CLERMONT, Fla. – A challenging week of softball in Florida ended on a high note with a thrilling comeback over Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday.
Grace lost to Brandeis earlier in the day 3-2. The Lady Lancers also split two games on Thursday, losing to Michigan-Dearborn 7-4 before finishing the sweep of Bellevue 4-3.
 
MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 7, GRACE 4
On Thursday, Grace lost the first game by three to Michigan-Dearborn despite getting more hits than Wolverines. Grace jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings before the Wolverines rallied.
Michigan-Dearborn scored seven runs on nine hits as Grace's three fielding errors aided the Wolverines' cause. Michigan-Dearborn ripped off five runs in the top of the sixth, and the Lady Lancers were unable to push across another run after the third inning. Amanda Bowman tossed four solid innings from the mound, allowing one run. Kati Gregory was 3-for-3 with two doubles, Chandler Elliott had three hits, and Samantha Johnson was 2-for-3.
 
GRACE 4, BELLEVUE 3
Grace bounced back from the loss by finishing off the sweep of Bellevue, who is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
With the score knotted at 1-1 entering the sixth inning, Grace dealt the decisive blow with three runs in the top of the sixth. Elliott blasted an RBI double to start the scoring, and Hannah Herbster drove in two more with two outs in the inning. Bellevue did its best to rally with single tallies in the sixth and the seventh, but Elliott closed the door from the mound in the seventh to get the save. Hannah Adams earned the win by tossing six innings of five-hit ball against the Bruins.
 
BRANDEIS 3, GRACE 2
The first game on Saturday was a defensive battle. Brandeis struck first with a 2-0 lead after two innings. Herbster was responsible for both of Grace's runs in the game. Her ground ball scored Grace's first run in the bottom of the third, and her two-out triple in the fifth brought the Lady Lancers to within one run of the Judges. Grace had a runner in scoring position with one out in their final at-bats, but the Lady Lancers failed to cash in and lost by one.
Alex Shipley pitched well in relief, allowing three hits and one run in four innings. Elliott was 2-for-3 from the plate.
 
GRACE 11, MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 9
The final game from Florida was one of the most memorable. Grace scored five unanswered runs to stage a remarkable 11-9 comeback, getting revenge on Michigan-Dearborn.
The Lady Lancers led 2-0 early on with RBIs from Elliott and Gregory. The Wolverines responded by scoring nine runs over the next three innings, including a six-run third. Grace was not prepared to fade, however, plating multiple runs in each of the final four innings.
Grace trailed 9-6 entering the top of the sixth. Brooke Shell led off the inning with a double and scored off the bat of Clarissa Knight. Ashley Kleinbub's sac fly brought in Knight to trim the margin to one.
In the top of the seventh, Grace rallied for the win. Samantha Johnson sparked Grace with a leadoff single. After stealing second and third base, she scampered home to score on a passed ball to tie the game. Morgan Hutcheson blasted a triple to plate Shell for the go-ahead run, and Knight's RBI scored Hutcheson for an added insurance run. Brittany Turner took care of the rest in the bottom of the seventh, nabbing all three outs in the field to clinch the win.
Shipley tossed three scoreless innings of relief, holding the Wolverines hitless from the mound. Offensively, Grace racked up 17 hits with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 4 stolen bases. Kleinbub finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Herbster was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Shell, Hutcheson, Knight, Elliott and Gregory all notched two hits in the game.