a {
text-decoration: none;
color: #464feb;
}
tr th, tr td {
border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
}
tr th {
background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
Tiffin, Ohio – Manchester softball put together a decisive six-run seventh inning to rally past Heidelberg, 11–9, in the opener of a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Frann's Field.
Trailing 8–5 heading into the final frame, the Spartans sent 11 batters to the plate and erupted for five hits, two sacrifice flies and a pair of walks to flip the game and secure their ninth win of the season.
Manchester struck first in the opening inning as Kendal Rider reached and eventually scored on an RBI double from Stella Thomas. The Spartans added another run on aggressive baserunning when Thomas stole home later in the frame to give Manchester a 2–0 advantage.
After Heidelberg answered with four runs over the first two innings, the Spartans clawed back in the third. Rider once again jump-started the offense and scored on an RBI single by Sabrina Leonard, trimming the deficit to 4–3.
Manchester regained momentum in the fifth with two more runs. Erin Singleton crossed the plate following a Thomas RBI single, and a sacrifice fly from Krryn Miller brought home another to knot the game at 5–5.
Heidelberg would respond with a four-run bottom of the fifth, setting the stage for Manchester's late heroics.
The Spartans' seventh-inning rally began with a walk to Thomas, followed by an RBI double from Crystal Cooke. Miller and Lizzy Willis followed with run-scoring singles, and Molly Gilhooly delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a two-run single to give Manchester the lead. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Singleton and an RBI single from Leonard capped the six-run surge.
Manchester finished with 15 hits on the afternoon, led by Cooke, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Gilhooly also had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Rider reached base four times, scored three runs and stole two bases.
In the circle, Miller earned the win in relief, limiting the Student Princes to one run over the final 2.2 innings and working out of multiple jams late.
