ANDERSON, IND. – As they had done so often during 2015, Manchester University pushed its opponent to the brink with this occurrence coming in the championship round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships Saturday, May 9.
MU, seeing its season end at 26-15, jumped out to an early lead and nearly overcame a middle-innings rally from the host and top-seeded Anderson University Ravens to force an ultimate championship game at the HCAC tourney. The Black and Gold loaded the bases in the top of the ninth and forced a run in on a walk but couldn't quite overcome AU in a 9-6 final.
The third-seeded Spartans jumped out to a 3-1 lead through three-and-half innings, bolstered by its trademark offensive power and youthful pitching staff that hit its stride down the stretch. A run-scoring sacrifice fly from senior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.), a towering home run to the right field off the bat of senior outfielder Justin Miller (Yorktown, Ind.) and an RBI single from junior outfielder Sean Knepper (Bremen, Ind.) gave freshman starting pitcher Deric Haynes (Goshen, Ind.) a cushion to work with. Haynes obliged, holding the equally as potent Anderson University line-up to just a run on three hits over the first three frames.
From that point, the home team bats warmed up. A two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth tied it at 3-3 followed by what proved to be a game-deciding four-run rally in the fifth that included a two-run double. The visitors got two back in the seventh on Knepper's second RBI of the game, this one coming on a double, and a sharp single to center by senior outfielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) that plated a run for a 7-5 score. AU answered right back with two of their own in the home half of the inning to set up the finish.
Senior shortstop Trevor Kimm (Anderson, Ind.), Knepper and Miller guided the Spartans' attack with two hits each. MU's mound performance was led by the bullpen combination of freshman Jacob Tucker (Elkhart, Ind.) and Miller who went the final inning and a third with no hits or runs surrendered.
NOTES: The Black and Gold's six-man Class of 2015 saw their collegiate careers end at Don Brandon Field. The sextet helped rewrite the record books, forging a meteoric 119-61-1 record to go with four conference tournament and final game appearances as well as two conference titles, two NCAA Division III tournament berths and the 2013 Mideast Regional championship and College World Series trip … Kimm leaves as the program's all-time RBI leader (176), while Nieman moved into first on the career home run list (37) … Manchester University's 26 victories continued an impressive string of six years of 25-or-more victories and included a sixth straight conference tournament appearance and visit to the tourney's final game.