NAPPANEE, Ind. - Grace's baseball team picked up two conference wins on Saturday afternoon, defeating Goshen 10-7 and 10-5. The Lancers also played one game on Friday night against the Maple Leafs, falling 9-5.
The originally scheduled doubleheader on Friday had to be moved to a neutral site after field conditions forced a change of venue for the series. The opener on Friday was back and forth in the early going, but Goshen used a six-run inning to seize control of the game down the stretch.
The Maple Leafs held an early 2-0 lead, scoring in the second inning. Grace responded in the fourth inning with a two-run blast from
Jose Ayala.
Goshen flipped the script in the fifth frame, plating six runs to push ahead 8-2.
The Lancers tried to chip away at the lead, scoring a run in each of the final three innings, but couldn't find enough offense in time.
Gabriel Maldonado homered in the seventh. An inning later, he added an RBI single up the middle. The final run was scored by
Carter Stogsdill after a defensive error on
Maximo De Leon's grounder allowed him to score.
Ayala and Maldonado combined for five of Grace's seven hits in the game. Each recorded two RBIs in the game as well.
In Saturday's doubleheader, the Lancers scored ten runs in each game, leading to a pair of wins.
Grace plated runs in the first three innings to establish an early lead. The Lancers opened up the game with three straight hits with Ayala's RBI single bringing home De Leon to start the scoring.
Matt Friesema added a sacrifice fly to bring home
Dalton Cody and Ayala scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 after one. In the second, De Leon doubled for the second time, bringing in LeBlanc. An inning later, Ayala reached and Friesema added another sac fly to score him.
The Maple Leafs worked to keep pace, scoring one in the second and two more in the fourth.
Trailing 6-3, Goshen stormed back with four runs in the seventh to take a one-run lead.
Grace, however, was ready to respond, scoring four of its own to reclaim the lead.
The Lancers loaded the bases with one out. From there, De Leon smacked a two-run double followed by a safety squeeze from Cody. The final run scored on Ayala's double.
Parker Newby picked up the win on the mound with
Hunter Schumacher nailing down his third save of the year.
Four players had multi-hit games with each of them adding at least two RBIs. De Leon went 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs and 2 hits. Ayala was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, 2 runs and a walk.
The nightcap of the day started with Grace on top first again.
Sean Gannon hit a two-run double to give the visitors the early advantage in the second.
Goshen cut the deficit in half an inning later, but the Lancers used a five-run flurry to widen the gap.
The first four batters reached safely in the fourth, bringing home one. After a fielder's choice and a balk, two more runs scored. Back-to-back hits and RBIs from Cody and Ayala capped off the rally.
The Maple Leafs weren't ready to go away quite yet, scoring three runs to stay close.
Grace scored three runs down the stretch compared to one for Goshen.
Two walks and two hits led to a pair of runs in the fifth and the final run for the Lancers came from a sac fly off the bat of
Annikan Pettit.
Gannon finished with 3 RBIs, 1 hit, 1 run and 1 walk while De Leon had 1 hit, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 1 walk and 1 stolen base.
Sam Justice and
Kyle Reinartz combined four seven strikeouts on the mound with Reinartz getting the win.
The Lancers will tussle with Trinity Christian on April 2 at Tom Roy - UPI Park, starting at 1 p.m.
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