WINONA LAKE, Ind. — Grace's softball team won a pair of defensive battles against Goshen on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers won 2-1 and 5-2 on Senior Day, giving Grace the chance to clinch a berth to the Crossroads League Tournament. Grace can secure a tournament appearance by winning at least one game on Monday in the regular season finale against Marian, or by seeing Goshen lose at least one game on Monday.
Grace won the opener despite struggling mightily on offense. The Lady Lancers (16-32, 10-24 CL) could only muster three hits but still won 2-1.
Hannah Middlebrooks pitched the complete game victory from the mound. The freshman gave up six hits on one run with three strikeouts.
Grace scored in the bottom of the first inning, and the hosts held the lead the rest of the way. Hannah Herbster reached base on an error and stole second. Kyleigh Garner then singled to bring in Herbster.
In the fifth, Abby Mozingo hit a two-out RBI single to plate Sam Heim for an important insurance run.
Goshen cut Grace's lead to 2-1 in the sixth without recording a hit. The Maple Leafs (16-35-1, 8-24-1 CL) used two walks, a ground ball and a sacrifice fly to score.
Middlebrooks took care of the rest, shutting out the Maple Leafs for the rest of the contest.
Grace's bats came alive in the second game, racking up 12 hits in a 5-2 victory. Grace's speed on the basepaths also proved to play a factor as the Lady Lancers swiped seven bases.
The Lady Lancers scored again in the opening inning and maintained that lead. Heim and Mozingo started the game with back-to-back singles and immediately caused havoc on the basepaths. The pair stole bases, and Herbster put Grace ahead with an RBI single.
Both teams scored a run in the fourth inning, and the Lady Lancers tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth. Paige Hlutke and Heim laid down squeeze bunts on back-to-back plays to give Grace a four-run lead.
Goshen used a solo home run in the top of the seventh to keep pressure on Grace, but Chandler Elliott pitched her way around the Maple Leafs to secure the victory.
Elliott threw the complete game, yielding seven hits and two runs in a strong effort.
Heim hit 3-for-4 with 3 stolen bases, 1 run and 1 RBI, and Britney Young was 2-for-3 with two runs. Ashley Kleinbub had 2 hits, 1 run and 1 steal, and Hlutke was a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of runs driven in.
The Lady Lancers end the regular season on Monday, playing at 3 p.m. doubleheader at No. 2 Marian.
