Spartans Edged in Doubleheader Against Franklin
April 17, 2022 at 8:16 p.m.
Spartans Edged in Doubleheader Against Franklin
By Dillon Bender-
The host Grizzlies rallied for a 9-8 walk-off win in 10 innings in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader and rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to win 6-4 in Game 2.
Spartan Stats
Senior Carter Hooks (Rochester, Ind./Rochester) had the strikeout pitch working in the opening game of the day as he punched out 13 Grizzlies – a new career-high. In his seven innings on the mound, Hooks allowed six runs on six hits.
Offensively in the opener, Harrison Pittsford (Ellettsville) connected on his first collegiate grand slam in the 7th inning.
Both Aidan Stevens (Rensselaer) and Rocco Hanes (Ossian) collected two hits while driving in a run. Hanes would score three times while Stevens would touch home plate twice.
The Franklin offense connected on four long balls in the opener – including a pair of home runs by Logan Demkovich.
The Grizzlies completed their comeback in the 10th inning with a two-run single by Tyler Lipscomb.
Manchester staked itself out to an early 3-0 lead in Game 2 following back-to-back doubles by Harrison Pittsford and Rocco Hanes and an RBI single by Zach Thomas (Lowell).
Franklin would go on to score the next six runs and took a three-run lead in the bottom of the 8th following home runs by Tyler Lipscomb and Matt Earley.
The Black & Gold would not go down without a fight as Rocco Hanes would hit an RBI single in the 9th to move the score to 6-4.
Hanes and Pittsford would both collect two hits in the second game of the day. Cole Filson (Plymouth) led Manchester with three hits in Game 2.
Up Next
Manchester will travel to Defiance College on Tuesday for a doubleheader that is set to begin at 1 pm.
Track & Field Turns In Solid Performance At D3 Championships
GREENCASTLE – The Manchester University outdoor track & field teams continue their preparations for the upcoming 2022 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at the end of the month. On Saturday afternoon, the Black & Gold turned in some solid performances at the competitive Indiana D3 Championships hosted at DePauw University.
Results
Three event wins and 12 podium finished highlighted Manchester's efforts.
On the men's side, Enrique Salazar (Plymouth) earned an event win in the 5000m. Salazar clocked a top time of 14:57.60 on Saturday – a new personal record and the 3rd fastest mark in school history. Additionally, in the 5000m, Connor Havens (LaPorte) ran a new PR of 15:19.49 which ranked as the 9th fastest time in Manchester history.
Ben Villafuerte (Angola) took home the top honors in the shot put on Saturday. His leading mark of 15.04m was a new PR and bumped him up to 7th on the all-time MU Top 10 listings.
Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne) led the women with an event win in the 3000m steeplechase. Lohman's top time of 11:12.77 crushed her previous top mark in the event, while remaining as the 2nd fastest mark in program history.
Other Podium Finishes (Top 3)
Men
Quentin Willis (Athens, Ga.) posted a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles after crossing the finish line with a time of 15.58.
Willis was also a member of the third-place 4x100 meter relay team along with Tristen Bronaugh, Duriel Moss Jr., and Gabe Melvin. The group's time of 42.96 moved them up to 3rd all-time on the MU Top 10 listings.
Jalen Woods (Greensburg) placed third in the long jump with a final mark of 6.42m.
Joseph Powell (Beach Park, Ill.) also added a third-place finish in the javelin throw with a mark of 44.88m.
Joe Garling (Cedar Lake) rounded out the afternoon with a third-place finish in the hammer throw following a final mark of 47.22m.
Women
Brandi Smith (Goshen) ran to a runner-up placement in the 400m after crossing the finish line in a time of 1:03.92.
Carley Camp (Logansport) had a strong day in both the shot put and hammer throw events. Camp placed second in both with respective marks of 12.86m and 43.33m. Camp's mark in the shot put was a new PR and still ranks as the 5th-best mark in Manchester history.
Erica Mohr (Payne, Ohio) registered a third-place finish in the hammer throw following a mark of 41.65m. Her mark was a new PR and bumps her to 9th all-time on the MU Top 10 listings.
Up Next
The Spartans will have one final meet before the 2022 HCAC Championships at the end of the month.
Manchester will compete at the two-day Mike Becraft Invite hosted at Ohio Northern on Friday & Saturday April 22-23 in Ada, Ohio.
