MADISONVILLE, Tenn. — Grace College's baseball team looked to bounce back from both of yesterday's losses as they faced Hiwassee in another doubleheader on Saturday.
The Lancers failed to come away with a victory in its second doubleheader of the 2017 season. Grace could not get the offense going in the first game as they were shut out in the opener 6-0. The second game was a closer matchup, but key defensive errors were costly as the Tigers won 6-4.
Game one of Saturday's doubleheader mirrored the play of game one on the previous day. Logan Grigsby made his first start of his senior season. The Lancers struggled offensively for most of the game.
Hiwassee scored its first run of the afternoon on a balk with runners already on second and third as Grigsby failed to come set. He limited the damage after that, not allowing another run in the inning.
The Tigers scored their second run in the third inning after taking advantage of a walked batter. A stolen base, followed by a single, gave Hiwassee a 2-0 lead. Grace had no answer at the plate.
Grace let the deficit get out of hand in the fifth inning. Jacob Hammel replaced Grigsby on the mound. The first batter was walked followed by a two-run home run over the right field fence. Three runs followed the home run giving Hiwassee a 6-0 lead.
The lone offensive bright spot for the Lancers during the first game was Chase Baker. He had the Lancers only three hits in the game, including a double to deep centerfield. Grigsby finished with two earned runs on three hits and three walks, as he struck out six. Jake Farley made his Lancers' debut. The freshman pitched one perfect inning in the top of the seventh.
Hiwassee's two pitchers had a combined shutout, as the Lancers recorded 11 strikeouts in game one.
The second game of the day was tightly contested, similar to Friday's second game. Grace battled hard to overcome an early 2-0 lead. The Lancers took advantage of three Hiwassee errors to push two runs across in the third inning, and they did not stop there. Austin Baker doubled to deep centerfield to drive in the go-ahead run. The Lancers led 3-2 in the third.
Hiwassee tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. A triple and a wild pitch tied the score at three. The Lancers answered in the top of the fifth as Austin Baker drove in another run to help Grace regain the lead 4-3.
Grace's defense struggled in the bottom of the fifth as two errors and several wild pitches helped Tiger runners work their way around the bases. A double followed by two singles and a balk put Hiwassee back in the lead 6-4.
The Lancers were not able to recover, as they could not get another hit after the fifth inning. The Tigers held on to win the second game of the series 6-4.
Austin Baker went 2-for-3 in the second game with two RBIs. Gavin Bussard went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Hunter Ackerman advanced his way around the bases by drawing two walks, stealing a base and scoring two runs.
David Anderson made his freshman debut on the mound. As the starting pitcher, he put in 4.2 innings of work. He allowed six runs, but only two were earned. He struck out six and only gave up five hits. Logan Swartzentruber provided 1.3 innings of relief. He did not give up a hit.
The Lancers will try to pick up their first win of the season when they travel to Kentucky next weekend to face Asbury. They will play a doubleheader on both Friday and Saturday. First pitch of game one will be at 12 p.m.
