INDIANAPOLIS – The Grace College softball team pulled off one upset and nearly had a second on the first day of the Crossroads League Tournament on Thursday.

The Lady Lancers took down Spring Arbor in the first round before dropping a nine-inning battle against the host No. 17 Marian.

Grace will continue in the double-elimination tournament held at Marian on Friday. Grace will play the second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and the winner will advance to play at 5 p.m. The championship will be played on Saturday.

In the opening game, Grace upset the tournament’s No. 4 seed Spring Arbor 3-1. Kyleigh Garner tripled to drive in the game’s first run, and the Lady Lancers eventually pulled ahead 3-0 by the end of the fifth inning.

The Cougars managed to plate one run, but Grace limited Spring Arbor to just that run.

In the second game of the day against top-seeded Marian, Grace nearly had the upset of the tournament. The NAIA No. 17-ranked Knights needed nine innings to defeat Grace, eventually winning 3-2.

The Knights scored two runs in the top of the first and did not score again until the final play of the contest.

Sam Heim led off the fourth inning with a single. She moved to third base with a single and a ground ball. Ashley Kleinbub then produced a ground out to third base which allowed Heim to plate.

Grace started the fifth inning with three singles in four at-bats. The final hit — a single to left field by Hannah Herbster — allowed Emily Bobb to score from second base. The Lady Lancers threatened to take the lead with the bases loaded in the inning, but Grace’s inning was ended with a ground out.

The game past the sixth, seventh and eighth innings without either team producing a winning play. In the top of the ninth, Marian pulled ahead 3-2 after a triple and a sacrifice flyball. Grace was unable to answer and fell into the losers’ bracket as a result.

Clarissa Knight was 2-for-3 from the plate, and Heim had 1 hit, 1 run and 1 steal.

Chandler Elliott came in as a relief pitcher in the second inning, and she tossed the last eight innings. She gave up just one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out three.