5.4.09 - ESPESET ANNOUNCES OUTSTANDING PLAYER TEAM AWARDS, MILLER NAMED SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
Manchester College baseball coach Rick Espeset presented team awards for the conclusion of the 2009 season.

Senior Matty Miller was voted as the Most Outstanding Hitter for the season. The senior first baseman hit .435 for the year, connecting on 67 of 154 at bats with 23 doubles, a triple and 12 home runs. Miller drove in 50 runs and set a conference record in doubles in a season with 14 during league play. He was named First Team All-Mid East Region and received Second Team All-American honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Junior Josh Atkinson was named the Most Outstanding pitcher for the year. Atkinson finished the season 7-3 overall with two saves in 16 appearances. He boasted a team best ERA of 3.11 in 63.2 innings and had 42 strikeouts on the year.

David Tatham was selected as the team's Most Outstanding Outfielder. As a sophomore, Tatham had just one error on the year in centerfield and had 70 putouts on the year. He finished the year batting .308 with 19 RBI and was 14-15 in stolen bases.

Ty Foster was voted the Most Improved for the year. Playing both the designated hitter and first base positions, Foster hit .396 for the year with 11 home runs, 10 doubles and 50 RBIs and was named HCAC Player of the Week this season.

The team's final award went to senior Zach Miller, who received the Peoples Choice Award, named after former Spartan player Eugene Peoples and goes to the Spartan who exemplifies exceptional leadership on the team. Miller, a senior relief pitcher was 1-0 on the year in six appearances and recorded nine strikeouts in 11 innings of action.

5.2.09 - SPARTANS GET THREE-GAME SWEEP OVER TRANSYLVANIA
Manchester posted a 12-8 and 13-8 win over Transylvania in doubleheader action on Saturday to close out the season.

In the 12-8 win, Josh Atkinson picked up the win in four innings of relief action as Manchester and Transy used 11 innings to resolve the tie. Curtis Mallery threw seven innings with eight runs allowed on 13 hits with five strikeouts. Atkinson threw just two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Kaz Kalita went 3-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. Ty Foster finished the day 3-6 with two RBI.

In the 13-8 win, Beau Shenefield got the victory in six innings of relief action. He allowed four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Foster finished 3-4 with two runs scored, John Smolinski went 2-4 with an RBI and Corey Oetting went 1-4 with four RBI, including a three-run homerrun in the first inning.

Manchester finishes the season 21-18 overall, 12-10 in the HCAC.

5.1.09 - MANCHESTER SCORES FIVE IN THE NINTH TO TAKE AN 8-5 WIN OVER TRANSYLVANIA
Manchester picked up an 8-5 win over Transylvania on Friday as the Spartans used a five-run ninth inning to pick up the win. MC trailed 5-1 but scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to make it a 5-3 contest before the five running ninth inning.

Colin Denihan pitched six innings with nine hits allowed with four earned runs and six strikeouts. Josh Atkinson picked up the win throwing three innings of relief with three strikeouts and one hit allowed.

Matty Miller led the way with a 4-6 performance, hitting two doubles, including a three RBI double in the ninth inning. Ty Foster finished 3-4 with two RBI and Kaz Kalita went 3-5.

Manchester improves to 19-18 overall, 10-10 in the HCAC. They return to action Saturday at Transy starting at 12 p.m. to close out the regular season.

4.29.09 - DEFIANCE GETS 2-0 CONFERENCE WIN OVER MANCHESTER
Manchester fell to Defiance 2-0 on Wednesday, as Defiance scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning to aid in the win.

Brett Smalley suffered his first loss of the year, throwing 6 1/3 innings with seven hits given up and two strikeouts recorded.

Ty Foster led MC with a 2-4 performance. David Tatham, Matty Miler, Corey Oetting, Trey Forbes, John Smolinski and Cory Bifoss each had a hit for MC.

Manchester evens their record at 18-18 overall, 9-10 in the HCAC. They wrap up the regular season on Friday and Saturday as they travel to Transylvania.

4.26.09 - MANCHESTER POSTS 7-2 WIN OVER TRINE
Manchester picked up a 7-2 win over Trine on Sunday as Eric Roof was the winning pitcher and Brent Fleshood recorded the save. Brett Smalley was the starting pitcher and threw two innings of action with two strikeouts. Both Roof and Fleshood added a pair of K's on the day.

Corey Oetting led Manchester offensively with a 3-4 performance, including a three run homer and an RBI single for a total of four RBIs on the day. Shawn Baker went 2-4 and David Tatham went 1-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases.

Manchester improves to 18-17 overall and returns to action on Tuesday at Defiance and again Friday and Saturday at Transylvania.

