Berea, KY — The Grace Softball came away with a strong showing Wednesday evening, sweeping a doubleheader against Berea College with scores of 7-5 and 5-3 to take both games on the road.

Game 1 — Grace 7, Berea 5

In the opener, the Tigers jumped out quickly and never looked back, scoring early and holding off Berea's rally. Grace struck first in the top of the first, and a key two-run double by Emma Balkema in the third ignited the offense, driving in Lydia Clark and Sanyah Earl to give the Tigers a cushion. Grace added three more runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by another RBI from Balkema and a clutch RBI single by Kaliann Newberry. Grace added an insurance run in the seventh to seal the win. 

On the mound, Lydia Clark picked up the win with 6.2 solid innings, striking out three and scattering hits while keeping Berea at bay. Balkema closed out the game with a perfect save appearance, preserving the late lead. At the plate, Clark finished with multiple hits and scored three runs, while Balkema tallied a multi-hit night with two extra-base hits and three RBIs, pacing the Tigers' offense. 

Game 2 — Grace 5, Berea 3

In the nightcap, Grace again answered Berea early and kept pace throughout. After conceding a first-inning run, the Tigers responded with two in the second inning, including an RBI single from McKenzie Bouma and a run scored on a wild pitch. Grace added more in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Bouma and a timely RBI from Cambryn Klco. Emma Balkema delivered an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth to extend the lead, and the Tigers' pitching staff held firm down the stretch. 

Cambryn Klco earned the win in relief, tossing 4.2 innings with just one earned run, while Grace's defense and timely hitting helped secure the series sweep. Offensively, Morgan Hall and Madison Helms both contributed big hits to support the cause.