MELBOURNE, Fla. - Grace College's softball team ended their spring break trip by going with a split on the final day.
The Lancers (6-8) fell to Florida National 4-1 before bouncing back with a shutout win over Cornerstone.
Grace topped Cornerstone 2-0 and were led by
Chloe Huff who had her second impressive performance in as many outings. The junior pitcher allowed just two hits across seven innings and struck out six batters.
The afternoon started for the Lancers with a showdown against the Conquistadors.
Both squads had a single in the opening frame but neither side was able to plate a run.
Emma Hiss sent Florida National down in order in the second frame then Grace drew first blood in their turn at the plate.
Marly Coan had a leadoff single and after advancing to second on a ground ball was brought into score when
Molly Jones had an RBI double.
The Lancers carried the 1-0 lead through the middle innings before the Conquistadors strung together enough hits to tie the game in the fifth inning.
The Lancers nearly recaptured the lead in the bottom of the frame as
Halle Nett and Paige
Paige McCorkle reached second and third but Florida National survived the scare and scored two of their own in the sixth to edge ahead 3-1.
The Conquistadors added another marker to their tally and the seventh and a lone single was all the Lancers could muster in their final at-bats as they fell 4-1.
Hiss had three strike outs from the circle and also had a pair of hits in her two-way role. Coan also reached twice for Grace.
Grace's game against Cornerstone was a pitchers duel from the opening pitch.
The Lancers had two batters reach on walks in the opening inning but the opportunity to score was quickly denied by the Golden Eagles pitcher.
Huff got the start in the circle and sent the first three Cornerstone batters down in order. The Golden Eagles had a pair of hits in the second frame but Huff quickly recovered with two strikeouts to retire the side. The Golden Eagles would not record another hit for the remainder of the game.
The teams combined to retire 11 consecutive batters across the middle frames, a stretch that was broken up by a lead off single from
Emme Meyering in the top of the fifth inning. Meyering then became the game's first run when McCorkle doubled her in to push Grace ahead 1-0.
The Golden Eagles got their first base runner since the second inning in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out walk. A pair of harmless fly outs ended the inning as Grace maintained their lead.
In the seventh the Lancers added to the advantage as
Lauren Kirkpatrick, Nett and Hiss all reached to load the bases. With two outs
Sage Ladig picked up an unconventional RBI as she worked a walk to bring in Grace's second run of the game.
Any hopes of a Cornerstone rally were quickly put to bed in the bottom of the frame. Huff struck out the first batters of the inning and a fly ball ended the game securing the 2-0 win.
Five different batters had hits for Grace in the win, including
Avery Sleeth and Meyering who each picked up a pair of hits. McCorkle reached safely twice with a hit and a walk and Ladig was walked twice.
Grace will now return home to start Crossroads League play on Tuesday. The Lancers will welcome RV Indiana Wesleyan to Coach Phil Dick Field for a 3pm showdown.
