The Lake Forest College softball team saw its 2012 season come to an abrupt end at the Midwest Conference Tournament on Sunday. The Foresters were defeated 4-2 by Carroll University and 8-4 by Monmouth College in the double-elimination event.
The loss to Carroll was especially heartbreaking, as the Foresters took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning. The Pioneers plated three in the top of the seventh and Lake Forest left a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the frame.
Carroll's other run was scored in the top of the first inning.
Lake Forest pulled ahead on a two-run home run by sophomore center fielder Nora Logue in the bottom of the third. Freshman left fielder Whitney Leiderman hed led off the inning with a single and was on third base with two outs when Logue belted her fifth homer of the season.
The teams combined to draw 15 walks and each squad left 10 runners on base in the contest.
Lake Forest took the early lead against Monmouth when Leiderman singled in sophomore shortstop Sam Ritsema in the top of the second inning.
The Fighting Scots pulled ahead on a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning.
Ritsema belted her team-high seventh home run of the year in the top of the fourth, trimming the deficit to one run.
Monmouth matched that run in the bottom of the inning and erupted for four runs on just two hits in the fifth.
Lake Forest junior third baseman Aubrey Pendegraft and Logue had run-scoring singles in the top of the seventh inning and the Foresters loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate but were unable to complete the comeback.
Ritsema, Logue, and Pendegraft each had a pair of hits in the contest.
Logue finished the season as the Foresters' leading hitter with a .381 batting average. Leiderman drove in a team-high 25 runs and tied Logue and Ritsema for first on the squad with 21 runs scored.
Saturday's contests were the final career games for seniors Cami Daun, Danielle Gore, and Leslie Harshey.
Lake Forest is the host of the tournament, which will continue on Sunday. Monmouth and Carroll will play an elimination game at 10:00 a.m. and the winner will need to defeat St. Norbert College twice to claim the league title.