The Forester softball team won 5-3 in the doubleheader opener at
the University of Chicago on Tuesday (March 30) before the teams
settled for a 7-7, 6-inning tie in game two. Lake Forest is now
9-6-1 and the Maroons 10-3-1 on the season.
Forester freshman Nikki Miller (Starkville, Miss./Starkville
Academy) was 5-for-7 and senior Mallory Norton (Chicago,
Ill./Resurrection) was 4-for-7 with two home runs and a triple in
the two games combined. Freshman pitcher Jordan Ratliff
(Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield) earned the complete-game victory in
the opener and did not allow an earned run in 10 innings on the
day.
The visitors took the early lead with a pair of runs in the top of
the first inning of game one. Freshman Megan Harkins (Homewood,
Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) led off the game with an infield single,
stole second, and scored when Norton reached on a two-out error.
Miller then doubled in Norton with the second run of the
inning.
Lake Forest scored two more unearned runs in the third. Senior Jill Pfund (Morenci, Mich./Morenci) drew a one-out walk and scored on
another two-out error. Harkins reached second base on the error and
came home on a base hit by sophomore Danielle Gore (Arlington
Heights, Ill./Hersey).
The score remained 4-0 until Norton homered in the top of the
seventh.
Ratliff scattered seven hits and held the Maroons scoreless through
the first six innings. Chicago singled four times and took
advantage of two Forester errors in the bottom of the seventh. The
home team plated three runs and brought the tying run to the plate
with one out in the inning before Ratliff retired the final two
batters on groundouts.
Miller had three base hits and Norton two in the game. Harkins and
Norton each scored twice.
The Maroons struck first in game two, scoring five times in the
bottom of the second inning.
The Foresters immediately responded with five runs of their own in
the top of the third. Gore doubled to lead off the inning and
senior Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) followed with a base
on balls. Both runners scored on a triple by Norton and she came
home on another base hit by Miller. Senior Jeanette Andresen
(Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) followed with an RBI-double
and, two batters later, Pfund doubled in Andresen with the tying
run.
Chicago, however, regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of
the third.
The score remained 7-5 in favor of the home team until the top of
the sixth. After the first two batters of the inning struck out,
Rainey doubled and Norton followed with her second home run of the
day and fourth this season.
Ratliff came on in relief in the bottom of the fourth inning and
held the Maroons hitless for three frames.
The game was called due to darkness after the sixth inning and
counts as a 7-7 tie.
Gore, Norton, and Miller each had two base hits in the contest.
Norton matched her career-high with four runs batted in and raised
her batting average to .436 and slugging percentage to .800 on the
season.
Lake Forest will play its home opener against Robert Morris
University on Friday (April 2). The doubleheader will begin at 3:00
p.m.