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Having won four straight games heading into Monday evening’s conference clash against Peru, the Manchester baseball team found itself down 5-1 early on. The Squires never blinked, taking the lead an inning later and never surrendering it, holding on for a 9-8 win to make it five in a row.
Peru wasted no time getting itself on the board in the top of the first inning. A double by Lucas Musser with a man on first put two in scoring position for his brother Carter, who opened the game’s scoring with a sacrifice fly to left. Devin Evans brought Lucas home one batter later on a single, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.
The Squires got one of those runs back during their first trip to the plate, largely thanks to a leadoff walk drawn by Reiss Gaerte. Following the free pass, a single by Bryson Enyeart moved him over to second before he tagged and took third on a fly out to right. During the next at bat, Enyeart broke to steal second and the throw to try and nab him was long, allowing Gaerte to trot home and make it 2-1.
Unfortunately for the home team, the Tigers were able to get that run back and then some their next time up. A one-out walk to William Rodriguez turned into a run without another player getting on base, as he stole second before a pair of errors allowed him to take third and home on the same play. The visitors weren't done there, as Reis Bellar, who scored the first run of the game an inning prior, took the ball deep over the left field fence for a two-run home run. After putting two crooked numbers on the board, Peru now led 5-1.
It looked as if Manchester was going to go down in order in response before the home side was able to muster up an incredibly productive two-out rally. After a walk and single put two men on, Gaerte came up, got the pitch he wanted and put it over the center field wall for a three-run shot. Later in the inning, the Squires had a chance to tie things up on a single by Harper Sturtsman, but Enyeart was tagged out at home trying to score from first.
Heading into the third, the Tigers were holding onto a 5-4 lead, but had to settle for their first scoreless inning of the evening after a two-strikeout frame by Sturtsman. Peru put one man on with a double, but he was thrown out by catcher Brendyn Mugford as he was attempting to steal third to end the inning.
Mugford’s momentum carried over to his next at bat, which just so happened to come in the bottom of the third. After Dallas Martin began the frame with a single, Mugford lined one into the gap in left center, which was enough to score the senior from first to tie the game. Manchester kept it going from there, as Mugford would wind up scoring the go-ahead run on a bunt by Landen Bean to make it 6-5 after three.
Manchester junior Harper Sturtsman releases his pitch to the plate during Monday evening's home game against Peru...NIeter
Sturtsman continued to pitch around some trouble when he returned to the mound to begin the fourth inning, as he ended the frame with a strikeout while a Peru baserunner lurked on third base. The Squires also ended up threatening in the bottom half of the inning, but they were able to capitalize on a two-out single by Mugford to give him an RBI in the second straight inning as well as make it a 7-5 game heading to the fifth.
That insurance run proved to be massive, as in the top of the fifth, Peru got a run back to shrink the deficit to one. The Tigers plated the run on an RBI bunt by Evans, but had the opportunity to put up another crooked number with the bases loaded and just one out. However, Sturtsman anchored down, getting a strikeout and a fly out to end the inning and preserve the lead. Though, after retiring the side on the bottom half for Manchester’s first scoreless inning of the game, momentum was creeping back on the visitor’s side.
A mistake by the home side in the top of the sixth proved to be costly, as with one out in the inning, Sturtsman threw it away while going to first after fielding a bunt. This allowed Isaac Braley to make it all the way to third on the play with just one out, and a batter later, Bellar drove him in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at seven.
It didn’t stay that way for long. Enyeart began the bottom of the sixth with a one-hopper to the wall that served as a leadoff double. After an intentional walk to Sturtsman, Martin came through in the clutch with a single past shortstop to score his teammate and give his team the lead. Sturtsman eventually came around as well on a double play, and with three outs to go, the Squires had a two-run lead to protect once again.
The Tigers made their opponent work for it. The leadoff man in the top of the seventh, Carter Musser, cut the lead in half with a home run to start things off. A few misplays by the Squires allowed Peru to put runners on the corners with nobody out, but a massive unassisted play by Bean at third on a line-drive bunt put two outs on the board and made things a whole lot easier. Sturtsman finished things off by picking up his 10th punchout of the night to seal the deal.
