The Spartans came into Mansfield Friday, looking for what could have easily been theur first doubleheader sweep of the season. Instead, they got swept by the Mansfield Destroyers, who went from 1-10-1, to 3-10-1 in just one evening. Both games had similar stories; Spartans’ pitchers gave up an early lead, then the Spartans would claw their way back within reach, until finally falling short. Your finals scores were 9-4, and 13-7 for games 1 and 2 respectively. 

Jack Clifford was the unlucky starter in game 1. He opened things up with 4 runs allowed on two hits – including a Tristan Ciarlo 2-run home run – and three walks in the first inning. With a lack of pitchers on the roster, Clifford was left in for another 3 innings, finishing with a final statline of 4 IP, with 7 ER on 5 H, and 5 BB’s. Jacob Crystal was the reliever for the rest of game 1, throwing a solid 2 innings of 1-run ball, with only 3 hits to his credit. 

As feared, the pitching was of concern. That doesn’t hide the fact that the Spartans’ bats were unusually quiet Friday afternoon. They drove in 9 hits in game 1, but only got two of those hits with runners in scoring position, so circumstantially, the Spartans were not so successful on the plate. 

Matthew Alexander went 2-3 in the game at the plate in their 9-4 game 1 loss, and he was likely the only momentum the Spartans had that actually carried over to game 2. He ultimately ended up going 4-5 on the day, tacking on two more singles (alongside three walks) in game 2 of the doubleheader. Nonetheless, a 5-run first inning at the hands of Spartans starter Aaron Cole this time around was once again the cause of a lead they could not get back. Cole finished the evening with 3 IP, and 5 ER to his credit. 

Josh Martin was the ultimate final pitching arm the Spartans threw, stepping in relief in the 4th inning. With Cole out early, the word was once Martin had to leave, the Spartans would be forced to go to a position player’s arm the rest of the way. And sure enough -despite a back-and-forth scoring spree fueled by a Charlie Burton single in the 6th- the Spartans found themselves without anyone else to go to except Cole Rockwell, an infielder by trade.

He’d come in relief for blowouts before, and ironically enough repeated his performance he had against Rochester two weeks ago, throwing two pitches and forcing a flyout. 

The Spartans stepped up to the plate in the 7th with their last chance to score, down 13-5 in game 2. In typical Spartans fashion, they still fought. Off Camden New and Matthew Alexander’s pair of singles, accompanied by three other walks, the Spartans left the ballgame shrinking the lead to only 5 runs, losing 13-7. 

The Spartans fall to 9-8 on the season, still comfortably in second place in the Eastern Division. They move onto the Saltcats for a Saturday matchup, tomorrow evening.