By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Battle Creek, MI---Nate Manis came through with a two-out, bases loaded single through the right side in the 10th inning to give the Express baseball team a 6-4 win in today's winner's bracket quarterfinal game against Jackson Community College.
The Jets struck first in the game with a hit batter, a walk and an infield RBI single in the first to take a 1-0 lead.
The score would remain the same until the sixth when the Express tied it. Logan Shullick doubled to left field with one out, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Austin Cowan.
In the bottom half, the game had a major momentum shift. The Jets had a runner on second with one out. After a ball in the dirt, the runner tried to advance, but got caught in a rundown. After a tag was missed, the runner moved to third. However, Express starter Dane Davis got a ground out to short and a ground out to second to strand the runner and keep the game tied.
Nick Collins then led off the next inning with a walk. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Collins scored on an RBI single to left field from Benjamin Breymier to give the Express a 2-1 lead. Later, with the bases loaded, Breymier scored on a wild pitch to give the Express a two run cushion.
After Davis pitched around a two-out hit batter to hold the Jets scoreless in the bottom half, the Express got an RBI single to right field from Alex Samson that gave the Express a 4-1 lead.
Davis allowed a one out double in the eighth inning, but got a grounder to short and a fly out to center to keep the Express ahead 4-1. It would be his last inning, though.
The righty ace threw 126 pitches while allowing only three hits, one run and two walks while striking out five.
After the Express stranded a Cowan at third to end the top of the ninth, the Jets rallied for three runs with one out and nobody on to tie the game. Garrett Scott started the inning and allowed three singles and a hit batter. He was relieved by Samuel Hackney with the score 4-3 and runners on first and second.
Hackney allowed the game tying single and a hit batter, but got a fly out to right to send the game to extras.
In the 10th, Breymier reached first with one out via a throwing error by Jackson's third baseman, and the Express would make them pay. After Samson flew out to center, Nolan Rao singled through the right side to put runners on the corners.
Then, after Justin Elder was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Manis came through with his two-run single through the right side. Prior to that at bat, Manis was 0-for-5 on the day.
Despite his earlier blown save, Hackney picked up the win in relief when he retired the Jets in order to end the 10th.
Stat Leaders
Breymier finished 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Samson was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Seven other Express hitters picked up one hit apiece as the Express outhit the Jets 6-4.
Hackney improved to 1-3 with the win, while Dillon Reust led the Jets offense with a 2-for-4, one run, one RBI performance. His teammates added five hits.
Notes
The game was played at Bailey Park's Nichols Field in Battle Creek.
The Express will now take on Delta College in the winner's bracket semifinals tomorrow at 12 p.m. Delta, who beat Lakeland 2-1 in 10 innings today, will face the Express at C.O. Brown Stadium at Bailey Park.
First-year Express head coach Devin Taylor is now 3-0 in postseason play.