The Wabash baseball team traveled south Saturday to play in the Jacket Invite. The Apaches went 3-0 on the day to take home the title.

In game one Wabash ended Oldenburg’s seven game winning streak with a 12-1 six inning win. Grant Sailors went the distance on the mound.

Grant Sailors (Wabash) 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 4 SO, 3 BB

Shea Beauchamp led the offense, going 3 for 4 with a double and 2 rbi’s.

In game two the Apaches pounded on Indianapolis T. C. Howe, scoring 18 runs the first four innings in route to an 18-0 win.

Justin Holley got the win on the mound with help from Sam Thomas and Devin Bitzel.

Wabash………… IP H R ER BB SO Dec
1 Devin Bitzel… 1 2 0 0 0 0
18 Sam Thomas 1 1 0 0 0 2
19 Justin Holley 2 0 0 0 0 3 W
Totals 4 3 0 0 0 5

Shea Beauchamp (Wabash) 3/3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

In game three Wabash won in five innings over Morristown. Again the Apaches scored early on their way to a 12-0 win.

Roger Davis threw a two hit shutout for the win, striking out 5.

Grant Sailors (Wabash) 2/4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R

1 Singles Madison Deniston (3-0) Peru Def. Charlianne Pardo (7-8) Wabash 6-1, 6-2
2 Singles Jayna Huber (3-0) Peru Def. Claire Cromer (9-4) Wabash 6-2, 6-2
3 Singles Adri Ward (3-0) Peru Def. Kristyn Ford (9-4) Wabash 4-6, 7-6, 7-6
1 Doubles Prachi Patel (9-6) & Jordan Rauh (9-6) Wabash Def. Breanna Manriguez (1-1) & Kyle Eckerly (1-2) Peru 6-4, 6-3
2 Doubles Abby Stein (12-2) & Shelby Stone (12-1) Wabash Def. Grace Comerford (2-1) & Mallory Struble (2-1) Peru 6-1, 7-5

The #1 double team of Pratchi Patel & Jordan Rauh will move on in the individual tourney.

TERRE HAUTE, IND. – Manchester University coach Rick Espeset could see something in his team when they got on the bus for the 2013 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships.

“There was just never any doubt in our guys eyes from the beginning of the week on,” he said after the 2013 Spartans became the second team in program history to advance to the NCAA Division III College World Series.

“These seniors and the entire team have been working towards this,” he added. “It was great to see this team get this championship against a fine Marietta program.”

As has been the story throughout the season, the Black and Gold (39-5-1) had many individual heroes in their 8-5 championship game win. Four players turned in multiple hit games, led by senior outfielder/pitcher Bryce Murphy (Ossian, Ind.) who ended with two hits, including the game-decided bases-loaded double to the left center field fence in the bottom of the fifth to highlight a four-run rally. Senior first baseman Brad Murphy (Fort Wayne, Ind.), extending his remarkable on-base streak to 34 straight games, also added two hits and an RBI, while junior third baseman Jordan Nieman (Michigan City, Ind.) went two-for-five with his 70^th RBI of the year. Fellow infielder Trevor Kimm, a sophomore second baseman from Anderson, Ind., ended with two hits and two RBIs as well.

The 11-hit attack helped spark a tremendous pitching effort from junior Temujin Sery (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Bryce Murphy. Sery, in his fourth start of the year, limited the powerful Pioneer offense to the five runs while striking out five and only issuing one walk.

“I’m so glad the coaching staff had the faith in me to pitch in this type of game,” he said. “It came down to throwing strikes to (freshman catcher Elliot) Ford today, just like the guys before me. This is an awesome feeling.”

“TJ was awesome today,” Espeset said. “He did exactly what we needed him to do.”

After Sery’s six-plus innings of work, the ball was turned over to the ever reliable Murphy in the seventh inning. He wriggled out of a two-on, two-out jam, with the help from an unassisted double play from Brad Murphy and then worked past a Marietta baserunner in the eighth and then worked a perfect ninth as senior center Austin Rieke (Fishers, Ind.) hauled in the final out on the track.

“Words can’t describe how this feels,” the tournament Most Valuable Player said. “It truly is amazing right now. We have been working hard to get here.”

Murphy ended the weekend with three saves, upping his season total to 14, with 10 and two-thirds shutout innings. He also hit .471 with four doubles, eight runs scored and five RBIs. He was joined on the all-tournament team by senior shortstop Corey Marchant (Fort Wayne, Ind.) who finished with six hits, seven runs scored, two doubles, a home run and eight RBIs, and Kimm who had seven hits, two doubles and seven RBIs during the four games.

MU, on a 16-game win streak, advances to the 2013 NCAA Division III College World Series at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Spartans open the tournament against UW-Whitewater Regional Champion UW-Stevens Point Friday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m.

