MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Grace's softball team and Mt. Vernon Nazarene split a doubleheader in Ohio on Friday.

The Lady Lancers (23-18, 16-12 Crossroads League) eased to a 7-0 victory in the opener, but the Cougars (17-20, 14-14 CL) held on for a 5-4 win in game two to split the day.

Chandler Elliott handcuffed the Cougars from the mound in the first game. The freshman hurler held MVNU to five hits in a complete-game shutout. The Cougars had zero extra-base hits against Elliott's pitching.

Grace started the game with three straight hits, allowing Brooke Shell to score after her leadoff double in the first inning. Shell drove in Grace's second run with a two-out single in the second to plate Kati Gregory.

Grace tacked on two more runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to ease away for the win.

Shell was 3-for-4 with two runs from the leadoff position. Hannah Herbster and Elliott each batted 2-for-4, and Alex Shipley was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.

In the second game, the Cougars did all their damage in the first inning. MVNU jumped out to a 5-0 lead with five singles and a double.

The Cougars were held to two hits for the rest of the contest, but the margin proved too much to overcome.

Grace did its best to rally with one run in the third and three more in the sixth. Samantha Johnson singled in one run in the sixth, and Shell drove in two more with a two-out double later in the inning to make the score 5-4. Grace put the potential game-tying run on second base in the seventh with one out, but the Lady Lancers were retired with a fly out and a ground out.

Shell had another 3-for-4 performance with two RBIs. Elliott, Herbster and Johnson each batted 2-for-4. Hannah Adams tossed 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, and Allison Franklin pitched another scoreless inning.

The Lady Lancers have another road doubleheader on Saturday, playing at Huntington at 1 p.m.