The Manhattan High baseball team currently sits at 11-5 and fifth in the West Region after two shutouts over Emporia. The Indians have six games left with four of them being at the Hays Tournament and two at home against Great Bend to close out the regular season.
Last Friday the Indians looked to bounce back at Emporia after their back-to-back losses at home to Washburn Rural.
“We’ve found success when we have no errors and when our fielding is good,” junior Landon Duff said.
The Indians came out hot in the first, scoring three runs with the help of a double by sophomore Jackson Goos and a single by senior Owen Goode. In the second and third the Indians put five more runs on the board giving them a 6-0 lead after three. In the fourth and fifth inning MHS put up four more runs ending the game 10-0 after five. On the mound for the first game was senior Landon Ott who allowed four hits and had six strikeouts in his shutout.
“All of the work in the off season and the winter condition has made us successful,” junior Trey Hoover said.
In the second game Manhattan came out slow with the bats as they went scoreless through the first two innings until senior Jake Wolcott hit a single that scored junior Carter Aslin in the third. The Indians put up two more runs in the third giving them a 3-0 lead after three. In the fourth and fifth the Indians scored four more runs and kept the shut out alive with a 7-0 score after five. In the sixth Manhattan put up their final two runs as they went into the final inning 9-0. With junior Sam Spiegel on the mound the team won 9-0 backed up by Spiegel’s 11 strikeouts.
“What made me successful against Emporia were all of my pitches were on my curveballs and fastballs,” Spiegel said.
Manhattan will play next at the Hays tournament May 3-4.