Baseball Recap: Columbia City Has No Trouble Against Manchester

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Columbia City and Manchester, and Columbia City kept the tradition alive. The Eagles put the hurt on the Squires with a sharp 16-1 win on Friday. That looming 16-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.

Grayson Bradberry made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Bradberry was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.

Carter Wilkinson

Runs

04/25/25 vs Manchester	3
04/16/25 vs Churubusco	3
04/23/25 vs Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran	2
04/17/25 @ Wawasee	2
04/01/25 vs Carroll	2
+ 2 more games

In other batting news, Henry Kneller and Carter Wilkinson did most of the damage at the plate: Kneller went 3-for-4 with two triples, two RBI, and one run, while Wilkinson went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Wilkinson is becoming a predictor of Columbia City's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Lukus Schmitt was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI and one double.

Columbia City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .611. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Columbia City has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for Manchester, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-4.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Columbia City will host West Noble at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Eagles' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Chargers have averaged an impressive 7.8 runs per game this season. As for Manchester, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Warsaw at 10:00 a.m. The Squires' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 9.8 runs per game this season.