Series Split: Manes’ pitching, hitting lead Dragons in win over Marauders

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2003

New Palestine’s Luke Legault stomps on home plate after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against Mt. Vernon at New Palestine High School on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. It was the second solo home run of the inning for New Palestine, as Maddox Manes hit one while Legault was on deck. (Richard Sitler/Daily Reporter)

NEW PALESTINE — Faced with a near must-win situation, New Palestine went to one of its main men — senior Maddox Manes.

Manes threw six strong innings and hit one of the longest home runs ever seen by his veteran coach to lead the Dragons to an 8-2 victory over visiting Mt. Vernon, Wednesday.

The teams split their two-game Hoosier Heritage Conference series. The Marauders won 2-1 in Fortville on Tuesday.

The Dragons improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the HHC. Mt. Vernon is 6-3 and 5-1. New Castle leads the conference with a 6-0 league record. The eight league teams play 14 conference games.

“That was a tough loss (Tuesday). We played well. Mt. Vernon beat us. We didn’t lose that game,” New Palestine head coach Shawn Lyons said. “We challenged them in the locker room. We have to overcome a tough loss, but we were going with a guy that’s been in our program, Maddox Manes, for a long time. We told them we were going to lean on him. We’d help him out, but we were going to ride his coattails.”

Manes went six innings and gave up five hits, three came in the first inning. He struck out eight and was able to pitch around four walks.

Leading 6-2 in the fourth, he helped his own cause with a long home run to left-center field. It was the first of back-to-back long balls. Luke Legault followed with one of his own for the final runs of the game.

“He battled on the mound and he hit probably, and I’ve been here a while, one of the longest home runs I’ve ever seen here,” Lyons, who is in his 12th year as head coach after being a long-time assistant, said. “He did a really good job at the plate and on the mound and we did a good job of execution tonight. Our bunt game was really good and we put pressure on their defense.”

The Dragons had nine hits off Mt. Vernon starter Joseph Wilson, who had not given up an earned run prior to Wednesday, and reliever Russell Weaver. The first seven hits, before the two home runs, were singles. Manes and Ben Morwick each had two hits.

“I felt like this was a really big test for us as a team, to see how we could bounce back after losing last night,” Manes said.

“I love it,” Manes added on being the Dragons go-to guy. “I love being looked up to as a leader and setting the tone for the rest my teammates. We feed off each other a lot.”

Mt. Vernon manufactured a first-inning run. Three singles, with a pair of stolen bases mixed in, gave the Marauders a 1-0 lead. Eli Bridenthal and Gavin Johnston opened the frame with back-to-back singles to left field. Bridenthal had stolen a base prior to Johnston’s blooper that dropped just in front of Dragons left fielder Morwick.

Johnston stole second on a Manes strikeout of Landon Clark. Konnor Scheidt followed with a single to right field to drive in Bridenthal. Manes got out of the inning with a strikeout and fielder’s choice.

The Dragons quickly answered with three in the bottom half of the inning.

All three runs came with two outs. Carter Stogsdill led off with a walk. Manes had a one-out single. With two out, Stogsdill moved to third on an errant pick-off throw. Zayden Stiller followed with a two-out single to left field to score Stogsdill. Manes moved to third. Courtesy runner Brayden Marrow stole second and both he and Manes scored on a single to right field by Wes Stiller.

“I thought (being down 1-0) was also a big test for us,” Manes said. “In past years we may have laid down and given up. We bounced back. Every time they scored we scored.

“(Tuesday) we took a lot of first-pitch strikes and got behind in the count. Tonight we were a lot more aggressive at the plate and had a better approach and mentality. I felt like we were hungrier, too.”

Mt. Vernon scored one in the third to cut it to 3-2, but the Dragons answered with another three-run inning in the bottom half.

In the Marauder half, with one out, Johnston walked. Scheidt drew a two-out walk and Johnston scored on an RBI-single to right field by Wilson.

For the Dragons, after Zayden Stiller was hit by a pitch and Wes Stiller drew a walk, Caleb Davis loaded the bases with a bunt single. Morwick followed with a bloop single to right field off the glove of MV outfielder Nathan Criss. Both Stillers scored on the play. Davis later scored on a wild pitch.

The final runs came on the fourth-inning homers, the second of the season for both hitters.

“It was probably the farthest ball I’ve ever hit,” Manes said of his shot over the left-center field fence. His teammates were estimated the distance of being over 400-feet. “It felt amazing. I’d been struggling in a couple games this year helping myself at the plate when I’ve been pitching. It gave me more adrenaline when I was (back on the mound).”

Both teams have eight more league games to go.

Mt. Vernon head coach Brad King was disappointed in the loss, but feels his team is in a good place, just one game back and still having New Castle on the schedule. The Dragons also have games to play against the Trojans.

Yorktown is also in the mix with a 6-2 HHC mark.

“We knew that was a good team (Tuesday night),” coach King said. “They came out and hit a little bit better and pitched a little bit better (Wednesday) than us. They earned that win. The good news is, we still have a one-game lead over them. New Castle is one-game up, but the good news, again, is we still have them to play.

“We kind of hold our destiny in our hands, but New Pal is a heckuva team.”

New Palestine 8, Mt. Vernon 2

Mt. Vernon (6-3, 5-1);101;000;0; —;2;5;1

New Palestine (5-3, 4-2);303;200;x; —;8;9;0

HR: Maddox Manes (NP), Luke Legault (NP).

WP: Manes (6.0 IP, 5H, 4 BB, 8K). LP: Joseph Wilson.