Manchester rolls past West Union, extends run-rule winning streak

Manchester’s season changed fast after the Lady Greyhounds left Georgetown with a 7-6 extra-inning loss on March 21. Since erasing a five-run first-inning deficit in that opener, Matthias Applegate’s team has ripped off five straight run-rule victories, outscoring opponents 79-13 and looking like one of the county’s most dangerous spring teams.

That surge was on display again April 8 on the Lady Dragons’ home field in West Union. Manchester jumped on starter Addison Mashburn in its first at-bat, scoring three runs before the inning was over. Matthias Applegate drove in Addilyn Hunter for the first run, and two more runs crossed on West Union fielding miscues as the Lady Greyhounds immediately put the game in control.

West Union did answer once in the bottom of the first. Lylah Adams drew a walk and later scored when Manchester threw the ball away, but that was the only real opening the Lady Dragons created before Manchester settled back in and finished another run-rule win. The early exchange lasted only one inning, yet it told the story of the night: Manchester was sharp enough to capitalize on mistakes, while West Union could not keep the game from slipping away.

The result carries weight beyond one April game in Adams County. Manchester finished 18-6 in 2025, and this early stretch suggests that production has carried into 2026 without much interruption. A team that can take a loss in Georgetown, respond with five straight run-rule decisions, and keep piling up crooked innings is not just winning games, it is setting the tone for the local softball landscape.

Manchester has also made a habit of using West Union as a statement opponent. The Lady Greyhounds beat the Lady Dragons 7-0 in 2024, scoring seven runs in the top of the first, and this latest meeting followed the same pattern of a quick strike and a game that never recovered for West Union. With Applegate driving the offense and the lineup producing runs in bunches, Manchester has become a team Adams County will keep tracking closely as the season develops.