The Lake Forest College softball team fell 3-2 to Mount Unoin College before defeating Sage Colleges 12-7 on Tuesday at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida. Forester sophomore left fielder Whitney Leiderman led off the victory over Sage with her second home run of the young season.
Leiderman had one of Lake Forest's five base hits against Mount Union. The others were recorded by senior third baseman Aubrey Pendgraft, junior shortstop Sam Ritsema, freshman catcher Alex Hemmer, and freshman designated player Kristi Gandy. All five hits were singles while four of the Purple Raiders hits went for extra bases.
The Foresters trailed 1-0 before plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Ritsema led off the frame with a base hit and Hemmer later singled with two outs. A Mount Union error brought home the first run and, after a hit by Leiderman loaded the bases, senior pinch hitter Nikki Miller drew a walk to drive in the other.
The Raiders tied the game on a home run in the top of the third inning and they scored what proved to be the winning run with two outs in the top of the seventh.
Senior pitcher Molly Thomsen started and pitched four-and-a-third innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out five. Freshman Jessi Werner surrendered just one run and struck out three in two-and-two-thirds innings of relief but suffered the loss.
Werner started in the circle against Sage and lasted four-and-a-third innings, allowing four earned runs on just four hits to pick up the victory. She is now 2-1 with a 2.76 earned run average on the season. Gandy came on in relief and gave up just one earned run in two-and-two-third innings.
The Foresters jumped to the early lead with five runs in the opening inning, beginning with Leiderman's homer. Pendegraft walked with one out, advanced to third on a double by Gandy, and scored on a base hit by Ritsema. Miller singled in Gandy and Ritsema before coming home on a double by freshman catcher Maddie Dieleman.
Pendegraft executed a successful suicide squeeze to score Leiderman in the second inning and Dieleman singled in freshman second baseman Kaleigh Ambrose in the third.
Lake Forest added four runs in the fourth. Vechiola started the rally with a one-out single and, after sophomore third baseman Kassie Marsala walked, Gandy doubled in a run. Ritsema followed with a two-run triple and came home two batters later on a single by Ambrose.
The Foresters appeared to be safe with an 11-0 lead but Sage scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth inning to make things interesting.
Leiderman scored her third run of the game in the top of the seventh on a single by Marsala to account for the final score.
Gandy retired seven of the final eight batters she faced to close out the victory.
It was the second split in as many days for Lake Forest. Mount Union raised its record to 3-2 and Sage fell to 1-5.
After a day off, the Foresters will face Skidmore College Thursday morning at 9:00 (EST) and Millikin University at 1:00 p.m.
