A day after beginning Midwest Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Cornell College, the Forester softball team repeated the feat at Knox College on Sunday. Freshman second baseman/pitcher Kaleigh Ambrose drove in seven runs and earned the victory in game two as Lake Forest won 6-3 and 13-5.
The opener was tied 3-3 with two runners on base and two outs in the top of the seventh when Ambrose belted her first career home run.
The Foresters trailed 3-0 when junior shortstop Sam Ritsema reached on one error and scored on another in the top of the fourth inning. The visitors tied the score on a two-out, two-run single by freshman catcher Maddie Dieleman in the sixth.
Sophomore right fielder Kayla Borgra had three base hits in the contest and Ambrose added two as Lake Forest out-hit the home team 11-7.
Freshman Tori Liewergen started the game at pitcher and allowed a pair of runs in the first two innings. Fellow freshman hurler Kristi Gandy allowed an unearned run on five base hits while striking out four in four innings of work to earn the victory. Liewergen returned to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning to earn her first career save.
Ambrose was the Foresters' starting pitcher in game two and she allowed just a pair of unearned runs in five innings of work. She struck out two batters, walked one, and surrendered five base hits in her first career victory. Liewergen allowed three unearned runs in the final two frames to close out the game.
Ambrose drove in a run on a groundout in the first inning, had an RBI single in the fourth, and plated two more runs on a double in the seventh. Ritsema and Borgra were each 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in while sophomore left fielder Whitney Leiderman had a pair of base hits and scored four times. Freshman catcher Alex Hemmer also accounted for two of Lake Forest's 15 hits and senior first baseman Nikki Miller drove in three runs.
The Foresters evened their overall record at 9-9 and remained perfect in MWC play after four league games. Knox fell to 3-13 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
Lake Forest will compete at the annual MWC Classic in East Peoria, Illinois, next weekend. The Foresters will take on St. Norbert College and Ripon College on Friday, Lawrence University and Carroll University on Saturday, and Beloit College on Sunday.
