Thombs spins a gem as Jackets fall in extras to Manchester

Final: Manchester 2, Defiance 1 (10 inn.)
Box Score: Click here

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Saturday's series finale between Defiance College and Manchester required extra innings to settle thanks to another pitching showcase, but the Spartans outlasted the Yellow Jackets, 2-1, in 10 innings at Craig Rutter Field to sweep the weekend slate.

Defiance falls to 3-18 and 0-8 in the conference while Manchester improves 13-11 and 4-4 in HCAC play.

Defiance starter Sam Thombs (Commerce Township, Mich./Lutheran) shrugged off a first-inning Spartan score for a career day on the hill. The sophomore did get a decision after a career-high eight innings and matched a career-high in strikeouts with eight for the second start in a row.

The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in a hurry when Aidan Stevens led off the game with a double followed by a Zach White single to set up a sacrifice fly to right field by Joel Kennedy.

The decisive run in the game was also scored on a sacrifice fly by Manchester during the second inning of relief by Jeffrey Varga (Loss, 0-1). In the top of the 10th, Cole Filson set up the game-winning run with a leadoff single and was lifted for a pinch runner in Mitchell Cobb. He was bunted over by Jared Holley, then Mitchell Baker flied out to left to allow Cobb to tag up and score the go-ahead run.

Manchester starter Carter Hooks (Win, 3-2) took his team through the first nine innings on 145 pitches. He held Defiance to just five hits, walked four more and fanned four. After the Spartans nabbed the late lead, Arturo Casas (Save, 1) record the final three outs despite a walk to Mitchell Roever (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) with one out.

The bottom third of Defiance's lineup produced their lone run of the ballgame in the fifth. Tyler Dehan (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry) legged out an infield hit to start the inning and moved up to second on a throwing error at third base. A groundout by Jacob Hild (Holly, Mich./Holly) moved Dehan up to third to set up an RBI single through the right side by Alex Morr (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan).

Tied the rest of the way, Thombs and Hooks went toe-to-toe with different styles. Thombs carved up the Spartans and had a stretch of 12 straight hitters retired from the end of the fourth until the eighth frame. That stretch started on a superb defensive effort by Roever to double off a runner trying to score from third on a fly out to center for the last two outs of the fourth. Thombs also threw 72 of his 102 pitches for strikes. Hooks was able to get out of a couple of jams while stranding eight Defiance runners on base and induced a 4-6-3 double play to extinguish a two-on, one-out spot for the Yellow Jackets in the seventh inning.

Morr led the Jackets with two hits on the afternoon and stole a base while Roever and Josh Vischer (Genoa, Ohio/Genoa) each worked a pair of walks.

The Yellow Jackets conclude their lengthy homestand on Wednesday with a non-conference battle with Ohio Wesleyan beginning at 1 p.m. at Rutter Field.

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