MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Grace College's baseball team lost two games to Mt. Vernon Nazarene to close out the four-game series on Saturday afternoon.
The Lancers lost 4-3 in the first game and dropped the series finale 3-2. Both games were tightly contested throughout with the clinching run coming in walkoff fashion in both games.
The Cougars struck first in game one taking a 1-0 lead after the opening frame.
Grace struggled on offense with just two baserunners through three innings before coming alive in the fourth.
The fourth inning started off with a bang for the Lancers. Alex Rich hit the first pitch of the inning over the left field fence, tying the game at one.
Austin Carr followed up Rich's effort with a double. Carr would eventually be driven in by Jeff Pawlik to give Grace a 2-1 lead.
Mt. Vernon responded with a pair of hits in its half of the inning to tie the game at two apiece just past the midway point.
The Lancers would threaten again in the sixth inning. Braden Compton and Patrick Danforth were on second and third with just one out, but the next two batters went down on strikes as the Cougars avoided surrendering a run.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mt. Vernon regained the lead at 3-2 with a two-out home run.
Grace would return the favor in the eight inning. After working ahead in the count, Danforth hit a ball over the fence and just beyond the glove of a leaping Cougar fielder to knot the game up at three.
The Lancers would get one on in the ninth, but their chance of taking the lead would end when the runner was thrown out trying to steal second.
Mt. Vernon loaded the bases with just one out in the ninth to set the table for the win. Lancers' pitcher Hunter Schumacher would get a swinging strikeout for the second out, but a hard-hit ground ball from the next batter gave the Cougars the walk off 4-3 win.
Jake Decker got the start for the Lancers and pitched eight innings. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out three.
Carr and Danforth each had two hits. Rich, Danforth and Pawlik all drove in runs.
The second game had a familiar start with the Cougars once again jumping out to an early advantage. The Cougars scored two of their three baserunners in the first to grab the lead.
Grace got off to a slow offensive start before Chris Griffin got the Lancers on the board. Leading off the fourth inning, Griffin blasted a ball over the center field fence to draw the Lancers within one.
Later in the inning Carr would reach and eventually score off of a hit from Pawlik to tie the game at two.
The pitchers began to take over as the seven-inning affair reached its conclusion.
Mt. Vernon got a runner to third base in the sixth, but the Lancers held strong to force the Cougars to strand the go-ahead run.
In the seventh Pawlik led things off with a double. The Lancers used a bunt to advance him to third, but a strikeout followed by a flyout brought the Cougars back up to bat.
After working a walk to start the inning, the Cougars doubled in the winning run for the second walkoff of the day.
Pawlik had one RBI on two hits, and Griffin reached base twice and had the Lancers' lone home run in the game. RJ Synder and Danforth also had hits.
Kameron Koch pitched five solid innings. He allowed just two runs while striking out four. Bret Wilhelmi struck out one batter in relief.
The Lancers will return to action on Wednesday when they play Indiana Tech. Both games of the doubleheader will take place at Parkview Field (home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps) with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
