North Manchester, In. – The Transylvania baseball team earned the sweep in a road doubleheader against the Manchester University Spartans on Saturday. In a highly offensive set of games, the Pioneers hit 9 home runs and scored a total of 35 runs.
In game one the Spartans got off to a fast start as they took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. In the next frame
Walter Munday blasted his seventh home run of the season, however Manchester plated two more in the bottom of the second. In the third
Calvin Schubert gave Transy another solo homer, but again Manchester responded to go ahead 6-2 after three.
Transy fought right back as
CJ Bryant notched his first career RBI on a single. Bryant then jumped to steal second which led to a fielding error, allowing Munday to touch home. Shortly after,
Austin Taylor drove home Bryant with a single to left field, and Transy came within one run.
In the bottom of the fourth the Spartans got the runs right back, to take a 9-5 lead, and neither team scored in the fifth.
Braden Becker hit the Pioneers' third solo home run of the day to make it a three-run game, but Manchester scored again in the bottom of the sixth to make it 10-6.
In the top of the seventh Bryant continued to shine as he hit a two-run shot to center, good for his first career homer. The Transy bullpen locked down late in the game, setting the stage for a rally. In the top of the eighth
Griffin Hall scored on a fielder's choice, and
TJ Keck came through with a 2 RBI single to take the lead. Munday then added to the surge with a double to score
Trent Youngblood.
The Spartans plated a run on an error, but Becker smoked another home run, giving Transylvania a 13-11 lead with just three outs holding them from victory.
Kaden Hill shut the door to earn the win, as he and Youngblood combined for 5.0 innings of relief work with 3 strikeouts each.
In game two the Spartans again took a 3-0 lead after one. Youngblood got the Pios on the board with a 2 RBI double in the second, but Manchester came up big in the bottom of the inning and led 7-2. Taylor got the rally going with a triple that scored two, and Transylvania backed that up with a huge fifth inning in which they took the lead.
Youngblood and Keck hit back to back homers, and later in the inning Transy grabbed the lead as
Caleb Bowers hit his first career home run, the ball continuing to fly all over the yard. After five, Transylvania led 9-7, but the bats would not cool down on either side, as Manchester recaptured the lead with a four run fifth.
In the sixth Taylor tied things up with a single that plated two. A bases loaded walk as well as an error then gave the Pioneers a 15-11 lead with six innings down. In the next inning Transy got their 16
th run after a wild pitch on a full count with two outs, and tacked on two more before the Spartans got out of it.
Manchester hit a late home run to make it 18-12, but Transylvania got the run back on a Becker sacrifice fly.
Chase Harvard's sacrifice fly, the first RBI of his career, put up 20 for the Pioneers, and for good measure Youngblood ripped another home run, making it 22-12.
In the ninth the Spartans touched home three times, but Ty Connor put a wrap on the day as Transylvania took game two in a 22-15 final.
Jake Schmidt took the win on the mound after 1.1 innings of relief with 3 strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
The Pioneers look to pick it right back up where they left off as they travel to Hanover for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 26
th, with a 1 & 4 PM scheduled start.
For more information on Transylvania baseball, follow
@TransyBaseball on Twitter.