Sweep & Walk-off Winner Highlight Strong Weekend by Softball
NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester University softball team earned a sweep of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton University on Friday, while following with a walk-off win in 8 innings in the second game of a non-conference doubleheader against Hope College on Saturday as part of a strong weekend.
The Spartans improved to 3-5 in HCAC play following 3-2 and 11-9 victories over the Beavers. Saturday's thrilling 7-6 win in 8 innings over Hope College helped the Spartans earn a doubleheader split with the visiting Flying Dutch. A young Spartan squad has shown considerable improvement this spring – with Saturday's win, the Black & Gold have doubled its win total from a year ago.
Spartan Stats
Delayne Sanchez (Osceola, Ind./Penn) had an outstanding two days at the plate for Manchester. Sanchez went a combined 7-13 with two doubles, a home run, and six RBI. Sanchez belted her first collegiate home run in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Bluffton.
Lizzie Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) also had a strong weekend at the plate for Manchester. Smith went 6-11 while driving home five runs.
The final game of the weekend saw the Spartans overcome a 5-1 deficit against Hope College. Manchester would rally and take a 6-5 lead after scoring five runs in the home half of the 6th inning. After the Flying Dutch tied the game in the top of the 7th, Manchester would fight to push across the go-ahead run just an inning later in the bottom of the 8th. A single to left by Kodi Douglass (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) got the inning started for the Black & Gold. A passed ball would allow Douglass to get into scoring position and then a sac bunt by Lizze Smith would push Douglass to third base with only one out. Izzy Dittmar (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw Community) battled at the plate, fouling off several two-strike pitches before singling up the middle to drive home the game-winning run.
In addition to the strong offense this weekend, both Tori Blough (Huntertown, Ind./Carroll), and Kaitlyn Carr (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) highlighted some strong pitching performances by Manchester. Blough earned the complete game win in the Spartans' 3-2 victory over Bluffton on Friday. Blough scattered five hits and was only charged with one earned run. Carr improved to 6-2 in the pitcher's circle after throwing 4 2/3 innings of relief in Manchester's 7-6 win over Hope. Carr allowed just one run on four hits against the Flying Dutch.
Up Next
Manchester (12-18, 3-5 HCAC) will return to action on Wednesday April 20 with a doubleheader at Defiance College.
First pitch from Ohio is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
The host Grizzlies rallied for a 9-8 walk-off win in 10 innings in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader and rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to win 6-4 in Game 2.
Spartan Stats
Senior Carter Hooks (Rochester, Ind./Rochester) had the strikeout pitch working in the opening game of the day as he punched out 13 Grizzlies – a new career-high. In his seven innings on the mound, Hooks allowed six runs on six hits.
Offensively in the opener, Harrison Pittsford (Ellettsville) connected on his first collegiate grand slam in the 7th inning.
Both Aidan Stevens (Rensselaer) and Rocco Hanes (Ossian) collected two hits while driving in a run. Hanes would score three times while Stevens would touch home plate twice.
The Franklin offense connected on four long balls in the opener – including a pair of home runs by Logan Demkovich.
The Grizzlies completed their comeback in the 10th inning with a two-run single by Tyler Lipscomb.
Manchester staked itself out to an early 3-0 lead in Game 2 following back-to-back doubles by Harrison Pittsford and Rocco Hanes and an RBI single by Zach Thomas (Lowell).
Franklin would go on to score the next six runs and took a three-run lead in the bottom of the 8th following home runs by Tyler Lipscomb and Matt Earley.
The Black & Gold would not go down without a fight as Rocco Hanes would hit an RBI single in the 9th to move the score to 6-4.
Hanes and Pittsford would both collect two hits in the second game of the day. Cole Filson (Plymouth) led Manchester with three hits in Game 2.
Up Next
Manchester will travel to Defiance College on Tuesday for a doubleheader that is set to begin at 1 pm.
Track & Field Turns In Solid Performance At D3 Championships
GREENCASTLE – The Manchester University outdoor track & field teams continue their preparations for the upcoming 2022 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at the end of the month. On Saturday afternoon, the Black & Gold turned in some solid performances at the competitive Indiana D3 Championships hosted at DePauw University.
Results
Three event wins and 12 podium finished highlighted Manchester's efforts.
