KOKOMO, Ind.--The Manchester University baseball team continued to have Bluffton's number as the Spartans opened the 2023 Heartland Conference with an 11-3 victory on Thursday, May 11. Bluffton fell to 22-15 on the season and they will now await the loser of the Anderson/Rose-Hulman contest.

A sacrifice fly by Rocco Hanes put Manchester up 1-0 in the top of the first. Three more runs in the third made it 4-0 before Bluffton cut the deficit in half with two tallies in the home half of the inning. Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) singled up the middle, plating Adam Yoh (Milford), and then Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) followed with a two-bagger to right center that picked up Baumgartner.

Towell launched his team-best ninth homer of the season in the eighth, but Manchester was too much as the Spartans rolled on with a convincing 11-3 victory on Thursday morning. His nine homers are tied for 4th on Bluffton's single-season list.

The visitors on the scoreboard knocked out Bluffton starter Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) after four innings, scoring six runs, three earned, on nine hits. He finished with two strikeouts and did not issue any walks. Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/Westerville South) allowed three runs and Darius Boeke (Sidney) gave up two as they combined to toss the final five innings.

Towell and Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) finished with two hits apiece. Both of Towell's were of the extra-base variety and he drove in two of Bluffton's three runs.

Bluffton will be off for the rest of the day Thursday before a 10 a.m. meeting with the Anderson/Rose-Hulman loser on Friday morning at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.