Manchester Jr-Sr High School

The Manchester Squires battled from start to finish in a back-and-forth contest Wednesday evening, ultimately falling to Lewis Cass, 12-11, on the final play of the game. Manchester came out strong early, setting the tone at the plate. The Squires jumped ahead in the first inning capitalizing on a Lewis Cass error, followed by a RBI double from Jarrett to take an early 2-0 lead. The momentum carried into the second, when West delivered a clutch double to extend the advantage to 3-0, and another run in the third pushed the lead to 4-0. Lewis Cass responded in the bottom of the third, stringing together timely hits to even the score, but Manchester answered right back. West sparked the offense again in the fourth with a triple down the left field line, and Renz followed with an RBI single to give the Squires a 6-4 edge. The game continued to swing as Lewis Cass used a big fifth inning to take an 11-9 lead. Despite the deficit, Manchester never backed down. In the top of the seventh, Jarrett came through once again with an RBI single to tie the game at 11, setting up a dramatic final inning. Manchester finished with an impressive 16-hit performance, highlighted by a perfect 4-for-4 night from West. Jarrett Sautter, and Renz each added multiple hits, while Espeset showed patience at the plate with two walks. The Squires also turned two double plays defensively, showcasing strong execution in the field. Although the result didn’t go their way, Manchester’s resilience and offensive firepower were on full display in one of their most competitive performances of the season. The Squires will look to carry that momentum forward as they travel to Columbia City for their next matchup Thursday.