WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's baseball team secured the series victory over Goshen by sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Lancers won three of the four-game series with Goshen to kick off the Crossroads League season.
Grace secured the series by winning 16-12 and 13-11 on Saturday in a pair of high-scoring affairs. The series also opened up the home season for the Lancers (9-8, 3-1 CL).
The game started tamely with the teams even at 1-1 after three innings.
But Goshen took advantage of a trio of Lancer errors during the middle innings, pouring in nine runs to take a commanding 10-1 lead.
Grace was undaunted. The Lancers responded with a six-inning rally in the bottom of the sixth to pull within three at 10-7.
Sam Newkirk and Cal Curiel started the rally with run-scoring hits, and Jake Cox also drove in a run.
The final three runs came with two outs. Jeff Pawlik produced a two-run double to keep Grace's momentum going, and a wild pitch also allowed Patrick Danforth to race home.
In the seventh, Austin Carr launched a two-run home run to pull the Lancers within one at 10-9.
Later in the inning, Danforth singled to score another and tie the game. A few batters later, a sacrifice fly from Alex Rich put the Lancers on top for the first time at 11-10.
Chris Griffin followed that up with a two-run, two-out double to grow Grace's lead to 13-10.
The Maple Leafs countered with two runs in the top of the eighth, but Carr homered for the second time in the bottom of the eighth to extend Grace's cushion.
The Lancers also added a two-out rally in the eighth; two singles from Tyler Cwik and Danforth started the rally, and both runners scored after a double from Pawlik.
Hunter Schumacher took care of Goshen in the top of the ninth, retiring the Maple Leafs without a run to secure the Lancers' win.
Carr had 2 homers, 3 runs and 3 RBIs, and Pawlik hit 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two doubles. Danforth had three runs and three hits, Cwik had 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs scored, and Griffin went 2 for 5 with a pair of runs driven in.
Kyle Aten handled the first five innings from the mound, giving up two earned runs with four strikeouts.
The second game was filled with back-and-forth rallies. Grace struck first with a three-run first, nearly batting through the lineup.
Goshen countered with eight runs across the next two innings to take the lead, but Grace's bats had no trouble producing runs as well.
The Lancers scored in every inning that they batted, slowly eating away at Goshen's margin.
Carr had a run-scoring double in the second and a two-run home run in the fourth to aid Grace's attack. His homer in the fourth cut the deficit to 8-7.
After relief pitcher Bret Wilhelmi held Goshen scoreless in the top of the fifth, Grace took the lead in the bottom of the inning.
The Lancers erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fifth, taking the lead for good. Curiel, Jake Cox, Cwik and Danforth all plated in the inning.
Grace added two more runs in the sixth for insurance. The first came after a perfectly-placed squeeze bunt by Pawlik; the second was a sac fly by Carr.
Goshen generated three runs over the final two innings, but it was not enough as Grace won 13-11.
Carr had a double, a home run and five RBIs, and Curiel was 4 for 4 with two runs scored. Cox and Cwik plated two times apiece, and Danforth was 3 for 4 with a pair of runs.
Griffin had two hits and two RBIs, and Newkirk had two hits and two runs.
Wilhelmi was Grace's most effective hurler, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings of work.
The Lancers will remain home next week at Miller Athletic Complex for a Thursday/Friday doubleheader against Spring Arbor. Games each day are scheduled to begin at noon.
