Grace Softball: Lancers Upset No. 2 St. Xavier
CLERMONT, Fla. – The Grace College softball team recorded its biggest upset in recent memory with a 6-0 blanking of No. 2 St. Xavier on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers recovered from an earlier 9-2 loss to Concordia in the first game of the day, ending the week with a memorable upset of last year’s NAIA national runner-up St. Xavier.
Freshman Erin Lawhon pitched a gem to beat the Cougars, tossing a three-hitter. Lawhon walked two, and Grace’s defense did not allow St. Xavier to move a baserunner past second all game long.
In the first inning against the Cougars (9-7), Grace jumped ahead 2-0. Abby Mozingo singled and Clarissa Knight doubled on consecutive at-bats, and Chandler Elliott drove the pair in with a single to the outfield.
Hannah Herbster plated in the third inning, and she had a two-run double in the fourth to bring in Hannah Upchurch and Olivia Scarbrough to make the score 5-0.
Knight led off the sixth with a single. She moved to third after a double from Elliott and scored Grace’s sixth run thanks to a ground ball from Kyleigh Garner.
Herbster finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, and Elliott was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Knight had two hits and two runs, and Mozingo and Scarbrough each had a hit and a run.
Overall, Grace outhit St. Xavier 9-3 in an impressive showing.
The Lady Lancers start Crossroads League play next week. Grace will play at St. Francis on Friday and at Bethel on Saturday.