In game one, the Squires picked up two runs in the 3rd. Jurgin Cripe singled and was followed by a Thad Miller walk. Cody Harlan walked to load the bases when Evan Olinger walked to bring home a run. Branden Scott then drove home the second run.

In the fourth Jake Semler singled, followed by a Cripe walk. Harlan singled to load the bases for a second time with Olinger and Scott driving home runs.

In the 6th Thad Miller reached on an error, Olinger singling and Scott walking to load the bases. Jim Sainsbury walked to force the fifth Squire run home.

In the 8th, Miller singled and was brought home on an Evan Olinger double. Sainsbury double home Olinger as the Squires held on to win game one 7-5.

Evan Olinger got the win on the mound in relief.

Evan Olinger had 3 hits, 3 rbi’s. Cody Harlan had 2 hits. Jim Sainsbury had 1 hit, 2 rbi’s. Jake Semler, Thad Miller & Jurgin Cripe had 1 hit each. Branden Scott had 2 rbi’s.

Manchester left 9 runners on base.

In game two the Squires manufactured a run in the second to lead 1-0. LaVille scored two runs in the third to take a 2-1 lead before the Squires would strike in the fourth. Jurgin Cripe singled and was followed by a Phoenix Goad double to put runners on 2nd & 3rd. Evan Olinger would double home both runners and the Squires had the lead back at 3-2.

Manchester would add another run in the fifth. Aided by a couple fielder’s choice plays from LaVille, Jurgin Cripe scored to make it 4-2. LaVille would knot the score at 4 in the bottom of the inning.

Neither team would score in the 6th, while both team put a run on the board in the 7th.

In the top of the 8th, the Squires would seal the win. Branden Scott singled and was followed by a Jim Sainsbury single. After a sac bunt by Justin Lewis, Thad Miller singled home 2 runs to make it 7-5. Evan Milam then hit an rbi fly ball to drive in the 8th run as the Squires swept the double header.

Thad Miller had 3 hits, 2 rbi’s. Phoenix Goad had 3 hits. Evan Olinger had 2 hits, 2 rbi’s. Branden Scott & Jim Sainsbury had 2 hits each. Evan Milam had 1 hit, 2 rbi’s. Jurgin Cripe had 1 hit.

Evan Milam picked up his second win on the mound

Coach Rupley ” Nice to get two wins heading to sectional. Kids did a real good job battling through some tough situations where we had the lead and lost it and come back. Great team effort.”

In game one Adams Central jumped on the Knights in the first inning for 4 runs, but the Lady Knights answered with 2 in the bottom of the inning. Skylar Chain hit a one out single that was backed up by a Jenny Bentley double to put runners at 2nd & 3rd. Chain would then score on a passed ball to make it 4-1. With two outs Lacey Goble singled home Bentley to make it 4-2.

In the bottom of the third the Lady Knight bats went to work again. Skylar Chain would lead off with a walk and was followed by Jenny Bentley reaching on a fielder’s choice to put runners on 1st & 2nd. A wild pitch put runners on 2nd & 3rd when Goble hit a fly ball out to score Chain. Courtney Simpson then singled to score Bentley and it was a new ballgame at 4-4.

The Adams Central bats would come alive, scoring 4 runs in the 4th, 3 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th while holding Southwood scoreless the remainder of the game for the 13-4 score.

Pitching Summary: Jenny Bentley 7 IP, 15 hits, 13 runs, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Hitting Summary: Skylar Chain 2-3, 2 runs, Lacey Goble 2-3, 1 RBI, Courtney Simpson 1-3, 1 RBI, Bailey Lundmark 1-3, Jenny Bentley 1-4, 1 double, 2 runs

In game two Adams Central scored nine runs by the fourth inning to lead 9-0 before Southwood got on the board.

In the bottom of the 4th, Logan Hensley led off with a double and was followed by a Courtney Simpson walk. Pinch runner Abby Grossnickle advanced to third on a passed ball with Simpson going to second. With one out Bailey Lundmark singled to score Grossnickle, with Simpson advancing to third. Pinch runner Kaylee Bixby was then caught trying to steal second, then a strike out to end the inning getting just one run.

In the bottom of the fifth, Meranda Friend doubled to get the inning started. A ground ball advanced Friend to 2nd, then a line drive out by Bentley. Lacey Goble then singled home Friend for the final run of the game, as the Knights lost game two 9-2.

Pitching Summary: Jordyn Chain 7 IP, 11 hits, 9 runs, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Hitting Summary: Logan Hensley 2-3, 1 double, Bailey Lundmark 2-3, 1 RBI, Meranda Friend 2-4, 1 run, 1 double, Lacey Goble 2-4, 1 RBI, Skylar Chain 1-4

Coach’s Comment: We didn’t come ready to play and it showed on the field. We have to come more ready to play Wednesday at Sectional.