4.25.09 - SPARTANS SPLIT WITH MSJ
Manchester's baseball team split with Mount St. Joseph on Saturday as the Lions picked up an 8-3 win in game one and Manchester posting a 28-8 win in game two.

In game one, Curtis Mallery was the losing pitcher for MC, surrendering 12 hits with five earned runs and striking out four in seven complete innings as Mount St. Joseph scored four runs in the top of the seventh and final inning. Matty Miller went 2-2 with two homeruns, two RBI and two runs scored. Corey Oetting went 2-3 with a run and John Smolinski was 1-2 with an RBI.

In game two, MC scored eight runs in the second and third innings, and capped off the eight inning with seven runs in route to a 28-8 win over MSJ. Josh Atkinson collected ten strikeouts in seven innings of action, allowing four runs on nine hits. Corey Oetting was 2-5 with two homeruns, including a grandslam. Kaz Kalita went 3-5 with two RBI and two runs, Josh Buell went 2-4 with four runs and four RBI, Matty Miller went 3-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, and Collin Grogan had a grandslam in his second collegiate at-bat.

Manchester evens their record at 17-17 overall, 9-9 in the HCAC. They travel to Trine on Sunday.

4.24.09 - MT. ST. JOSEPH TOPS MANCHESTER 15-13 IN SLUGFEST
Mount St. Joseph recorded 25 hits to Manchester's 15 in route to a 15-13 MSJ win. Colin Denihan took the loss, throwing 6 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. He gave up seven of the nine runs scored by MSJ on 15 hits. Brett Smalley gave up three runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while Josh Atkinson surrendered one earned run in 1/3 inning.

Shawn Baker led MC with a 4-5 performance, driving in five runs with a run scored. Matty Miller went 2-5 with four runs scored, Ty Foster finished the day 2-5 with two runs and an RBI. Corey Oetting added three RBI while Josh Buell added one.

Manchester falls to 16-16 overall and returns to conference action against MSJ starting at noon Saturday in a doubleheader.

4.22.09 - MANCHESTER SPLITS WITH OHIO NORTHERN
Manchester posted an 8-3 win over Ohio Northern in game one of the doubleheader, but fell in game two 12-0.

In game one, Brett Smalley picked up his second win of the season, throwing six innings with two earned runs allowed on six hits and two recorded strikeouts. Matty Miller went 3-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, posting a solo home run in the fourth inning and two singles. John Smolinski was 1-2 with two RBI, and Ty Foster added an RBI on a 1-3 performance.

Curtis Mallery gave up four runs in the first inning of game two as Manchester lost 12-0. Malley surrented three hits with a strikeout in one inning of action. Corey Oetting and Matty Miller were 1-2, while Dustin Woods, Foster and Smolinski finished 1-3 on the day.

Manchester moves to 16-15 overall, and returns to action on Friday as they host Mount St. Joseph in HCAC action starting at 4:15 p.m. and resuming doubleheader action Saturday starting at noon.

4.18.09 - ANDERSON TAKES TWO FROM MC TO TAKE THREE-GAME SERIES
Manchester's baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Anderson, falling in game one 12-11 and in game two 10-3.

In the 12-11 loss, Josh Atkinson took the loss in 1 1/3 innings of relief as Anderson scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to go ahead 12-10 before MC scored a run in the top of the seventh. Curtis Mallery pitched 4 2/3 innings with nine earned runs scored on nine hits with three strikeouts. Matty Miller was 3-4 with three RBI. Ty Foster finished the game 2-3 with four RBI and Josh Buell finished 3-3 with two runs scored. Kaz Kalita went 2-4 with a run scored.

in the 10-3 loss, Beau Shenefield was the losing pitcher in 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits. Atkinson pitched 5 1/3 innings of relief with four runs allowed on nine hits. Foster, Shawn Baker and Buell each had two hits, while John Smolinski went 1-4 with two RBI.

Manchester drops to 15-14 overall, 8-7 in the HCAC. They return to action Sunday at home against Ohio Northern and then Wednesday against Huntington.

4.17.09 - ANDERSON HANDS MANCHESTER A 14-2 LOSS IN LEAGUE ACTION
Manchester fell to Anderson 14-2 in conference play at Anderson on Friday. Anderson scored six runs in the bottom of the third inning, two runs in the fifth and seventh and posted three runs in the eighth inning.

Colin Denihan dropped to 3-3 on the year, throwing six innings, with 11 hits and two strikeouts recorded. Just three of the nine runs were earned. Zach Miller gave up two runs on four hits and Eric Roof allowed three runs on four hits.

Ty Foster finshed the day 2-4 with an RBI. David Tatham and Corey Oetting finished 1-3 on the day, while Matty Miller ended up 1-2 with a run scored.

Manchester drops to 15-12 overall, 8-5 in the HCAC. They return to action Saturday at Anderson for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.


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