Terre Haute, Ind. - Manchester Baseball traveled to Rose-Hulman on Saturday, continuing HCAC play. The Spartans split the doubleheader with the Fightin' Engineers, picking up the first conference win of the season. 

Game One: 
Manchester baseball was held scoreless despite multiple scoring opportunities, falling 4–0 to Rose-Hulman in HCAC play Saturday afternoon at Art Nehf Field.

The Spartans put runners in scoring position in four different innings, but timely defense and pitching from Rose-Hulman kept Manchester off the board. Manchester finished with three hits, drew three walks and was hit by two pitches, but left 10 runners on base.

Manchester starter Ty Layson delivered a solid outing, working 6.0 innings and allowing four runs on five hits. All four runs came in the fifth inning and were recorded as unearned. Layson struck out two and issued four walks while holding Rose-Hulman scoreless through the first four frames.

After a scoreless first four innings on both sides, Rose-Hulman broke through with a four-run fifth, capitalizing on a pair of Manchester defensive miscues before a grand slam accounted for all the scoring in the game.

Manchester had its first scoring chance in the opening inning, when Max Horner and Joel Kennedy opened the game with back-to-back singles. The Spartans later put runners on second and third with two outs in the third inning but were unable to push across a run.

The Spartans continued to apply pressure throughout the middle innings. In the fifth, Manchester once again loaded the bases with two outs before coming up empty. Manchester also put men aboard in the sixth but could not generate a run.

At the plate, Kennedy finished 2-for-4 to lead Manchester, while Horner added a 1-for-5 performance. Defensively, Manchester turned in several strong innings, including clean frames in the seventh, eighth and ninth.

Out of the bullpen, Tom Keppel and Quinton Black combined to toss 2 scoreless innings in relief, limiting Rose-Hulman to one hit over the final three innings and keeping the Spartans within striking distance.

Game Two: 
Manchester baseball bounced back in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, defeating Rose-Hulman 8–5 in HCAC play at Art Nehf Field.

Manchester totaled 13 hits and scored in three different innings to take control of the contest, overcoming defensive miscues on both sides. The Spartans capitalized on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning, while Rose-Hulman was limited despite leaving 13 runners on base.

Manchester opened the scoring in the third inning with a three-run frame. After reaching base via an error, Beau Kaler scored the first run on a Joel Kennedy RBI single. Additional runs came on another defensive error and a sacrifice fly, giving the Spartans an early advantage.

Rose-Hulman responded with single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings, trimming the margin, but Manchester responded in the sixth with another three-run surge. A leadoff double by Alex Westfield sparked the rally, followed by runs scored on a throwing error, a sacrifice bunt RBI by Evann Schmidtendorff and an RBI single by Kaler.

Manchester added insurance in the eighth inning, scoring twice behind RBI singles from Kaler and Kennedy. Kaler later stole third and came around to score as the Spartans extended the lead late.

Kennedy led Manchester offensively, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Kaler finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base, while Owen Ritchie added a 2-for-4 effort with two runs scored. Westfield chipped in with a double and an RBI.

On the mound, Jackson Todor earned the win after working 5.0 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts. Axel Cummings followed out of the bullpen, tossing 2.2 innings, while Tyler Bortone closed the door with a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save.

Rose-Hulman attempted to rally late and loaded the bases in the final inning, but Manchester's pitching and defense held firm to secure the victory.

Manchester finished the doubleheader earning a split and will continue HCAC play as conference competition resumes.