The Forester softball team was defeated 7-4 and 3-2 by visiting Carthage College, the nation's 21st-ranked team, at home on Sunday. Kristi Gandy drove in three of Lake Forest's six runs on the day, including two on her first career home run.
Gandy's round-tripper brought the Foresters back to within a run after they had fallen behind 5-0 in the opener.
Carthage scored one run in the first inning and four in the third.
Lake Forest began the comeback in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore left fielder Alyssa Vechiola drew a one-out walk and, with two outs, sophomore right fielder Kayla Borgra doubled to the gap in left-center field. Junior Sam Ritsema drove in Vechiola on an infield single and was also able to stay in a rundown between first and second base long enough for Borgra to also score.
Freshman second baseman Kaleigh Ambrose drew a one-out walk in the fourth ahead of Gandy's home run.
The Lady Reds scored a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh innin to account for the final score.
Borgra had two of Lake Forest's four base hits in the contest.
Gandy was also effective after entering the game at pitcher in the top of the fourth. She allowed just a pair of unearned runs in four innings of work.
The home team struck first in game two. Sophomore center fielder Whitney Leiderman led off the bottom of the first inning with a double off the left fielder's glove and promptly stole third base. She was unable to score until Gandy singled up the middle with two outs in the frame.
Carthage tied the game in the top of the third inning and took the lead with a two-run fourth.
Senior third baseman Aubrey Pendegraft belted a home run to right-center field to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning but the Foresters were unable to tie the score. Pendegraft's second homer in as many days came in the final plate appearance of her career at home.
Pendegraft and Leiderman each had a pair of hits in the game and Lake Forest out-hit Carthage 6-5.
Only one of the two runs surrendered by freshman pitcher Jessi Werner in the first three-plus innings of the game was earned. Ambrose took over with a runner on base in the fourth and allowed just a run on two base hits while striking out four in four innings of relief.
The Foresters fell to 17-16 on the season while the Lady Reds raised their record to 28-8.
Lake Forest is the top seed from the South Division in next weekend's Midwest Conference Championship Tournament at St. Norbert College. The Foresters will take on Lawrence University, the #2 seed from the North, in the first round of the double-elimination tournament at 10:00 Friday morning and St. Norbert will host Cornell College at noon. The losers will play that afternoon at 2:00 and the winners at 4:00. The final two or three (if necessary) games of the tournament will be played on Saturday.
