a hit, with Subler driving in Manchester's lone run. On the mound, Jack Ehrgott started before a string of Spartan arms took over; Drew Pressler delivered two scoreless innings and two strikeouts in relief.