On Saturday, the Lake Forest softball team defeated conference opponent Ripon College in a doubleheader. The Foresters prevailed 8-1 in the opener, and 10-5 in the second game.
Ripon managed to take the lead in the third inning when a runner scored on a passed ball, but that would be the only run that senior pitcher Carlie Mertz would allow for the rest of the game. The Foresters had two bursts of scoring, once in the fourth inning and once in the sixth; they score four runs in each. Sophomore Angelle Bills got things started for the Foresters. Two runs scored when she hit a single to left field; she was able to advance to second on an error by the left fielder and then continue to third. Freshman Kaylee Purgatorio brought Bills home on the next at bat with a sacrifice fly. Two batters later junior Elena Chrisman doubled to left center and brought freshman Caeli Kinsella home, who'd hit a single in the previous at bat.
In the top of the sixth, the first two Forester batters walked and then senior Josie Klein batting in a run. Two batters later, freshman Kelly Collins hit her own single and brought home another run and advanced Klein to second. Klein made a complete trip around the diamond when freshman Cheyenne Pellettiere hit a double, batting in Klein and Collins.
Mertz pitched a complete game and allowed two hits and one run and struck out four on the day.
In the second game of the twinbill, the Foresters took a three run lead in the first. After Klein hit a single to get on base, Mertz hit a triple and brought her home. Freshman Kelly Collins walked in the next at bat, then stole second and Mertz stole home at the same time. Collins advanced to third when the next batter, Pellettiere hit a single; freshman Teagan Delarwelle batted Collins in with a single to center field, but Pellettiere was out at the plate.
The Foresters scored three additional runs in the second before the Red Hawks were able to answer. Ripon scored the next five runs and brought the score to 6-5 at the start of the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, managed to plate four more runs. The Red Hawks walked three and loaded the bases to start the inning, and then Collins hit a single and batted in two runs. Pellettiere singled in the next at bat, and Klein made it to home safely due to a fielding error by the right fielder. Collins plated the 10th and final run of the game for the Foresters after Delarwelle hit a sacrifice fly to bring her home.
Klein pitched six innings in the game and earned the win for the Foresters; she struck out two and allowed only six hits. Freshman Hannah Smith pitched the final inning, where she struck out two.
With these two wins, Lake Forest now sits with a 20-12 overall record and is 12-0 in the Midwest Conference, where they are currently rank in first place. Ripon College is now 5-23 and 3-7 in conference.
Lake Forest plays again on Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. when they will host Monmouth College. It will also be the team's Alumni Day and Mia Gurevitz Day.