NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind.—Freshman right handed pitcher Ryan Minteer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) struck out four batters over seven innings and freshman shortstop Steve Kisan (North Royalton/Lakewood St. Edward) hit his first career home run to lead the No. 24 Heidelberg University baseball team (D3baseball.com) to a 6-5 win over Manchester (Ind.) College today in the series opener of a three-game set at James Gratz Baseball Field in North Manchester, Ind.

Three Manchester (5-5) hits in the bottom of the first inning brought two runs to the plate, but Kisan led off the second with a solo blast to cut the Spartan lead in half.

Manchester added another tally in the third.

Sophomore right fielder Arneal Squibb (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka) and senior center fielder Elvin Williams (Euclid) led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. Squibb would score on an error by Manchester catcher Kyle Norris and freshman third baseman Trevor Oldham (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) drove in Williams with a run batted-in single as the Student Princes knotted the score, 3-3.

Another RBI single by Oldham in the sixth plated another run and back-to-back RBI singles by Squibb and Kisan in the seventh put the Berg ahead, 6-3.

Manchester mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh, including a home by Norris, to close to within 6-5, but junior righty Teddy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) came on in the eighth and retired six of the seven batters he faces to preserve the win and earn his first save of the season.

Kisan went 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Williams and Oldham each were 2-for-4, with Oldham notching two RBI of his own.

Minteer, making his third career start, allowed five runs on nine hits over seven-plus innings while striking out four batters and issuing three free passes and improved to 1-1. Lowe allowed just one hit over two innings.

Manchester's Justin Scott, despite suffering the loss, went the distance, allowing six runs (four earned) on 13 hits and fanned five.

Heidelberg wraps up its three-game set with the Spartans with a doubleheader tomorrow. The first game is slated for noon.