The Forester softball team began the season by splitting a pair of games in Kissimmee, Florida, to open the 2013 season on Monday. Lake Forest fell 6-2 to Greensoro College before defeating Lakeland College 2-1 behind a 9-strikeout debut by freshman pitcher Jessi Werner.
Werner retired the first nine batters she face, including seven on strikes. She exited the game after five shutout innings but returned for the last two outs of the seventh. Werner surrendered just three base hits and walked only one batter in five-and-two-thirds scoreless innings to earn her first collegiate victory.
Forester freshman Kristi Gandy had three hits in the game while sophomore left fielder Whitney Leiderman and junior shortstop Sam Ritsema were each 2-for-4.
Senior third baseman Aubrey Pendegraft drove in Leiderman on a first inning groundout and sophomore centerfielder Alyssa Vechiola singled in Ritsema in the second.
Lakeland pulled to within one run and had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth inning but Lake Forest senior Molly Thomsen struck out a pair of batters and escaped the jam.
Gandy was 2-for-2 with a double in the Foresters' first game of the day.
All six of Greensboro's runs were unearned and came home in the third inning. Leiderman belted a home run in the bottom of the third and back-to-back doubles in the sixth by Gandy and senior first baseman Nikki Miller accounted for the other run.
Lake Forest freshman pitcher Kaleigh Ambrose tossed four-and-a-third scoreless innings of relief but the Foresters were unable to come all the way back.
Greensboro raised its record on the season to 9-5 while Lakeland fell to 2-4.
The Foresters will continue play at the Rebel Spring Games Tuesday afternoon, taking on the University of Mount Union at 3:00 (EST) and Sage Colleges at 5:00.
