JASPER, Ind. – Grace's baseball team completed its four-game series with IU South Bend on Saturday afternoon, splitting the doubleheader 8-5 and 8-13.
The first game of the day needed extra innings to determine a winner. The Lancers were two outs away from victory, but the Titans tied the game with a home run to send the game to extra frames. Grace punched through with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning, winning 8-5.
IU South Bend opened up the scoring in the first, but the teams traded runs the rest of the way.
Grace leveled the score with a pair of hits in the second stanza. A leadoff double from Mayo Fernandez allowed Gabriel Maldonado to supply an RBI single.
The Titans moved ahead by one before Grace added a three-spot in the third.
Back-to-back doubles from Grant Rojek and Matt Friesema put runners in scoring position and a walk loaded the bases. The third double of the inning plated two runs and a sacrifice fly by Mason Wire capped off the rally.
IU South Bend stayed close with runs in the fourth and fifth frames to tie the ballgame at four.
Ian Wilson launched a home run to start the sixth, giving Grace a one-run lead.
Trailing by a run with one out in the final inning, the Titans used the long ball to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
The Lancers broke the deadlock in the ninth, putting up three runs to seize control. Four hits and a walk were instrumental in the rally.
A double from Jose Ayala scored Friesema to give the Lancers the advantage. Fernandez and Wire followed with singles, plating one and loading the bases. Will Ambrose executed a safety squeeze bunt to score the final run.
Joey Diaz pitched the final three innings of the game to pick up the win. He finished with seven strikeouts. Grace's pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts overall.
Fernandez finished with four of Grace's 16 hits in the game. He also added 3 RBIs and 2 runs. Friesema supplied three hits and two runs.
The teams traded runs once again in game two with multiple ties and lead changes along the way.
Grace's first run scored from second on a single by Wilson. He later scored on a single from Maldonado.
After the Titans tied the game in the home half, a wild pitch allowed the Lancers to inch ahead 3-2.
With the game tied at three, Wilson blasted a two-run shot to center to regain the lead in the fourth. The lead was short-lived as a crooked number in the home half gave IUSB a 10-5 advantage.
The Lancers, however, responded with three runs, all with two outs, in the sixth. An error by the pitcher allowed one run to score. Later, a single from Rojek and a double from Friesema scored two more.
The Titans added insurance runs in the bottom half of the sixth before closing out the game ahead 13-8.
Rojek provided 3 hits, 1 RBI and 1 run. Wilson finished with 2 hits, 3 RBIs and 3 runs.
The Lancers will kick off league play with a split series against Taylor. The teams will play at Taylor on Feb. 26 and conclude the series at Grace on Feb. 28 at Tom Roy - UPI Park.
