WINONA LAKE, Ind. — The Bethel Pilots would have needed to sweep the Lancers to force a tiebreaker for the final spot in the Crossroads League Tournament, but the Bethel Pilots (14-28, 9-25) split the series opening doubleheader with the Grace Lancers (21-27, 12-22) by way of a 12-6 BU loss and a 7-6 win at Tom Roy-UPI Park on Thursday.
GAME 1
The Pilots started Weston Harvey (4-4) on the hill, who had a great outing against Saint Francis in the Pilots’ lone game two victory and had run support early on with Jesse Stout’s line drive to center to score Elijah Gaines for the first run of the game and series in the top of the first. Grace answered in the home half of the first from Josh Cosme’s single to right and plated Dalton Cody to tie the game 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, Jose Ayala gave the Lancers the lead with a sacrifice fly to Drew Deming in right field to score Maximo De Leon, then an error by Corbin Greenslade behind the plate scored Ryan Stark to make it 3-1. Later in the third, Grant Hartley ripped a two-run home run, then Mason Wire roped in Bradyn McIntosh for the sixth Lancer run and pulled away to a 6-1 game in favor of Grace.
Greenslade chipped away at the deficit with a two-run line drive single to right and brought home Stout and Jordan Landkrohn to make it 6-3 after the top of the fourth, then Cody hit a solo home run to right in the bottom of the frame, 7-3 Grace.
Grace pulled away further with a four-run bottom of the sixth from Ayala’s fly to left, Grant Hartley’s two-RBI double down the right field line, and capped off by John Joyce’s sacrifice fly to center to make it 11-3.
Adam Walters began the Pilots rally in the top of the seventh with an RBI double to right for the fourth Pilot run, Elijah Gaines roped a sacrifice fly to center to plate Andrew Dillon, and Landkrohn grounded to third and scored Walters off an error by the third baseman to go into the bottom of the seventh down 11-6.
De Leon scored on an error by Greenslade, and the Lancers secured the game-one win 12-6 after two quiet innings in the eighth and top of the ninth.
Weston threw five innings in the series’ opening start, but suffered the loss after allowing 11 hits, 10 runs (9 earned), walked five batters, and struck out five.
GAME 2
The Pilots opened the nightcap with a two-run top of the first from Walters scoring on a wild pitch and Jacob Sitterly lacing a hard ground ball to left for Stout to come home. Ryan Stark hit a solo home run over the center field wall in the bottom of the frame and made it 2-1 Pilots after the first inning.
Landkrohn smacked a three-run homer over the left field wall to pull away 5-1 in the top of the third, but Grace climbed back within one run in the bottom of the third, from De Leon’s line drive single to right and Cosme’s two-run home run over left field for a 5-4 ballgame.
Stout doubled down the left field line in the top of the seventh for Adam Walters to cross home plate, with Sitterly skying a sacrifice fly to right for Stout to come home and make it 7-5. Stark singled to left and scored Joyce in the bottom of the seventh, but Walters closed the door for the doubleheader split and a game-two victory 7-6.
Walters (4-5) threw a complete game for his ninth decision of the season and his fourth win after allowing eight hits, and six runs, walked one batter, and struck out five.
The Pilots will play their last two games of the season on Saturday, April 26 at Tom Roy-UPI Park in Winona Lake, Ind. with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.