On the men's side, Enrique Salazar (Plymouth) earned an event win in the 5000m. Salazar clocked a top time of 14:57.60 on Saturday – a new personal record and the 3rd fastest mark in school history. Additionally, in the 5000m, Connor Havens (LaPorte) ran a new PR of 15:19.49 which ranked as the 9th fastest time in Manchester history.
Ben Villafuerte (Angola) took home the top honors in the shot put on Saturday. His leading mark of 15.04m was a new PR and bumped him up to 7th on the all-time MU Top 10 listings.
Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne) led the women with an event win in the 3000m steeplechase. Lohman's top time of 11:12.77 crushed her previous top mark in the event, while remaining as the 2nd fastest mark in program history.
Other Podium Finishes (Top 3)
Men
Quentin Willis (Athens, Ga.) posted a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles after crossing the finish line with a time of 15.58.
Willis was also a member of the third-place 4x100 meter relay team along with Tristen Bronaugh, Duriel Moss Jr., and Gabe Melvin. The group's time of 42.96 moved them up to 3rd all-time on the MU Top 10 listings.
Jalen Woods (Greensburg) placed third in the long jump with a final mark of 6.42m.
Joseph Powell (Beach Park, Ill.) also added a third-place finish in the javelin throw with a mark of 44.88m.
Joe Garling (Cedar Lake) rounded out the afternoon with a third-place finish in the hammer throw following a final mark of 47.22m.
Women
Brandi Smith (Goshen) ran to a runner-up placement in the 400m after crossing the finish line in a time of 1:03.92.
Carley Camp (Logansport) had a strong day in both the shot put and hammer throw events. Camp placed second in both with respective marks of 12.86m and 43.33m. Camp's mark in the shot put was a new PR and still ranks as the 5th-best mark in Manchester history.
Erica Mohr (Payne, Ohio) registered a third-place finish in the hammer throw following a mark of 41.65m. Her mark was a new PR and bumps her to 9th all-time on the MU Top 10 listings.
Up Next
The Spartans will have one final meet before the 2022 HCAC Championships at the end of the month.
Manchester will compete at the two-day Mike Becraft Invite hosted at Ohio Northern on Friday & Saturday April 22-23 in Ada, Ohio.
Sweep & Walk-off Winner Highlight Strong Weekend by Softball
NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester University softball team earned a sweep of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton University on Friday, while following with a walk-off win in 8 innings in the second game of a non-conference doubleheader against Hope College on Saturday as part of a strong weekend.
The Spartans improved to 3-5 in HCAC play following 3-2 and 11-9 victories over the Beavers. Saturday's thrilling 7-6 win in 8 innings over Hope College helped the Spartans earn a doubleheader split with the visiting Flying Dutch. A young Spartan squad has shown considerable improvement this spring – with Saturday's win, the Black & Gold have doubled its win total from a year ago.
Spartan Stats
Delayne Sanchez (Osceola, Ind./Penn) had an outstanding two days at the plate for Manchester. Sanchez went a combined 7-13 with two doubles, a home run, and six RBI. Sanchez belted her first collegiate home run in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Bluffton.
Lizzie Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) also had a strong weekend at the plate for Manchester. Smith went 6-11 while driving home five runs.
The final game of the weekend saw the Spartans overcome a 5-1 deficit against Hope College. Manchester would rally and take a 6-5 lead after scoring five runs in the home half of the 6th inning. After the Flying Dutch tied the game in the top of the 7th, Manchester would fight to push across the go-ahead run just an inning later in the bottom of the 8th. A single to left by Kodi Douglass (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) got the inning started for the Black & Gold. A passed ball would allow Douglass to get into scoring position and then a sac bunt by Lizze Smith would push Douglass to third base with only one out. Izzy Dittmar (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw Community) battled at the plate, fouling off several two-strike pitches before singling up the middle to drive home the game-winning run.
In addition to the strong offense this weekend, both Tori Blough (Huntertown, Ind./Carroll), and Kaitlyn Carr (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) highlighted some strong pitching performances by Manchester. Blough earned the complete game win in the Spartans' 3-2 victory over Bluffton on Friday. Blough scattered five hits and was only charged with one earned run. Carr improved to 6-2 in the pitcher's circle after throwing 4 2/3 innings of relief in Manchester's 7-6 win over Hope. Carr allowed just one run on four hits against the Flying Dutch.
Up Next
Manchester (12-18, 3-5 HCAC) will return to action on Wednesday April 20 with a doubleheader at Defiance College.
First pitch from Ohio is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
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