Lancers Sidelined In League Tourney
HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Grace College baseball team was knocked out of the 2014 Crossroads League Tournament on Monday, falling to St. Francis 4-3.
The Lancers (13-30) lost to Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament.
Despite recording two doubles, a home run and eight hits offensively, Grace struggled to string together runs in Monday’s 4-3 defeat.
After St. Francis plated a run in the bottom of the first inning, Grace countered in the second. Jared Lemler’s two-out single allowed Tyler Weber to score from second base.
The Cougars responded, however, by plating twice in the bottom of the second. St. Francis was aided by a Lancer defensive error in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Joey Hickerson led off the fourth inning with a home run to left field to score Grace’s second run. The Lancers had two runners on base with nobody out after Hickerson’s homer, but the team’s next three batters were retired.
The Lancers tied the score in the seventh inning of the nine-inning game. Frank Rocchio led off the seventh with a double, and Lemler singled to put runners on the corners. Paul Blankley stepped up to the plate next and singled in Rocchio for the game-tying hit. Grace once again failed to capitalize on a potential rally, stranding three runners on base after tying the contest.
St. Francis made Grace pay in the bottom of the seventh, notching the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. Grace threatened in the eighth when CJ Swartz reached third base with one out, but the Lancers were retired with two strikeouts.
Brook Vosler finished 2-for-5 from the leadoff position, and Lemler was 2-for-4. Sammy Wilkerson was effective on the mound, yielding three runs and nine hits over six innings. Austin Green came in as relief for the final innings.
Grace will await word on the NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament which is scheduled to be played at Miller Field.