“Jake, are you an atheist?” Brady Woborny joked Wednesday night in Topeka. His teammates, gathered in a circle outside the ballpark fence, all guffawed in unison.

The question was directed at junior Jake Steinbring, the young man responsible for even more laughs moments prior, when his bat flew out of his hands when he swung at a Highland Park pitch.

Steinbring’s response was lost in the commotion, but no one seemed to care — the entire Manhattan High baseball team was in too good of a mood. And it’s hard to blame the Indians, because they were just minutes removed from the final out of a sweep of Highland Park, two run-rule decisions that were blown open quickly after each began.

The first game saw MHS jump on the Scots early en route to a 14-2 dismantling, while the nightcap was hardly different, as Manhattan ran away with an easy 16-2 blowout.

The sweep comes just a day after Manhattan split with Junction City Tuesday, when MHS thrashed the Bluejays 14-4 in game one but had the script flipped in game two, a 13-3 run-rule defeat.

For that reason, coming off the loss in which his team committed a number of errors and defensive miscues, Manhattan head coach Don Hess was glad for the opportunity to get back on track against the Scots, a league standings bottom-dweller at 0-14 for the season.

“For us, this was the exact kind of doubleheader we needed,” Hess said.

Furthermore, after senior captain and catcher Tanner Holen went down for the season and dislocated his thumb Wednesday, the runaway victories provided a way for Manhattan to play with different lineups without risking a loss. Junior Chance Henderson, the team’s everyday third baseman, took up catching duties, while backup infielder Jalin Harper, sophomore, manned third base.

Still, though, Hess and his staff haven’t cemented any plans in the way of lineups and positions post-Holen injury.

“It’s going to be a work in progress. I’m not sure we’re done tinkering just yet, because that’s what a devastating injury will do to a team,” Hess said. “But we have to carry on, and we have to do our best, and [the players] have to do their best to man those spots.”

If allowing just four runs combined in the two games, perhaps the defense is in a good place. But Wednesday night, it was Manhattan’s offense that made a statement.

The 30 combined runs the Indians scored came off just 20 hits — 10 in each game —  as they also drew 12 walks on the night and scored six runs on wild pitches. So when Manhattan wasn’t feasting on Highland Park pitchers, it was drawing walks, stealing bases and manufacturing runs, a performance Hess was pleased to watch play out.

“If you look at our team batting average, it’s about .370. So we’re scoring runs; we’re getting base hits; we’re doing those things,” he said. “We have really good team speed, and so when we get guys on base, we feel like we can manufacture runs that way.”

Outfielder Darien Stokes did his best to personify that style of play in game two, as the senior went 2-for-2, stole two bases, scored three runs and drove in one as well.

“These were the two that we definitely needed to handle business; save some arms, too,” he said. “I think we accomplished that goal.”

And indeed, Manhattan had its way on offense — the scoreboard is evidence. The Indians’ pitching, however, also stood out to Hess after the game. Senior Luke Grieger and Woborny combined to finish game one in six innings, while sophomore Carson Marsh and seniors Josh Chapman and Brett Fields all hurled in the second game’s five frames. With two games still to play on Friday against Hayden, Hess appreciated the chance to experiment with his options on the mound.

“Any time you play six games in four days, you’re always worried about pitching,” he said. “And this allowed us to not only back off some arms, but be able to throw some other arms in there that we normally don’t see.”

By the same token, pitching is what will occupy Hess’ mind ahead of Friday’s home twinbill. Without any specific names in mind, though, aside from Marsh, who the coaching staff pulled after two innings for rest, who takes the hill remains to be determined.

“First and foremost, we’ve got to have quality pitching. Friday, we’ve got to get a good pitching effort,” Hess said. “We don’t know who’s going to throw for us, so we’re just going to have to see who’s healthy.”

And though he won’t take the field Friday, Holen will be in the dugout Friday — a welcome return for the Indians.

“Out of us three captains, he’s kind of the intense one. He’ll get on some of the underclassmen, and that’s something we’ll have for Friday,” Stokes said. “On the field, we’re going to miss his bat, and most importantly his defense, because he’s something special behind the plate.”