MARION, Ind. - Grace's baseball team picked up a signature win on the season on Saturday.
The Lancers split a doubleheader at No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan, winning the opener 9-3 before falling 8-6 in the final game.
The Wildcats won the four-game series after sweeping Grace on Friday.
The first inning of the opener saw five runners cross home plate. In the top of the first, Grace plated three times.
Patrick Danforth led off the game with a single and stole second base. Austin Carr's single drove in Danforth. Sam Newkirk stepped up and blasted a two-run homer to put Grace ahead 3-0.
The Wildcats countered with two runs in the bottom of the first, but Grace largely kept IWU quiet the rest of the game.
IWU only scored one more run over the final eight innings as Grace's pitching and defense shined.
Jake Decker threw the first 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and three runs.
Hunter Schumacher and Evan Etchison took care of the rest from the bullpen. Schumacher surrendered just one hit and no runs over 2.2 innings, and Etchison threw two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to secure the victory.
Grace seemed to score in bunches, scoring three in the fourth and three more in the seventh.
In the fourth, Houston Haney drove in a pair with a single, and Dalton Turner later came home on a fielder's choice.
Carr sparked Grace's scoring in the seventh with a two-run home run, and Turner's RBI allowed Braden Compton to score.
Carr finished 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBIs, and Newkirk was 2 for 4 with two RBIs.
Danforth had 2 hits, 2 runs and 1 stolen base, Haney was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Jeff Pawlik finished 2 for 5 with a run scored.
In the second game, Grace kept its momentum by scoring two runs in the top of the first.
Newkirk and Alex Rich had a pair of two-out RBI singles to give Grace an early 2-0 lead.
That lead held until the bottom of the third when IWU tied the game. The Wildcats then added six more runs over the next three innings to take a lead.
Grace had one more chance to stay alive in the bottom of the seventh while facing an 8-3 deficit.
Grace quickly scored one run before any outs were recorded. The Lancers added two more runs thanks to a double from Pawlik, cutting the deficit to 8-6. But with two runners in scoring position, Grace was retired on the final at-bat with a ground ball to end the rally.
The Lancers had six hits in the game, all from six different hitters. Newkirk was 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Compton scored twice while pinch running for him.
Danforth was 1 for 2 with two runs and a stolen base, Haney hit 1 for 2 with a run, and Pawlik was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.
The Lancers have one series remaining in the regular season. Grace will play at Goshen on Friday and Saturday next week. The Lancers currently sit ninth in the Crossroads League behind Bethel. The top-eight teams in the standings qualify for the Crossroads League Tournament.
