The Lourdes baseball team opened the spring portion of its 2019 schedule in style, walking off in game one against Grace, before defeating the Lancers 8-4 in the nightcap in a neutral site twinbill at Grand Park in Indianapolis, Ind. on Wednesday.
 
"It was great to finally get outside and compete against somebody other than ourselves," head coach Jeremy Snow said after the games. "Pitching performances for us were great today. We still allowed too many free bases in game one, but we were able to pitch around them for the most part. Winning both of these games was a total team effort."
 
Grace (0-2 overall) plated the first run of the afternoon after scoring on a passed ball in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead.
 
After three scoreless innings, Lourdes scored its first run in 2019 in the latter half of the fourth inning. Noah Childress (Toledo, Ohio/Start) plated Austin Oulds (Chatham, Ont./Chatham Kent) with a double to center field to pull Lourdes even with Grace, 1-1.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Corey Righman (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley) was able to capitalize on a double steal and score to give Lourdes a 2-1 lead through six.
 
The Lancers answered with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to regain a one-run lead at 3-2, setting up Lourdes for the walkoff. A single and stolen base from Michael Davis (Whittier, Cal./California) got the sophomore in position to tie the contest following a defensive breakdown from the Lancers. With the bases loaded, Childress laid down a single to left field to plate the game-winning run.
 
Kyle Sacher (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) earned the victory on the mound in a relief role.
 
In the second game of the afternoon, the Gray Wolves got on the board first as Cameron Gallo (Mason, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) and George Pastor (Walled Lake, Mich./Central) each drove home runs to give Lourdes an early 2-0 advantage.
 
After Grace scored two in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-all, Lourdes answered with a big fifth inning.
 
With the bases loaded and one down, Braden Halford (Port Hope, Ont./Saint Mary's) drew a walk to plate the opening run of the inning. A throwing error later in the inning allowed Pastor to score and extend the lead to 4-2.
 
With the bases still loaded, Brandon Horman (Oregon, Ohio/Saint John's Jesuit) hit a three-RBI triple to right field to plate three runs and move into scoring position. A Davis single plated Horman on the ensuing at bat to push the lead to 8-2 heading into the final innings.
 
Grace would score two runs in the seventh, but couldn't get any closer as Lourdes went on to seal the 8-4 victory.
 
Braxton McKart (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) earned the victory on the bump, going 6.0 innings and fanning 10 batters. With the game two victory, Snow recorded his 53^rd victory as the head coach of the Gray Wolves and moved into sole possession of being the winningest coach at Lourdes.
 
"I'm proud of our bench and energy they brought tonight," Snow continued. "They stayed loose and executed when they were called on. Clutch hitting and extra base hits were a big part of our identity last year and I'm excited to see that carry over this year."
 
Lourdes (5-1 overall) is scheduled to be back in action a week from today when it welcomes Goshen to Mercy Field for a twinbill at 3 p.m.