Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 RICHMOND, Ind. — For the second time this season, Sam  Ward started a post-game celebration for the Earlham College baseball team with one swing.

"It was definitely one of my better baseball moments," said Ward (Bay Village, OH, Bay). "More than anything, it was just a huge win. We were just trying to salvage the series and have a good Easter."

Ward's three-run blast over the right field fence gave the Quakers a 9-6 victory over Manchester College in the second game of Friday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference twinbill on John Cate Field at McBride Stadium. The Spartans won the opener 7-4.

Trailing 6-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Tyler Schroeder (Richmond, IN, Richmond) got the game-winning rally started with a one-out single.

One batter later and after Schroeder moved to second base on a wild pitch, the Quakers were down to their final out when Ted Williams (Harper Woods, MI, Grosse Pointe North) tied the contest with a sharp single to right.

With the contest now tied, Ward was hoping to win the game with a hit as Earlham Head Coach Steve Sakosits offered some advice.

"Ted had that big single to tie it," Ward said. "Coach Sak told me to get a fastball and try to get a single."

Ward was able to do so much more.

"I saw the pitch come in and turned on it," he said. "I hit it down the line and it happened to go out. For a second, I thought it was going to hook foul."

As the ball stayed straight, Ward had his first collegiate homer. Ward's other walk-off hit this season was a ninth-inning RBI single in a 10-9 win over Wilmington College on March 27.

Earlham never led in the second game before Ward's hit.

Manchester (13-12, 5-5) built an early lead with a run in the second inning and two more in the third.

The Quakers were able to tie the game in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Taylor Gibson (Cumberland, IN, Mt. Vernon) and a two-run single by Ryan Hayes (New Lebanon, OH, Dixie).

The Spartans bounced back with a run in the fourth before Earlham's Blake Welch (Lynn, IN, Randolph Southern) tied tied the game at 4-4 with a RBI single in the bottom of the frame.

In the fifth, Manchester scored again as did the Quakers to make it 5-5. Gibson, who had doubled, scored on a Manchester error as Ward beat out an infield single resulting in a wild throw allowing Gibson to take the extra base.

Manchester scored its final run against Earlham starter Caleb Brown (Newark, OH, Granville) in the seventh inning. Brown pitched to one batter in the seventh before getting help from Adam Warning (Ft. Wright, KY, Covington Catholic).

Brown worked six innings and gave up six runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts. Warning (4-2), who got the win, surrendered just two hits as he tossed three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Schroeder led the Quakers with three hits, while Gibson and Ward had two hits each.

In the opener, Manchester was on top 4-0 before the Quakers were able to score in the bottom of the fourth inning on a home run by Hayes. He now has four this season and 10 in his career, which puts him in fifth place on Earlham's all-time homer list. He passed Derreck Parkevich, who had nine from 2003-06.

The Spartans added three more runs to lead 7-1 until the Quakers scored in the sixth. RBI singles by Andy McCoppin (Middletown, OH, Madison) and Matt Brankle (Kokomo, IN, Taylor) made it 7-3. Schroeder knocked in the final tally on a fielder's choice.    

Hayes led the Quakers with a pair of hits.

Justin Broach (Centerville, OH, Centerville) started on the mound for the Quakers and left with one out in the sixth. Broach (0-1) gave up seven runs (four earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts to take the loss. Colton Miller (Auburn, IN, Dekalb) finished the contest as he held the Spartans scoreless on three hits.

Earlham (12-12, 2-8) returns to action on Tuesday at Bluffton University. The HCAC 9-inning affair gets underway at 4 p.m.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score