Jeri Ellis and Grace dropped a pair of games to Concordia Tuesday in its home opener. Photo courtesy Jeff Nycz, Mid-South Images

Concordia Softball 3, Grace 2
Concordia 2, Grace 1

Two low-scoring games went against Grace’s softball team on Tuesday.

The Lady Lancers fell to Concordia 3-2 and 2-1 at Coach Phil Dick Field. Tuesday’s doubleheader marked the home opener for Grace; it was Grace’s first games at home since April 27, 2019.

Grace led in both games but failed to maintain its lead.

In the opener, the Lady Lancers’ offense was electric in the opening inning. Grace had three doubles in the bottom of the first inning. Jeri Ellis, Jessica Kaurich and Britney Young all doubled, helping the Lady Lancers to a 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately for Grace, the team did not record a hit for the final six innings.

The Cardinals were patient, tallying one run in the third, one in the fourth and one in the sixth inning to sneak away with a 3-2 win.

The Lady Lancers did have a few baserunners thanks to walks, but Grace was unable to score again.

The closest Grace came to scoring was in the fifth inning. Carly Ruiz drew a leadoff walk. Lauren Byrer entered as a pinch runner and promptly stole second and third base. But she was stranded at third as the next three batters were retired for Grace.

Dori Knight pitched the full seven innings, allowing only six hits and one earned run with one walk.

The script was similar in the second game. Grace got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the first inning.

Kaurich hit a two-out double, and she eventually raced home to score off a batted ball from Young.

Young nearly doubled Grace’s lead in the third with a deep fly ball that cleared the fence, but her blast flew a few feet left of the left-field foul pole.

Concordia stayed true to form in the second game, scoring a single run in the fifth and sixth innings to pull ahead 2-1.

Grace had chances to tie the score thanks to a sixth-inning double by Young and a seventh-inning double from Emily Revercomb. But the Cardinals refused to let the baserunners advance, holding on for the narrow 2-1 win.

Madison Bremer threw a complete game. She allowed just two runs and eight hits while fanning four.

The Lady Lancers are scheduled to play at Roosevelt on Thursday before returning home on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Midway.

Cornerstone Baseball 3, Grace 2
Cornerstone 5, Grace 3

Grace’s baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader in narrow fashion at Cornerstone on Tuesday.

The Lancers (6-6) fell in a walkoff 3-2 in the opening game before losing 5-3 in the second outing.

Grace struck first in the top of the second inning. Sam Newkirk doubled and eventually came home thanks to singles by Jaron Mullet and Patrick Danforth.

A two-out triple by the Golden Eagles tied the game at 1-1. The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the sixth.

Cornerstone pulled ahead with back-to-back doubles in the sixth, but Grace kept the game alive with a seventh-inning run.

RJ Snyder led off the inning with a single and then stole second. Houston Haney drove him in with a game-tying double. Haney was left on base, however, as the next two batters for Grace were retired.

The Golden Eagles made Grace pay in their final at-bats. Cornerstone won the game in the bottom of the seventh with three singles in a 3-2 victory.

Snyder hit 2 for 4 with a steal, and Danforth was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Hunter Schumacher was Grace’s most effective pitcher, giving up no runs and one hit across two innings. He also struck out three.

Haney also tossed a scoreless inning of relief with three strikeouts.

The Lancers started fast in the second game as well. Grace scored three early runs to take a 3-0 lead.

In the first inning, Grace benefitted from a pair of errors by Cornerstone to score Alex Rich.

In the third inning, Sam Newkirk belted a two-run homer to continue Grace’s momentum.

Cornerstone countered by scoring five runs across the next four innings to gain a 5-3 edge.

Grace had a base hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but the Lancers were unable to push a run across and had to settle for the loss.

Newkirk batted 1 for 3 with 1 run, 1 stolen base and 2 RBIs, Rich was 1 for 4 with two runs, and Chris Griffin added one hit and one steal.

Tanner Clark tossed two clean innings from the mound and did not allow a run, hit or walk against the Golden Eagles.

The Lancers jump back into Crossroads League play this weekend, taking on Huntington on Friday and Saturday at Logansport High School.