RICHMOND – The Earlham College baseball team dropped its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener to Manchester University 9-6 in Sadler Stadium on Saturday evening. 

The Quakers fell to 10-5 on the season, while the Spartans improved to 9-7.

Dillon Fischer started the game on the mound and threw 5.2 innings with eight hits, three earned runs, and six strikeouts. Nick Carrizales was credited with the loss after tossing 2.2 innings with three hits and three runs. 

Ian Bullis had the only multi-hit performance for the Quakers with two hits on four at bats. The freshman scored two runs. Max Fries had a two-run homer in  the bottom of the seventh inning that gave Earlham its first lead in the contest. 

The Spartans got on the board in the top of the first inning with a run-scoring double. The visitors then added two more runs in the top of the third inning. 

In the bottom of the third, Christian Lancianese swung at the first pitch he saw for a double to center field. After advancing on a wild pitch, he came home on a ball put in play by Nathan Lancianese to give Earlham its first run. 

Manchester added an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning, and Bullis reached home on a double-play ball in the bottom of the frame. 

The Quakers chipped away at the lead with a sacrifice fly from Easton Embry bringing Carter Vilevac home in the bottom of the sixth inning. Then Fries hit his deep shot in the bottom of the seventh inning for two more runs to give EC a 5-4 lead. 

Manchester scored twice in the top of the eighth inning, and Sean Jeffries recorded an RBI on an outfield single in the bottom of the eighth. 

Leading by one heading into the final inning, Manchester scored three runs on the Quaker bullpen. 

Earlham will be back  in action tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Spartans beginning at noon in Sadler Stadium.