Muskegon, MI – The Grace Christian softball team played its inaugural exhibition games in a doubleheader against the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks. The Tigers started off with a bang, as Grace’s Skylar Lowe led off the game with a bunt hit. The Jayhawks went up 2-0 before Grace scored one in the fourth and then tied the game in the seventh on an RBI single by Tammy Perrotta scoring Renee Viles. The Tigers would end up dropping game one 3-2, when Jayhawk pitcher, Hannah Aldred, singled home the winning run from third on a hard ground ball up the middle past a diving Lexie Alexander. Lowe finished the game 3-3, 2B, 3B, while Carlie DeVries and Perrotta also recorded two hits each. Emma Balkema pitched 6.1 innings, scattering 10 hits while only giving up three runs. She also struck out eight Jayhawks and was backed up by excellent defense including a double play initiated by Tigers’ centerfielder, Kenzie Brothers.
In the second game, the Tigers found themselves down 11-0 before scoring five in the sixth against the Jayhawks starting pitcher. Mary Vasquez, Rio Weaver, Emily Simmons, Lowe and Balkema all scored for the Tigers, bringing the final score to 5-11 before the Jayhawks closed it out.
A great showing for the Grace softball team, as this was the first outside competition the team has played. The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, October 7th at Kelloggwoods Park, hosting Kalamazoo Valley Community College at 10am for another doubleheader.
