Manchester and Grass Lake are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Flying Dutchmen will be playing at home against the Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Manchester is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Manchester was able to grind out a solid victory over Homer, taking the game 7-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Flying Dutchmen.
Neil Gebhardt
| 05/02/25 vs Homer | 10 |
| 04/17/25 @ Napoleon | 10 |
| 04/28/25 vs East Jackson | 8 |
| 04/23/25 @ Columbia Central | 5 |
| 04/11/25 vs Leslie | 5 |
| + 1 more games |
Neil Gebhardt was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has become a key player for Manchester: the team is undefeated when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 3-4 otherwise. Gebhardt was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Walz, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Ben Pauly was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Grass Lake entered their tilt with Homer on Monday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 7-1 win. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by six runs or more this season.
Manchester's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Grass Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Manchester was able to grind out a solid win over Grass Lake when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 8-5. Will the Flying Dutchmen repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
