LEXINGTON, KY. – Manchester University collected 20 hits during a 15-run outburst that began its weekend series at Transylvania University Friday, March 20.
The preseason league favorites and two-time defending champions received a pair of home runs from senior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.) as part of a three-hit, six-RBI afternoon at TU's Marquard Field. His first round tripper was a solo shot in the fourth, while his second homer was a two-run blast in the sixth that plated senior shortstop Trevor Kimm (Anderson, Ind.) ahead of him.
Nieman was one of four Black and Gold players with multiple-RBI efforts. Senior outfielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) finished with three hits including a double to go with three RBIs and a stolen base; junior catcher Elliott Ford (Rome City, Ind.) wound up with four hits and three RBIs; and sophomore first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.) clouted three hits and drove in two runs.
MU, winning its fifth straight game to move to 8-3 overall, trailed 2-1 after one but tallied three in the second and one in the fourth and didn't look back. An eight-run roll over the final three frames extended their margin to 15-4 before the hosts scored four in the home half of the ninth for a 15-8 final.
Senior starting pitcher Sean Liedtky (Walkerton, Ind.) picked up his second win of the season, going eight innings with three strikeouts. He flirted with a complete-game effort before the Pioneers' last at-bat rally forced sophomore relief pitcher Joey Covington (Muncie, Ind.) to wrap up the final inning.
The Spartans' weekend set with TU continues Saturday, March 21. The two sides play a pair of nine-inning games that begin at 12 p.m.
NOTES: Nieman's effort helped extend an impressive set of personal streaks. Dating back to the end of 2013, he's hit safely in 14 straight games and reached base in 15 successive contests … Szarenski has a similar number in regards to consecutive outings reaching base safely, while junior outfielder Sean Knepper (Bremen, Ind.) and Ford have reached successfully in 18 and 16 straight games, respectively. Norris harbors a 13-game hit streak going into Saturday's twinbill, too.