vs
| 05/10/24 - Home | 4-2 W |
| 05/13/22 - Home | 8-10 L |
| 05/14/21 - Away | 15-3 W |
| 05/21/19 - Away | 1-2 L |
| 05/11/18 - Home | 3-7 L |
| 05/12/17 - Away | 8-3 W |
Heritage and Manchester are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Squires at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Heritage's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Manchester's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Heritage's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Thursday's struggle, when Jay County hitters got past them. Heritage fell just short of Jay County by a score of 11-10 on Thursday.
Cameron Rauner put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 13 batters over 6.1 innings while giving up six earned (and five unearned) runs off 12 hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Heritage got a big performance out of Beau Stoppenhagen, who went 2-for-5 with one home run. Max Mirelez was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, while it was Manchester who put the first runs on the board on Wednesday, it was Lewis Cass who put up more. The Squires fell just short of the Kings by a score of 5-4.
Evan Estep spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Ethan Hendrix made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Reiss Gaerte, who went 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Manchester has been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-12 record this season. As for Heritage, their record now sits at 13-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Heritage has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Manchester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Heritage came out on top in a nail-biter against Manchester in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
