PULASKI, Tenn. – The Grace College softball team began the 2017 season with a bang, upsetting No. 14 Martin Methodist in the season opener on Friday.

The Lady Lancers, playing in the Martin Methodist Meltdown, won the first game of the day 12-11 against Martin Methodist.

The season debut was filled with action. Grace fell behind 2-0 after the first inning but rallied to take the lead in the second over the host RedHawks.

The Lady Lancers used a double from Kati Gregory, an RBI single from Elaina McClellan and RBIs from Hannah Herbster and Chandler Elliott to take a 3-2 lead. 

Six more runs in the third inning gave Grace a commanding 9-2 lead. Gregory led off the inning again with a hit. Morgan Tapscott, Herbster, Clarissa Knight drove in runs, and Elliott drove in two more to cap off a six-run inning.

But the RedHawks were far from finished. Martin Methodist rallied with five runs over the next three innings to give Grace a scare.

The Lady Lancers countered with another big inning, tacking on four runs in the sixth. Ashley Kleinbub started the inning with a single, and Abby Mozingo eventually drove her in. Herbster and Kyleigh Garner also had RBI singles in the inning.

Martin Methodist, facing a 12-7 deficit entering its final at-bats, nearly forced extra innings. The RedHawks scored four runs to cut Grace’s lead to one and had runners on second and third base, but the Lady Lancers secured the final out of the game with a ground ball to third base.

Herbster was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base from the leadoff position, and Tapscott was a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs scored in her collegiate debut.

Mozingo hit 2-for-3 with two runs, and Elliott drove in three runs. Kleinbub and Gregory both recorded two hits, and Elaina McClellan plated twice.

The Lady Lancers will end the tournament on Saturday against No. 15 Davenport and Lawrence Tech.