Senior centerfielder Maria Zepeda had five of the team's 18 hits as Lake Forest posted a pair of victories at Cornell College on Sunday, taking the doubleheader opener 6-4 and game two 4-2.
Zepeda had three hits in game one and was one of four Foresters to score in the third inning. Sophomore catcher Nicole Schussler started the rally with a double and came home on a base hit by senior leftfielder Diamond Owens. Senior third baseman Emma Varsbergs doubled in Zepeda and Owens and sophomore designated player Hannah Kalnicky followed with another two-bagger to plate Varsbergs.
After the Rams cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lake Forest got one back on a run-scoring single by Schussler in the fifth.
A seventh-inning homer by Forester junior first baseman Riley Frisbie provided another insurance tally and junior pitcher Missy Dieckman-Meyer limited a Cornell rally in the bottom of the frame to two runs to finish off the victory. Dieckman-Meyer is now tied-for-sixth in program history with 28 career wins in the circle.
Zepeda led off game two with her fourth hit of the day and the visitors scored two runs in the inning, the first on an infield single by sophomore pitcher Shaye Gauthier and the second on a wild pitch.
After the home team scored twice in the third to tie the score, the Foresters pulled back ahead in the fifth on a home run by Grimm.
Gauthier held the Rams to two runs in five innings of work and earned the victory. Senior Kyra Lenzi finished off the contest with two scoreless frames for her third career save.
The Foresters evened their overall record on the season at 10-10 and improved to 3-1 in the Midwest Conference. Cornell fell to 13-9 and 3-3 in the league.
Lake Forest will continue conference play at Ripon College on Wednesday. The doubleheader will begin at 3:00 p.m.
