Freshmen Alyssa Grimm and Maria Zepeda each belted a pair of home runs as the Lake Forest College softball team prevailed 4-1 and 9-7 in eight innings at Illinois College on Sunday.
Grimm's first career round-tripper tied the opener at one in the top of the fifth inning.
The visitors took the lead in the sixth. Senior catcher Alex Hemmer followed a leadoff single by senior second baseman Vasi Panos with a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a groundout. Senior first baseman Sally Snarski then singled up the middle to score Hemmer and put the Foresters ahead.
Lake Forest sophomore rightfielder Sam Rosenfeld and Zepeda drew walks in the top of the seventh and a pair of runs scored on a single to center by Hemmer and two-base error on the first baseman trying to pick Zepeda off second.
The Lady Blues brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh but Forester senior pitcher Jessi Werner induced a flyout to end the game.
Werner allowed just four base hits while striking out a dozen hitters without issuing a walk in the contest. It was her 15th career game with at least 10 strikeouts.
Hemmer had two of the Foresters' six hits in the contest.
Grimm belted a two-run homer and Zepeda a solo shot in the second inning of game two to stake the visitors to a 3-0 lead. It was Zepeda's first career home run.
A double-steal of second and home by sophomore centerfielder Sydney Gardner and senior third baseman Kaleigh Ambrose in the third inning extended the Lake Forest lead to 4-0.
Illinois College, however, rallied for three runs in the bottom of the third and Werner came on in relief to get the final two outs of the frame. The home team tied the game on a homer in the fifth and the score remained 4-4 through seven innings.
Freshman Desiree Velazquez started the Foresters' eighth-inning rally with a one-out single, the first hit of her career, and Zepeda followed with her second home run of the contest. She is the 21st player in program history to clear the fence at least twice in a game. Panos and Hemmer followed with singles and, after a fielder's choice groundout, Snarski homered over the wall in left field to bring home what turned out to be three important runs. It was the 20th career home run for Snarski, who is now tied-for-third in program history in that category.
After two singles, a home run, and another single to start the bottom of the eighth, the Lady Blue brought the tying run to the plate. Werner escaped the jam again, however, to earn her second victory of the day and improve to 6-4 on the year. She allowed six hits while striking out six and walking two in the five-and-two-third innings of relief.
The Foresters are now 8-9 overall and 3-1 in Midwest Conference play this season. Illinois College fell to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Lake Forest will play a non-conference doubleheader at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Thursday at 3:00 p.m. before resuming MWC play with a twin-bill at home against Beloit College at 1:00 Saturday afternoon.
