The Manchester Squires will head out to face off against the Columbia City Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Manchester is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, Manchester came up short against Huntington North and fell 9-6.
Reiss Gaerte
| 04/24/25 @ Huntington North | 1 |
| 04/23/25 vs Maconaquah | 1 |
| 04/21/25 @ Oak Hill | 2 |
| 04/19/25 @ Concord | 1 |
| 04/19/25 @ Concord | 1 |
Reiss Gaerte led a balanced group of hitters, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. Ethan Hendrix was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Columbia City). They put the hurt on Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran with a sharp 15-4 win on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won four matches by ten runs or more so far this season.
Lukus Schmitt made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Schmitt was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trey Deckman, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Logan Matiya also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Columbia City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Columbia City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Manchester, their loss dropped their record down to 7-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Manchester has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Columbia City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Manchester came out on top in a nail-biter against Columbia City in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Squires since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
