Two teams separated by two and a half games on the 2018 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings are scheduled for a pair of nine-inning contests Sunday, April 15.
Game details: First pitch is 1 p.m. at Manchester University's Gratz Field in North Manchester, Ind. … Live audio, stats, and video are accessible via links at www.muspartans.com, the Internet home of Manchester University athletics … Franklin College takes the northern trek sporting a 20-2 overall and 5-1 loop mark, while the Spartans are 14-13 overall and 4-4 in the league. The Grizzlies sit second a game behind unbeaten Anderson University, and the Black and Gold are tied for fifth, just a game shy of the top four.
Spartan Shorts: Coach Rick Espeset's squad holds down impressive rankings on the current league statistics. Among the offensive highlights, junior outfielder Tyler LaFollette (Warsaw, Ind.) and sophomore infielder Nick Rush (Terre Haute, Ind.) are among the top 10 in batting average (LaFollette - .385 – No. 8/Rush - .377 – No. 10); senior outfielder Eric Knepper (Bremen, Ind.) is tied for fourth (three), while the quartet of Rush, junior infielder/outfielder Braxton Riley (Fort Wayne, Ind.), junior catcher Matt Pritz (LaPorte, Ind.) and freshman infielder/outfielder Joe Henschel (Huntertown, Ind.) (two each) are tied for ninth in home runs; senior infielder Hunter Lane (Nappanee, Ind.) and LaFollette are within the first 10 in doubles (Lane – No. 6 – nine/LaFollette – No. 8 – eight); the quartet of sophomore outfielder Quentin Rumsey (Auburn, Ind.), LaFollette, Lane, and Riley are tied fourth in triples (two); LaFollette and Lane are fifth and seventh in hits with 35 and 34, respectively; and LaFollette is 10th in runs scored (24). On the mound, senior Taylor Kopplin (Westport, Ind.) is among a 10-way tie for first in wins (four), and his 43 strikeouts are tied for third-most. In the bullpen, junior John Magers (Noblesville, Ind.) and senior Garrett Phelps (Covington, Ind.) are tied for fourth in saves (two) … Lane crunched three hits, leading a group of four hitters with multiple-safety contests to spotlight a game one victory Wednesday. Lane's resume against visiting Bluffton University at Gratz Field gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about. He scored three times, tripled and drove in two runs to go with the three hits. Pritz added a two-for-three, two-RBI effort and the middle infield duo of junior Christian Smith (Fortville, Ind.) and freshman Michael Pinarski (Goshen, Ind.) each tallied two hits. Those numbers were part of a game in which MU found itself trailing 7-2 after four and a half frames. They put the offensive pedal to the medal in the fifth through seventh innings, sending nine runs home in route to a thrilling 11-8 victory. Senior starter Stephen Pinarski (Goshen, Ind.) went eight workman-like innings in which he Ked seven BU hitters to gain his third victory. Senior Brandon Eck (Fort Wayne, Ind.), in the teeth of a potential visitors' comeback in the ninth with the bases loaded and two outs, got a one-out save when he induced a fly ball to right field … Looking ahead on the schedule, Manchester University has a 1 p.m. twin bill at Defiance College Wednesday, April 18, and then is back home for three in a row beginning with a set of loop games against Mt. St. Joseph University Saturday, April 21. Those contests serve as Senior Day festivities for the Black and Gold and begin at 1 p.m.