NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Sophomore starting pitcher Brandon Eck (Fort Wayne, Ind.) compiled his second complete-game victory, spotlighting a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference series-opening win for Manchester University Friday, April 23.
Eck, improving to 4-3, turned in an iron man effort for the Spartans (17-13 overall, 11-6 HCAC). Firing 135 pitches in a two and a half hour late afternoon match-up at Gratz Field, he danced around some early trouble from a stubborn Transylvania University offense and received ample support from his offensive teammates. After TU (14-15 overall, 10-7 HCAC) rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit with a two-run home run in the second and a single run in the fourth for a 3-2 edge, Eck held the Pioneers to a run on three hits over the final four frames. His final line featured five strikeouts and just four runs surrendered on 10 hits in route to a 9-4 Spartans' victory, the team's fifth in their last seven contests.
MU's offense got the quick start behind a towering two-run rocket shot to right field off the bat of sophomore left fielder Eric Knepper (Bremen, Ind.) in the bottom of the first. After TU's rally sent them to a 3-2 deficit after three and half frames, the Black and Gold erupted for four scores in the fourth that opened a span of seven tallies in four innings. Junior first baseman Tailur Szarenski (Bluffton, Ind.) topped the 11-hit attack with three in four-bats with a run scored and an RBI. Knepper followed with his fifth home run as part of two hits and three runs scored, and sophomore designated hitter Lucas Gramman (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) finished with a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI.
The victory, which was the Spartans' ninth in 10 games at their home field, moved Manchester University into a tie with Earlham College for second in the conference. The weekend series continues Saturday, April 23, with a 12 p.m. doubleheader.
NOTES: Szarenski's 16th multiple-hit game of the year increased his current on-base skein to 15 consecutive contests. His batting average leapt to .376, its highest mark since the sixth game of 2016 … Eck's numbers in his second complete game effort mirrored those of his first. At Mt. St. Joseph University March 25, he was touched for 10 hits and three earned runs while striking out seven … Gramman's made the most of his recent run of six straight starts at the DH position. He's hit safely in each game with two-or-more safeties and at least one RBI in three contests.