Winter Haven, FL - The Manchester Softball Team opened its season Sunday morning against Wisconsin-River Falls, then later against Rowan.
Game One: Manchester opened its game against Wis.-River Falls with an early spark on Sunday morning, but the Falcons used timely hitting to pull away for an 8-3 win in the seven-inning contest.
The Spartans struck first in the top of the first. Kendal Rider reached on an error, swiped second, moved to third on a groundout, and later scored on a wild pitch to give Manchester a 1-0 lead. Wis.-River Falls answered quickly with two runs in the bottom half, then added another in the second to take a 3-1 advantage. Manchester kept battling and trimmed the deficit in the third. Crystal Cooke singled and later stole third before Krryn Miller drove her home with a two-out RBI triple to right-center, making it 3-2. After the Falcons answered with two more runs in the bottom of the inning, the Spartans again responded in the fifth. Molly Gilhooly drew a walk and came all the way around when Miller laced an RBI double to left-center, cutting the margin to 5-3. Miller led the way offensively for Manchester, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, two RBI, and a walk. Erin Singleton also finished with two hits, while Rider and Cooke each scored a run. Rider added two stolen bases, and Cooke chipped in a hit, a walk, a stolen base, and threw out two runners behind the plate.
Manchester showed patience at the plate with five walks and swiped three bases, but left 10 runners on base and could not cash in on several scoring chances. The Spartans threatened in multiple innings, including the second when they loaded the bases with two outs and the fourth when a potential tying rally was cut short by a runner being thrown out at the plate. In the circle, Miller started and recorded three innings with one strikeout, while Lizzy Willis worked the final three frames and struck out two. Willis kept the Falcons off the board in the fourth and fifth before Wis.-River Falls broke the game open with a three-run sixth.
Game Two: Manchester jumped out to an early lead but could not slow Rowan's offense as they pulled away for a 16–4 win on Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans struck first in the opening inning. After reaching on a walk and advancing around the bases, Manchester capitalized with a two-out rally. A single from Crystal Cooke brought home the first run, and later in the inning Krryn Miller delivered a two-run single to right field, giving Manchester a quick 3–2 advantage after one inning. Rowan responded immediately in the second, eventually scoring on a Manchester fielding error to tie the game at 3–3. The Spartans briefly regained the lead in the bottom half when Lexi Goodman led off with a double and later came home after a Rowan throwing error, putting Manchester ahead 4–3.
From that point, however, the Profs took control. Rowan tied the game again in the third and continued to apply pressure on the bases throughout the afternoon.The Profs broke the game open late, plating four runs in the sixth and six more in the seventh to secure the 16–4 victory. Manchester finished with five hits in the contest. Miller led the way with a two-RBI single in the first inning, while Cooke added an RBI hit. Goodman and Sabrina Leonard each recorded doubles for the Spartans, and Molly Gilhooly chipped in with a base hit.
In the circle, Kara Burgan provided the bulk of the innings for Manchester in relief, tossing 4.2 frames while allowing four hits and striking out two.
