The Lake Forest College softball team hosted and defeated Carthage College 9-7 in Tuesday's doubleheader opener. Game two was suspended after eight innings with the score tied at seven.
Game one was a back-and-forth battle and the winning runs came on a tie-breaking two-run homer by Forester freshman catcher Kyla Chevalier in the bottom of the sixth inning. The line drive over the left field fence was the team-high fourth round-tripper of the year for Chevalier. It also brought home sophomore second baseman Kelly Collins, who had tied the score on a two-out triple past the right fielder.
The Firebirds started the scoring with a two-run home run of their own in the top of the first inning but did not have another batter reach base against Lake Forest sophomore Hannah Smith until the fifth.
The home team plated a run in the bottom of the first and then took the lead with four in the third. Three of the four runs scored when a one-out ground ball from freshman left fielder Brooke Swiecki was fielded by the third baseman and her throw to first was wild. A single by senior right fielder Elena Chrisman brought home Swiecki and made the score 5-2.
Smith's streak of 11 straight batters retired ended with a leadoff walk in the top of the fifth and Carthage tied the game with three in the inning. After the Foresters regained the lead on a sacrifice fly by Chrisman, the visitors pulled ahead with two in the sixth, setting up the heroics from Collins and Chevalier.
Smith pitched six-and-two-thirds innings and improved to 5-1 on the season. With the tying run on third base, sophomore Brooke Challe came in to record the final out, a fly ball to left, to earn her first career save.
Chrisman and freshman third baseman Cadence Dempsey each accounted for two of the Foresters' 11 base hits in the contest.
Of the 14 runs scored in game two, 12 came in the third inning. After the Firebirds jumped ahead with six in the top of the frame, Lake Forest answered with the same amount in the bottom. Three walks, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Dempsey scored the first two. Collins singled in another and Swiecki drove in two on a triple over the center fielder's head before coming home with the tying run on another sacrifice fly by Chrisman.
Swiecki lined a double over the center fielder's head in the fifth inning to plate Collins and give the Foresters a lead they held until the seventh. The Firebirds scored with one out and had a pair of runners on base when Challe entered the circle and got the final two outs of the inning.
Lake Forest stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the seventh, as did Carthage in the top of the eighth. The score was still 7-7 going into the ninth when the game was suspended due to darkness.
Collins, Chevalier, and Sweicki each had two of the Foresters' eight hits in the game. Senior Kristen Calhoun allowed just one run in four innings of relief and Challe get the final five outs without surrendering a run.
If and when the game will be finished has yet to be determined.
The game one victory raised the Foresters' record on the season to 8-6 while Carthage fell to 4-7.
Lake Forest will travel to Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.