The Lake Forest College softball team defeated Fontbonne University 2-1 and Millikin University 2-0 on Thursday and are now 6-0 on the season. Junior second baseman Vasi Panos had four of the Foresters' 14 hits on the day.
Panos was 2-for-3 in both games. Her second single against Fontbonne drove in pinch-runner Callie Schaser and made the score 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Lake Forest's other run was scored by McKenzie Mac, another freshman pinch-runner, on a groundout by freshman designated player Jillian Rashid in the bottom of the second. Junior third baseman Kaleigh Ambrose contributed to both runs, singling Mac into scoring position in the second inning and doubling before giving way to Schaser in the sixth.
Forester junior pitcher Jessi Werner continued her strong start to the season. She did not allow a hit until the top of the fifth inning and a leadoff home run in the seventh was the only run she allowed and snapped a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings. Werner struck out six and walked just two during the two-hitter. She now ranks second in program history with 257 career strikeouts, just six shy of the school record set by Nancy Findeisen in 2003.
Werner is not the only pitcher on the staff excelling early in the season. Sophomore Jenny McTague kept Millikin off the scoreboard into the seventh inning in Lake Forest's second game of the day. She struck out five batters and walked three while allowing four base hits. Werner got the last two outs for her first career save. Both pitchers are 3-0 on the year and they have combined for a 1.33 earned run average and 42 strikeouts in as many innings. Opposing hitters are batting just .169 on the year.
The Foresters took the lead when a double by junior designated player Alex Hemmer in the top of the first inning scored senior centerfielder Whitney Leiderman, who drew a walk to lead off the game. A bunt single by Leiderman drove in junior catcher Maddie Dieleman with the other run an inning later. Dieleman led off the second with a base hit, stole second, and advanced to third on a single by senior leftfielder Audrey Djukic.
With two more hits in the contest, Panos raised her team-best batting average to .444. Leiderman and Hemmer lead the squad with five runs scored apiece and Hemmer has a team-high five runs batted in.
The only other time the Foresters began a season with six straight victories was in 1986, when they started 12-0.
Fontbonne fell to 4-3 and Millikin to 5-7.
Lake Forest will continue its Spring Break trip with two games against Marywood University on Friday. The doubleheader opener will begin at 1:00 p.m. (EST).