Next Game: Wednesday Sectional Semi-Final vs. Northfield/Lewis Cass Winner 5 p.m.

For Wabash, Jordan Blair was medalist of the invite with a 73. Jack Leland tied for second with a 79. Parker Harner and Josh Provance each fired an 87, while Jack Stein added an 88.

Northfield finished 4th, just one stroke behind Lewis Cass. The Norse were led by Trae Cole with an 80. Braydon Schindler fired 84, Austin Burns 86, Taylor Poole 87, Andrew Eckerly 94.

Manchester was led by Connor Eichenauer with a 93. Kiowa Harrell added 96, Austin Whitaker 97, Xzavier Whitaker 97, Noah Cain 104.

During the 2012-13 season, Nealis was the second leading scorer in the TRC, averaging 20.0ppg during conference play and 18.5ppg for the season. As a guard Nealis was 7th in the conference in steals at 2.1 per game, 2nd in assist at 4.8 per game and also 3rd in rebounding at 6.9. Breyton was a first team all conference selection.

Ancilla is coached by another former Wabash County athlete, Aaron Butcher. We ask Butcher what made him recruit Breyton Nealis. Butcher said ” The biggest thing is he’s a good guy. We want to fill the program with good guys. He’s a good athlete, he’s strong, he had a good year and career at Wabash. We are hopeful that the progression he’s had will continue for his two years and hopefully we can look at some four year opportunities.”

We ask Nealis what made him lean towards Ancilla. Breyton quoted ” Probably my biggest thing was being close to home. I grew up with coach Butcher. He’s basically taught me all the fundamentals. It’s just nice to play under him and be an hour from home.  When asked about immediate playing time Nealis said ” the competition is good and athletic. I’m going to have to put in my off season work and see where it goes from there.”

Breyton will study psychology while at Ancilla.

Pictured Front Row L-R : Erron Nealis(father), Breyton Nealis, Leigh Ann Nealis(mother)

Back Row : Joe Kaufman(Guidance Counselor), Aaron Butcher(Ancilla Coach), Josh Blossom(Wabash Principal), Matt Stone(Wabash Athletic Director)

The senior outfielder/pitcher from Ossian, Ind., for the second successive night, took to the mound in the sixth inning and put down a tough opposing offense Friday, May 17, at the 2013 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional. His effort helped lift the Spartans (38-5-1) past two-time defending national champion Marietta 10-5 in the winner’s bracket.

“I’m used to the role I’ve got (in relation to being called on in key pitching situations),” he said. “This is my senior year. Who knows if playing baseball will be in my future, so I’m going to make as much as I can out of these chances.”

“We’ve had some great players in this program over my 17 years,” Coach Rick Espeset said. “Bryce is among the ones who have played a great role in impacting this program.”

With the home side Pioneers (31-13) threatening in the sixth with two on and one out and the Black and Gold nursing a 7-5 lead, Coach Rick Espeset turned to his veteran left hander. Murphy entered and put out the fire en route to working a line that consisted of three and two-thirds innings with two strikeouts and just two hits surrendered for his 12^th save.

Murphy was also part of a strong offensive effort for the Spartans. Manchester University opened the game with three hits and a quick run scored and then tacked on five in the top of the third for a 6-0 advantage. Marietta did chip away, scoring two times each in the fourth and fifth innings, but MU responded with one in the seventh and two in the eighth for their 10-run total.

“The quick start was, obviously, important for us,” Espeset said. “It gave us confidence. We knew, coming in, we were playing one of the historic programs in Division III,, so we had to take advantage of our opportunities.”

Murphy’s heroics didn’t stop on the mound. He also drilled three doubles as part of a four-hit, three-run scored night. He was joined by fellow senior Corey Marchant (Fort Wayne, Ind.) who continued his hot bat at regionals with two key doubles that drove in four runs. Sophomore second baseman Trevor Kimm (Anderson, Ind.) also came up big at the plate with three hits, including a two-run double in the eighth that plated two important insurance runs, while sophomore designated player/outfielder Kyle Norris (Indianapolis, Ind.) and senior outfielder Austin Rieke (Fishers, Ind.) added two hits apiece.

MU’s win, increasing their current win streak to 15 games, moved them into the championship round Saturday, May 18. They will face either Marietta, Thomas More or Washington and Jefferson at 3:30 p.m.

NOTES: Senior first baseman Brad Murphy (Fort Wayne, Ind.), upped his sparkling on-base streak to 33 consecutive games behind a single and two walks. Kimm upped his string to 26 in a row, while Norris went to 23 straight. … Kimm’s night also moved his current hit string to 12 straight games. … The win over the Pioneers marked Espeset’s and the program’s first over the perennial NCAA Division III powers in five attempts.