Winter Haven, FL - Manchester Softball competed in day three of THE Spring Games, going 2-0 on the day with wins over Ripon and Hartwick. 

Game One: 

Manchester exploded early and never looked back on Tuesday afternoon, rolling to a 10-1 five-inning win over Ripon.

The Spartans did most of their damage in the opening three innings, scoring four runs in the first, two more in the second and four again in the third to quickly take control. Manchester finished with 12 hits, swiped seven bases and backed the offense with a complete-game effort from Emilie Goldstein in the circle. Manchester wasted no time setting the tone in the top of the first. Kendal Rider drew a leadoff walk and stole second, Erin Singleton followed with a single, and after another stolen base and a walk by Sabrina Leonard, the Spartans cashed in. Krryn Miller delivered a two-run single to left, and Molly Gilhooly added two more RBI later in the inning as Manchester jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Spartans added on in the second. Kloe Wentz opened the frame with a single, and after Rider reached on an error and stole second, Singleton came through with another hit. Leonard then lined a two-run single down the right-field line to score both Rider and Singleton and stretch the advantage to 6-0.

Manchester kept the pressure on in the third with another four-run inning. Crystal Cooke singled to start the rally, Miller followed with a hit and advanced on an error, and Gilhooly drove in a run with a single. Wentz added an RBI single, and Ripon's defensive miscues helped two more runs come home as the Spartans built a 10-1 cushion. Singleton, Cooke, Miller and Wentz each recorded two hits to pace the Manchester offense. Leonard drove in two runs, Miller scored twice and knocked in two, and Gilhooly finished with a team-high three RBI. Rider also scored twice and stole two bases, while the Spartans' aggressive baserunning kept constant pressure on Ripon throughout the game. In the circle, Goldstein went all five innings to earn the win and improve to 2-1. She allowed just three hits and one unearned run while walking three. Ripon put runners on base in several innings, but Goldstein worked out of trouble and kept the Red Hawks from mounting any kind of comeback.

Game Two:

Manchester rolled to a 9-0 win over Hartwick on Tuesday, using a dominant performance in the circle from Cassidy Skinner and a balanced offensive attack that produced 14 hits.

The Spartans set the tone immediately in the bottom of the first. Kendal Rider opened the frame with a single, and after moving into scoring position, Sabrina Leonard drove in the game's first run. Crystal Cooke and Krryn Miller followed with hits, and Molly Gilhooly capped the inning with a two-run single to give Manchester an early 3-0 advantage. That was more than enough support for Skinner, who was outstanding from start to finish. She tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out 12 and walking none across six innings. Skinner struck out the side in the third, added two more punchouts in the fourth and fifth, and closed the door in the sixth to keep Hartwick off the scoreboard.

Manchester added to its lead in the third when Leonard singled and later scored on Cooke's RBI double to left center, making it 4-0. The Spartans pushed the margin to 5-0 in the fourth after Lexi Goodman singled and later came home on an RBI single from Erin Singleton. The Spartans broke the game open in the sixth. Olivia Roney reached on a walk as a pinch hitter, Goodman singled, and Singleton delivered a two-run single through the left side. Leonard then worked a walk, Cooke followed with an RBI single, and K. Miller added another run-scoring single to stretch the lead to 9-0.

Manchester's lineup was productive throughout. Leonard went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Cooke also finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Singleton drove in a team-high three runs on a 2-for-4 day, and Miller added two hits and an RBI. Goodman scored twice and collected two hits, while Gilhooly chipped in two RBI in the opening inning. Defensively, Manchester played a clean game with no errors behind Skinner's shutout effort.