WINCHESTER, Ky. — Asbury (4-3, 0-0 CCS) plated eight runs over the first two innings and rode multi-hit performances from Cam Weaver, Aaron Beaman, and Josh McNulty to an 11–6 victory over Manchester (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) on Friday night at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Ky.
The Eagles built what proved to be a decisive cushion with four runs in the first inning and four more in the second to grab an 8–0 lead. Asbury capitalized on free passes and defensive miscues early, then paired timely hitting with disciplined at-bats to immediately pressure the Spartans.
In the opening frame, walks to Edison Burke and Andrew Billington set the tone. McNulty opened the scoring with an RBI single, Weaver followed with another run-scoring knock, and Avery Hare capped the inning with a two-RBI base hit to give Asbury a 4–0 advantage.
The Eagles kept the momentum rolling in the second. Singles from Ben Krza and Burke, along with another walk to Billington, loaded the bases. Beaman reached on a fielding error that allowed two runs to score, and Weaver delivered again with a two-RBI single to stretch the lead to 8–0.
Manchester chipped away in the middle innings. In the third, Beau Kaler worked a walk and later scored on a ground-ball double play to get the Spartans on the board. An RBI single from Owen Ritchie in the fourth made it 8–2, and a two-run single by Max Horner in the sixth trimmed the deficit to 9–4 after Manchester loaded the bases. Michael Dierckman added a two-run double in the eighth, cutting the lead to 9–6 and bringing the tying run closer to the plate.
McNulty provided the final answer in the bottom of the eighth, lacing a two-run triple to push the advantage back to five at 11–6. Asbury finished with 10 hits, six walks, and two hit batters.
Each Manchester surge was met with steady pitching and clean defense from the Eagles, who committed no errors on the night. Starter Ryan Yates handled most of the early traffic, working 5.0 innings while allowing five hits and two runs with four strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.
Senior Adam Campbell was the first out of the bullpen for AU, tossing 2.2 innings and striking out four. Freshman Wesley Stewart closed the door with a clean ninth inning, recording two strikeouts to secure the win.
Manchester's bullpen stabilized the game after the early damage. Reliever Jackson Todor logged 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out six over 100 pitches to keep the Spartans within striking distance.
AU will look ahead tomorrow where they host games two and three against Manchester University in Winchester, Ky. at George Rogers Clark High School starting at 1 PM.
"It was a great team win. Both sides of the ball were clicking and had great energy all game. Always good to start the series in the win column."
Cam Weaver | Graduate Student | MBA | Peewee Valley, Ky.
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Cam Weaver | 3-5, 3 RBI
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Aaron Beaman | 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI
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Josh McNulty | 2-4, 3 RBI
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Ryan Yates | 5 IP, 4 K, 2 ER, W (1-1)
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Wesley Stewart | IP, 2 K
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Andrew Billington | 3 BB, 3 R
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Avery Hare | 1-2, 2 RBI
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Ben Krza | 1-3, 2R
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