The Lake Forest College softball team routed visiting Monmouth College 7-1 in the opener of a doubleheader on Sunday before falling 4-3 in game two. The first six batters in the Foresters' lineup were 19-for-38 on the day, including a 5-for-7 performance by sophomore Aubrey Pendegraft.
Pendegraft singled in the first run of game one in the bottom of the opening frame. Junior Leslie Harshey followed with a sacrifice fly and sophomore Nikki Miller singled in Pendegraft, giving the Foresters an early 3-0 advantage.
Pendegraft doubled to lead off the third inning, advanced to third on an illegal pitch, and scored on a ground ball by Harshey that the shortstop was unable to field cleanly. Miller had a base hit in the inning and Harshey eventually scored on another Monmouth error.
The Foresters' final two runs came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore Ashley Cuthbert started the rally with a one-out single and freshman Sam Ritsema followed with a base hit of her own. Pendegraft then singled to right-centerfield and advanced to second on the throw home. The catcher tried to throw her out but her throw sailed over the shortstop, enabling Ritsema to also score on the play.
Lake Forest had runners on second and third base with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning but were unable to score the run that would have finished off an 8-0 victory. A two-out, bases-loaded infield single in the top of the seventh plated Monmouth's only run of the game and prevented junior pitcher Cami Daun from recording her first career shutout. Daun scattered seven hits and three walks in her second consecutive complete game and has allowed a total of just three earned runs in her last 14 innings of work.
Pendegraft also drove in the first run of game two when her two-out, first-inning double brought freshman Clare Kavanagh all the way home from first base.
Monmouth scored three runs in the top of the third inning and added one on a home run in the fifth.
Lake Forest pulled to within one in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out, two-run homer by Cuthbert, her team-high fifth round-tripper of the season.
The Foresters put the tying run on second base with one out in the sixth inning and two outs in the seventh. Cuthbert belted a line drive single in the seventh but the centerfielder's throw home was accurate and the umpire called the runner out on a close play at the plate to end the game.
The split leaves Lake Forest with an overall record of 10-16 and Midwest Conference mark of 5-3. Monmouth is now 14-9 overall and 8-1 in the league.
The Foresters will continue conference play next weekend when they travel to Knox College for a doubleheader at 3:00 Friday afternoon and to Grinnell College the following day for a noon twinbill.
