Sophomore centerfielder Sydney Gardner had a pair of two-hit games and scored a run in each contest as the Lake Forest College softball team prevailed 4-0 and 3-1 in eight innings at Grinnell College on Sunday.
Gardner singled to lead off the opener and, after her other base hit with one out in the top of the seventh, came around to score on a double by senior catcher Alex Hemmer to make the score 3-0. Two batters later senior first baseman Sally Snarski singled in Hemmer with the final run of the game.
Lake Forest had taken the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Snarski led off the frame with a double and a base hit by freshman leftfielder Maria Zepeda put runners on the corners with one out. Senior second baseman Vasi Panos, who was 3-for-3 in the contest, then singled to center to bring home freshman pinch-runner Emma Carlson with the first run of the game. Zepeda advanced to third on the base hit and then scored on a bunt by freshman designated player Alyssa Grimm.
Four runs was more than enough for Forester senior pitcher Jessi Werner, who allowed just three base hits while striking out nine and walking four in her second shutout of the season and program record-tying 15th of her career.
The Foresters out-hit the Pioneers 14-8 in game two but left 13 runners on base. Junior pitcher Jenny McTague was 3-for-3 in the contest while Gardner, Hemmer, senior third baseman Kaleigh Ambrose, and sophomore shortstop Kat Beall added two hits apiece.
Lake Forest scored first when Beall doubled in Ambrose with two outs in the top of the third. Grinnell, however plated a run on a two-out hit in the bottom of the frame to tie the game.
The score remained 1-1 until the top of the eighth. Sophomore rightfielder Callie Schaser reached on an infield single with one out, went to second on a single to left by Gardner, and advanced to third on a flyout to center by Hemmer. Ambrose then singled to left center and both runners scored to make the score 3-1.
McTague pitched the first six-and-a-third innings and allowed just one run on six hits and a walk. Werner came on in relief with one on and one out in the seventh and retired the next two hitters to get out of the inning. She surrendered a pair of singles with one out in the eighth before a strikeout and a popout ended the game. After earning the victory in both contests, Werner is 13-4 with a 2.45 earned run average on the season. Her 123 strikeouts in 108.2 innings give her three of the top four single-season totals in team history.
The doubleheader sweep improved the Foresters' overall record to 20-11 and Midwest Conference mark to 14-2. Grinnell fell to 15-16 overall and 7-9 in the league.
Lake Forest, which leads Monmouth by a game in the conference standings, will close out the regular season with two more doubleheaders on the road next weekend. The Foresters will play at Lawrence University Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and at St. Norbert College Sunday afternoon at 1:00.
