WINONA LAKE – Senior Sam Fields etched her name on top of the Grace College softball record book when she became the all-time leader in hits against Manchester University on Thursday.

Fields tied the hit record when she laced a single into left field in the fourth inning. She then broke the record with her 136th career hit on a two-run single in the fifth inning in the opener.

The Lady Lancers split with the Spartans at Miller Field, winning 4-1 in the opener and losing 11-7 in the second game.

The Lady Lancers (5-13) got off to a fast start in the opening game thanks to Brooke Shell’s baserunning. Shell reached base on a misplayed grounder then proceeded to steal second and third bases. Danielle Wellman’s ground ball allowed Shell to scamper home with the game’s first run.

Manchester tied the score in the second inning when Kayla Yates hit an RBI double.

Shell plated the go-ahead run in the fifth inning when she again reached base via error. After making her way to third base with two outs, Grace loaded the bases as freshman Alex Shipley stepped in to bat. Shipley was then hit by a pitch, scoring Shell.

That brought up Fields’s record-breaking moment. On a 1-2 pitch, Fields recorded her 136th career hit to shallow right field to score Wellman and Winget and put the Lady Lancers ahead 4-1.

Fields, a senior shortstop from Summitville, Indiana,  passed the previous record of 135 hits held by Kelli Irish (1998-2001).

Winget took care of the rest from the mound. She held Manchester to six hits in claiming the complete-game victory. For the game she walked one and struck out five.

She also led Grace from the plate by going 2-for-3. Fields, who attended Madison-Grant High School, finished 2-for-4 in her memorable performance.

Manchester put their first-game woes behind them in first inning of the second game. The Spartans (6-6), aided by two Grace fielding errors, loaded the bases against freshman Bridget Poteet with nobody out.

They managed to take a commanding 4-0 lead until the Lady Lancers battled back.

Grace was the benefactor of Manchester errors in the third inning, tallying three runs with two outs to slice the Spartan’s advantage to 4-3.

The Lady Lancers used a two-out rally in the fifth to tie the game at 4-4. After the first two batters were retired, Shell singled and stole second. Jordan McKinley then singled up the middle to score Shell from second.

Manchester grabbed control of the game in the top of the sixth, putting three baserunners on without an out. The Spartans scored six runs with the sunlight fading to go ahead 10-4.

Grace tried another two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth and seventh to come back, starting with a double by Morgan Cody. Two more singles followed to cut the Spartans’ lead to 10-6.

Grace added another run in the seventh when they loaded the bases with two outs.

Shell, Wellman, Tiffany Featherston, Cody and McKinley each went 2-for-4 as McKinley added two RBIs. Shell also stole three bases combined in the doubleheader.

The Lady Lancers will host the Grace Invitational this weekend, facing Cornerstone on Friday at 11 a.m. before welcoming Roosevelt on Saturday at 1 p.m.