WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's softball team came up short on Senior Day, losing to Mt. Vernon Nazarene twice on Friday.

The Lady Lancers (10-36, 6-28 Crossroads League) outhit MVNU in the opening game at Coach Phil Dick Field. But the Cougars still pulled out a pair of wins by the score of 7-6 and 5-1.

Grace amassed 16 hits in the opener, but the Lady Lancers struggled to consistently score runs.

In the first inning, Grace scored the majority of its runs. Grace started the inning with five straight hits. Sam Heim doubled and was brought in to score by a single from Erin Lawhon.

Not long after, Jessica Kaurich unleashed a three-run home run to left field for a 4-0 lead.

The Cougars responded with a four-run outburst of their own in the third, and MVNU pulled ahead 7-4 in the top of the fourth.

Heim scored for Grace in the bottom of the sixth, and Grace had the makings of a rally in the seventh.

Olivia Scarbrough led off the inning with a double, and she stole third base. Scarbrough then plated off an RBI single by Andrea Castillo to make the score 7-6. But Castillo was left on base with a fly out to center field to end the game.

Heim hit 3 for 5 with two runs and two stolen bases, and she also pitched the final 3 2/3 innings with no runs and five strikeouts.

Lawhon batted 3 for 3 with 1 run, 1 hit and 1 walk, and Kaurich was 3 for 4 with a run and three RBIs. Young had two hits, Jess Vandenboom doubled, and Scarbrough was 2 for 4.

Grace stranded 10 baserunners in the game to go along with a 16-12 advantage in hits.

In the second game, the contest was a pitchers' duel for the first five innings. MVNU plated a run in the first, and Grace answered in the second.

Hannah Harless hit a two-out double in the second, and she raced home after a single by Michaela Lee.

The game remained 1-1 until the top of the fifth. The Cougars plated four runs, all with two outs in the inning. MVNU had a timely two-run double and stayed alive thanks to a throwing error by Grace.

The Lady Lancers had no response offensively and went hitless for the final two innings.

Emily Bobb batted 1 for 2, Harless was 1 of 3 with a run, and Lee was 1 for 3 with an RBI.

The Lady Lancers will end their season at home on Saturday with a doubleheader against Goshen. The games will start at 10 a.m. with weather expected to be a factor at some point during the day.