SYRACUSE - The sting of last year's 3-20 season for Manchester was erased with one swing of Derek Ring's bat Saturday.

With the Squires trailing Wawasee (a sectional champion last year) 3-0 in the third inning, Ring unloaded a three-run home run to right field against Warrior starter Farhan Haq to tie the score at 3-3.

Manchester (2-0) went on to outscore Wawasee 17-1 to sweep a doubleheader from the Warriors (1-2) 8-4 and 12-0.

"I think more than anything, our mental approach was right there," Manchester coach Ron Eberly said. "We got down in the first game and then came right back. You can't measure the importance of Derek's first one (home run). We are down three, he ties it and everybody is lifted. The momentum was big."

After that big home run, Ring continued to be a thorn in Wawasee's side, adding another home run in the second game. On the day, Ring was 4 for 5 with eight runs batted in.

"He was just right on the ball," Eberly said of Ring. "He just had a great day."

Eberly said already the difference between this year and last year is worlds apart.

"After being 3-20 last year, it is pretty sweet," Eberly said. "We thought all along our sophomores were going to be pretty good, but you never know. Everybody contributed today. You really feel good when things come together like that. It is a lot easier. The kids just know what is going on, where to go and where to be."

Manchester pounded out 11 hits in each game against seven Wawasee pitchers. Ring knocked in five runs in the first game and three more in the second contest, but Dusty Butterbaugh added a grand slam homer and Tom Hardy also knocked in four runs, including a three-run homer.

The Squires also did the job on the mound, allowing just eight hits in the two games against a talented Warrior lineup. Jason Branham picked up the win in the first game, while Butterbaugh went three scoreless innings to get the second game victory.

It was obviously a rough day for the Warriors, who had opened the season on Tuesday with a 12-1, five-inning win over Bethany Christian. But the Warriors showed against the Squires what the loss of the seniors from last year's 18-13 team that was one inning away from beating Plymouth in the regional semifinals has meant to the squad in the early going.

"Manchester kicked Wawasee's tail right into the ground," Wawasee coach John Blunk said. "We had some bright spots defensively, but we didn't hit the ball well. We threw a lot of young kids against them."

It was a good start for the Warriors as Jeff Beer's two-run home run helped to put the Warriors up 3-0 in the first game. Wawasee scored just one more run the rest of the day.

"We quit hitting after we got ahead 3-0," Blunk said. "We gave up. We thought it was going to happen for us, and it didn't. It was a frustrating day, and I think we will have a lot of them this year."

Manchester was benefited by playing the game on Wawasee's junior varsity field, which is shorter and faces the right way to allow a pretty powerful wind to help the home runs going out to center and right.

"They (Wawasee's young pitchers) had some home runs hit against them," Blunk said. "On this field (junior varsity), everything can happen. On that field (varsity), nothing goes out today."

Wawasee didn't help its cause on the mound as the Warrior hurlers walked seven Squire batters in the first game and eight more in the second.

Manchester is at Triton Central Friday for a doubleheader at 3:30 p.m., while Wawasee is at East Noble April 13 at 4:30 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]