WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's baseball team was unable to knock off Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday in a doubleheader at Miller Athletic Complex.

The Lancers fell 11-10 and 7-3 in Grace's final home series of the Crossroads League season.

Grace will play one more set of games at home next week. The Lancers are set to host IU Kokomo for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday in their home finale.

In the opening game, the Cougars (31-14, 24-8 CL) jumped out to an early lead. MVNU used a two-out rally, culminating in a grand slam.

Grace wasted little time in responding. Cal Curiel reached base, and Austin Carr brought him home with a two-run homer to left field which sliced the deficit to 4-2.

MVNU continued scoring; the Cougars had five hits in the third to generate two more runs and claim a 6-2 lead.

But Grace had a response ready in the bottom of the third. Lucas Slager began the team's scoring with an RBI triple, and Jeff Pawlik hit a two-run homer for Grace's second long ball of the game.

Carr later drove in Curiel to provide the game-tying run at 6-6.

MVNU added a solo homer in the top of the fourth; the Cougars tacked on four more runs over the following innings to grab an 11-6 edge.

But Grace had a rally in store. During the eighth inning, Chris Griffin parked a two-run home run to center field to pull the Lancers within three.

The Lancers (16-29, 10-22 CL) continued to make the Cougars sweat into the ninth inning. Pawlik doubled and moved to third on a single. Carr allowed Pawlik to score on the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly.

Two more singles from Isaiah Herbster and Patrick Danforth allowed the Lancers to score again, bringing Grace to within one at 11-10.

But with two runners on base, the Lancers were retired with a strikeout to fall by a single run.

Kyle Aten pitched the longest stint, giving up four runs across five innings with three strikeouts. Zach Platt also threw 1.2 innings in relief with one run allowed.

Carr had two hits and four RBIs, and Pawlik was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Curiel recorded three hits and three runs, Danforth had three hits, and Griffin notched two hits and two RBIs.

In the second game, both Grace and MVNU registered eight hits apiece. But it was the Cougars who pulled out the 7-3 victory.

MVNU used the long ball again, scoring three of its runs via home runs. The Cougars pounced on Grace early with a four-run first inning.

MVNU added a run in the second and fourth innings to seize control.

Grace did its best to keep pace. Danforth hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first, and Curiel raced home in the second off a ground ball.

Grace still trailed 6-2 after five innings. Both teams plated once in the sixth inning; Carr drove in Slager during Grace's half of the inning.

But the Lancers were unable to pull any closer to the Cougars and fell by four.

Isaiah Herbster, Caleb Farney, Hunter Schumacher, Kameron Koch and Jake Cox combined to pitch the game for the Lancers.

Slager hit 2 for 3 with a run scored, and Carr was 2 for 3 with an RBI.