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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Dutchmen stay perfect in Cascades with sweep

Rickert, Sweet pitch gems while Dutchmen bats club Jayhawks

By Ed Patino, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: May 8, 2008

The Manchester varsity baseball team is doing its part in making the struggles of last season a memory.

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Getting clutch hits throughout its lineup along with strong pitching performances, the Flying Dutchmen maintained its spot on top of the Cascades Conference with 8-1 and 8-4 victories over the Vandercook Lake Jayhawks in a league doubleheader April 30.

Manchester (10-4, 6-0 Cascades) pounded out 28 hits over the two games, while pitchers Will Rickert and Lucas Sweet held Vandercook Lake (8-6, 2-4 Cascades) to five hits in each contest.

All nine of the Dutchmen's batters collected at least one hit in the opener as they busted open a close game with five runs over the final three innings. In the nightcap, Manchester used a five-run fourth inning to erase an early two-run deficit.

"Our offense has been good all year," Manchester coach Corey Fether said. "We're very confident in our hitting, one through nine, in our lineup."

The Dutchmen got off to a strong start opener, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning before Vandercook Lake answered with a run in the top of the second. Manchester made it 4-1 with a run in the fourth inning, then added another in the fifth. The Dutchmen put the game out of reach with a three-run burst in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Trevor Hanewald led the attack for Manchester, going 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs. Will Rickert was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Josh Caswell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Coyle Render finished 2-for-4 and Jared Huber scored two runs. Ben Stachnik and Grant Jobkar each had a hit and an RBI, while Justin Welton added a hit and two runs. Isaac Miller, who was leading the Jackson area in hitting earlier this season, went 1-for-3 at the plate for the Dutchmen.

Rickert was just as strong on the mound, going the distance to earn the win. The junior struck out 13 and walked one while holding the Jayhawks to five hits.

"Both Will and Lucas (Sweet) have been pitching well for us, and we'll continue to ride our horses," Fether said.

Matt Rutledge finished 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the Jayhawks.

After each team plated a run in the second inning of the nightcap, Vandercook Lake scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning and grabbed a 3-1 lead.

Manchester quickly answered in the top of the fourth. After a two-RBI double by Jobkar tied the game, the Dutchmen plated three more runs in the frame to build a 6-3 lead. They added runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to pull away for the win.

"The fourth was a big inning for us," Fether said. "We finally decided to play."

Jobkar and Huber led the way offensively for Manchester in the second game. Jobkar finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored, while Huber was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Rickert went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Hanewald finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Dutchmen.

Like Rickert did in the opener, Sweet went the distance on the mound to earn the pitching win. He allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out six.

"Our pitching has been good throughout the season and it kept us in the games today," Fether said.

Also helping the Dutchmen during the hot start has been their play in the field. The team has drastically cut down on errors, which plagued them during last year, when Manchester finished 11-15.

"The big difference is we're making plays in the field this year," Fether said. "We're much better defensively this year."

The Dutchmen traveled to Summerfield for a non-conference game Tuesday after the newspaper's deadline. They hosted Addison for a conference doubleheader Wednesday. Manchester will return to action Saturday when it competes in a tournament at Britton-Deerfield.

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