WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's softball team lost 12-4 and 8-5 to Indiana Wesleyan in the final doubleheader of the regular season on Monday.

The Lady Lancers (26-23, 19-17 CL) had secured the No. 4 seed in this week's Crossroads League Tournament prior to Monday's games. The CL Tournament (tourney website) is hosted by Marian University and runs from Wednesday through Friday. Grace will play fifth-seeded Huntington on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the opening round.

Grace ends the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 1997. The Lady Lancers tied for the most league wins in a single season in program history and are seeking their second straight trip to a national tournament.

The Wildcats' long-ball hitting propelled IWU to a run-rule victory in the opener. Nine of IWU's 14 hits went for extra-bases, including a trio of home runs from Alex Springer.

Grace got off to a bright start in the first inning. After the Wildcats (43-10, 26-8 CL) scored one run in the top of the inning, the Lady Lancers responded with a grand slam in the bottom half. Samantha Johnson, Clarissa Knight and Chandler Elliott loaded up the bases, and Kati Gregory belted a two-out home run over the center field fence to put Grace ahead 4-1.

IWU struck back with a big second inning. The Wildcats scored six runs – five of which were unearned from a pair of Grace fielding errors.

Grace did not sniff the lead again as IWU plated five more times over the next three innings to end the game early. The Lady Lancers had two hits in both the fourth and fifth innings, but the hosts could not push another runner across home plate after the first inning.

Johnson and Elliott were both 2-for-3 with a run scored. Johnson also had a double.

In the second game, Grace outhit IWU 13-8 but lost in the final inning. The Lady Lancers had a hit in each of the first three innings but were unable to score.

The Wildcats made Grace pay over the first four innings with five runs on five hits. The Wildcats scored four of their first five runs with two outs against them.

Grace eventually chopped the Wildcats' lead to one with a four-run outburst in the fourth. Morgan Hutcheson came on as a pinch hitter with two outs and promptly laced a two-run triple to right field. Brooke Shell then scored two more runs with a double two at-bats later. Shell tied the game at 5-5 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth frame to score Hannah Herbster.

IWU scored three runs in response in the top of the seventh, homering on consecutive batters to pull ahead 8-5. Grace was poised to rally in its final at-bats with runners on second and third and one out, but the game ended with a strikeout, a walk and a pop out.

Shell was a sterling 2-for-3 with three RBIs, extending her current hitting streak to 23 games. Elliott was 3-for-3, and Brittany Turner batted 1-for-2 with a run.