Malott, Manning Blast Grand Slams in No. 1 Taylor’s 15-5 CL Tournament Victory Over Spring Arbor

Crossroads League Championships Central

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Much like it has all season, No. 1 Taylor's high-powered offense took over and carried the Trojans to victory in its opening game of the Crossroads League Tournament. The top-seeded Trojans (46-4) responded to an early five-run deficit with 15 unanswered runs, dispatching the host and No. 6 seed Spring Arbor by a 15-5 final in seven innings at Burbridge Field.

Jordan Malott, who finished a single shy of the cycle, and Brayden Manning each belted grand slams while Nate Simpson also produced four runs to lead the Trojans. Malott finished 3-for-4 (HR, 2B, 3B, BB) and delivered six runs, while Manning went 2-for-4 (HR, 2B, 2 BB) with four runs produced, along with Simpon's 3-for-5 effort with a pair of doubles and season-high four RBIs.

Spring Arbor (24-24) jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the opening frame, with the home crowd erupting after a grand slam by Brenden Phillips. The Cougars loaded the bases after a leadoff single and pair of hit batters, which was followed by a bases-loaded walk to plate the first run. The next batter was Phillips who drove a long ball over the right-field fence to swing the momentum. JT Tabor came on in his second straight relief appearance to escape the jam and the Trojans went to work.

TU never flinched and drew three consecutive walks before setting up Malott's big blast in the bottom of the first, as his first grand slam swiftly pulled the Trojans back within a run, 5-4. The senior first baseman registered his team-leading 15th home run and the 49th of his collegiate career, while running his season RBI total to 78. Malott moved into second place for most single-season RBIs by a Trojan and is tied for fifth in single-season home runs.

In the wild start to the contest, both starting pitchers failed to record an out.

In the second inning, TU plated three more runs in similar fashion. After three consecutive free passes, Malott drew a bases-loaded walk to even the score and Simpson singled through the right side to push across a pair and put the Trojans in front, 7-5.

Tabor stabilized things on the mound, tossing five shutout frames with four strikeouts as the freshman righty improved to 8-0 on the season. Fellow freshman Hunter Doran closed the door over the final two innings. The duo only allowed one runner to reach third base which came in the second inning.

TU moved in front 9-5 in the fourth inning when Malott roped an RBI ground-rule double and then scored on a fielding error.

Manning's grand slam came in the fifth inning – his 11th home run of the season and 38th long ball of his career, which also marked his fourth career homer in CL Tournament play. The senior has now tallied a new single-season personal best 66 RBIs this spring.

That was followed by Simpson's first of two RBI doubles in back-to-back plate appearances to put the Trojans ahead 14-5, with his second two-bagger sealing the game via run-rule in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Trojans outhit the Cougars 13-6 and scored double-digit runs for the 31st time this season. Fletcher Roemmich, Luke Sutter, Ben Kennedy, Sam Gladd and Rylee Singleton each recording a base knock. Roemmich extended his on-base streak to 61 games and his hitting streak to 17, while Sutter extended his on-base streak to 23 consecutive outings.

No. 1 Taylor returns to CL Tourney action tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. against No. 23 Marian. The third-seeded Knights fell 6-1 to fifth-seeded Indiana Wesleyan on Thursday night.