WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace College's softball team dropped a pair of contests to St. Francis on Tuesday afternoon to close out the home portion of the 2023 season.

Grace (11-28, 10-24 Crossroads League) battled hard in game one, dropping the hard fought contest 4-2, before falling 13-3 in the final game of the double header. 

The Lancers took an early lead in game one. Taylor Hodgen hit a leadoff triple and came in to score two batters later. Cassie Hayes hit a soft grounder towards the pitcher, and Hodgen raced home and slid safely under the tag of the Cougars' (18-24, 12-20 CL) catcher to put Grace ahead 1-0.

USF answered back in the next half inning with a two-out triple that scored a runner from first base to bring the game even at one apiece.

The Cougars nabbed their first lead of the game in the fourth inning with a solo home run to edge ahead of Grace 2-1.

In the fifth inning Bree Gardinier matched USF's long ball with one of her own. Gardinier went to the opposite side of the field with her home run, blasting the ball over the right field fence to tie the game at 2-2.

The Cougars used some two-out magic in the sixth inning to reclaim the lead for good. USF plated two runs in the sixth inning to capture the 4-2 lead.

The Lancers were unable to find the needed offense late, and dropped the opener 4-2.

Hodgen reached bases on all three trips to the plate and Cassie Hayes had a two hit game.  

In game two Hodgen continued her perfect day at the plate, as she started Grace off with a leadoff walk. Jeri Ellis also reached base with a single.

Hayes got her second RBI of the game with a double that scored Hodgen and Ellis crossed the plate after a sacrifice fly from Tia O'Connor that gave the Lancers a 2-0 lead after the first inning.

Both teams scattered hits across the middle innings until USF's offense came alive in the fifth inning. The Cougars had five players reach base safely in the inning as they leapfrogged the Lancers for a 3-2 lead.

Hodgen reached base via a walk for the third time in game two as the Lancers looked to draw even in the bottom of the fifth.

Grace would tie the game at 3-3 when O'Connor's sacrifice fly served its purpose as Hodgen reached home safely to draw the game even.

The Cougars responded with two runs in the sixth and eight more runs in the seventh to take a commanding 13-3 lead. Grace went down in order to close out the seventh as the Lancers dropped game two 13-3.

Hodgen reached six times in the afternoon. Her line was two hits, three walks and one hit by pitch. Hayes also shined offensively with four hits in five recorded at bats.

The Lancers will return to action on Thursday as they close out the regular season against Mt. Vernon.