District baseball, softball comes to Manchester

The Manchester varsity baseball and softball teams will not have to travel far to begin their journey through the playoffs.
The Division 3 district tournament will take place at Manchester High School this year, beginning with the pre-district (first round) games June 1. The district semifinals and final will be played June 5.
The winners of each district will advance to the Division 3 regional tournament, which takes place June 12 at Grass Lake.
In both the baseball and softball brackets, Manchester will be joined by Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Ann Arbor Greenhills, Whitmore Lake and fellow Cascades Conference school Grass Lake.
In baseball, the pre-district game has Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard taking on Grass Lake. The winner will advance to face the Flying Dutchmen in the semifinal at 10 a.m. June 5. The other semifinal game pits Whitmore Lake against Ann Arbor Greenhills at 11 a.m. The district championship game will follow, beginning approximately at 2 p.m.
The softball brackets are similar to baseball, but with different start times. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and Grass Lake will face each other in the pre-district June 1, with the winner facing Manchester at 11 a.m. June 5. Whitmore Lake and Ann Arbor Greenhills will meet in the other district semifinal game at 10 a.m. June 5. The softball district final will also take place at approximately 2 p.m.
Manchester has a recently playoff history with most of its district competition. In baseball, the Dutchmen were eliminated by Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in the district final last year. Manchester advanced to the regional final with a victory over Whitmore Lake.
Two years ago, it was Whitmore Lake halting the Dutchmen’s season in the district semifinal. In 2007, Grass Lake took its first step toward the Division 3 state championship by defeating Manchester in a rain-delayed district final.
The Dutchmen faced two of the teams this season. Manchester swept a doubleheader from the Grass Lake Warriors May 20, winning 6-0 and 5-2. They also faced Whitmore Lake in their home opener April 13, coming away with a 14-13 loss to the Trojans.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard enters the baseball district as the odds-on-favorite. The Fighting Irish are currently 33-1 and are ranked No. 1 in the Division 3 state polls.
Manchester (13-14) placed third in the Cascades Conference behind East Jackson and Michigan Center. The Dutchmen are competing in the Cascades Conference Tournament this week.
The Manchester varsity softball team placed second in the Cascades Conference this year, finishing 18-11 overall and 10-4 in the league. The Dutch finished behind Grass Lake, which captured its first league softball title since 1995. The teams split a doubleheader May 20, with the Warriors winning the opener 6-3 and the Dutch answering with an 18-6 victory in the nightcap.
The Dutch also faced Whitmore Lake this season, posting a 14-0 victory April 13.
Last year, Manchester defeated both Grass Lake and Whitmore Lake to win its first district crown since 2006. The Dutch advanced to the Division 3 regional final, where they fell to state powerhouse Clinton. The Dutch have been eliminated from the postseason by the Redskins the past three seasons.