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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Spring season begins March 25

Baseball and softball teams visit Morenci to open 2008 campaign

By Ed Patino, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: March 13, 2008

With the days lasting longer and the snow slowly beginning to taper off, the spring sports season is on the horizon for Manchester varsity and junior varsity teams.

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The 2008 Manchester spring sports schedule was released this week, with several teams beginning play at the end of this month.

The varsity baseball, softball and track teams are scheduled to kick off their respective seasons March 25. Both the Manchester baseball and softball teams open with doubleheaders at Morenci, while the track teams are scheduled to compete in the Spartan Relays.

Boys golf is making the switch from a fall to spring sports this year. Manchester opens the season March 28 at Ida.

Several key games highlight the Manchester baseball season. After their season opener at Morenci, the Flying Dutchmen will host Whitmore Lake for the home opener April 10. That game is a rematch from last year's Division 3 district semifinal, in which the Dutchmen pulled out a wild 9-8 victory. The Cascades Conference opener is scheduled for April 16 and has the Dutchmen traveling to league power Michigan Center.

Manchester, which finished 11-15 last year, will look for revenge May 15 when Grass Lake comes to town. The Dutchmen swept the two regular season meetings with Grass Lake last year, but it was the Warriors than ended the Dutchmen's season with a 13-5 victory in the Division 3 district final.

Two days after playing Grass Lake, the Dutchmen will compete in the Clinton Tournament. Manchester concludes the regular season May 21 with a non-conference game at Ann Arbor Greenhills.

Like baseball, the Manchester varsity softball team will play Whitmore Lake for its home opener April 10. That is also a rematch from last year's Division 3 district semifinals, where the Dutch hammered the Trojans 9-0 to advance to play Clinton in the district final. The Cascades Conference opener will take place April 16 at Michigan Center. The Addison Panthers come to town for a league doubleheader May 7. The teams split a doubleheader at Manchester last year.

The Flying Dutch will host an invitational tournament May 17 and conclude the regular season four days later at Ann Arbor Greenhills.

The varsity softball team finished 12-21 last year and was eliminated in the Division 3 district final by Clinton.

Both the Manchester boys' and girls' track teams will begin title defenses March 25. The boys are three-time defending Cascades Conference champions, and they also won the Division 3 regional title for the second straight year last season. Meanwhile the girls team, a year after winning just one dual meet, earned a share of the Cascades Conference title with East Jackson.

The teams will begin Cascades Conference competition April 16 with a tri-meet at Vandercook Lake which also features Hanover-Horton. Manchester will send athletes to the Mansfield Invitational in Ohio three days later, and hosts Napoleon for a league dual May 6. The Manchester Metric Relays are scheduled for May 10, and the Division 3 regional meet will take place May 16-17. The Cascades Conference meet is scheduled for May 20 at Grass Lake.

The Manchester varsity boys golf team will begin defense of its Cascades Conference championship April 8 at Grass Lake. The Dutchmen host a league meet April 22, and will host Clinton and Blissfield in a tri-match May 2. The Manchester Invitational is scheduled for May 10 and the Cascades Conference Tournament take place May 14 and will be hosted by Addison.

Prior to this year, boys golf was a fall sport. It was one of the sports that switched seasons because of the Michigan High School Athletic Association ruling last year.

Manchester's junior varsity baseball and softball teams are the final squads to begin their seasons. Both teams open April 8 at home against Adrian Madison. Cascades Conference play for both is scheduled to begin April 16 at home against Michigan Center, and both teams will conclude the season May 23 by hosting invitational tournaments.

Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.