Baseball Game Preview: Manti Templars vs. North Sanpete Hawks

Manti is 8-2 against North Sanpete since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. Manti will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against North Sanpete at 3:00 p.m. Manti is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Manti got the win against North Sanpete by a conclusive 10-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Templars.

Lane Cox and Tazj Hill made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Cox pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Hill tossed four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Cox also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Manti is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-5 otherwise. At bat, Cox scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Hill went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run was Hill's first of the season.

Kellen Lund

Runs

03/25/25 @ North Sanpete	2
03/15/25 vs Duchesne	2
03/14/25 vs Milford	2
03/15/25 vs South Sevier	1
03/04/25 @ Tooele	1

They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kellen Lund, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Manti's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't).

Manti lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.

North Sanpete pushed their record up to 5-5 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Manti, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Manti hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like North Sanpete struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.