The Lake Forest College softball team defeated visiting St. Norbert College twice on Tuesday, taking the first game 12-4 and the second 5-3.
The Foresters had four extra base hits in the opener and each of them drove in at least one run. Senior catcher Nicole Schussler started the scoring with a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning and she eventually came home on a base hit by senior Maddie Webb. Sophomore Brie Gauthier's triple in the third made the score 5-0 but a three-run fifth for the Green Knights made it a two-run game. Sophomore third baseman Melissa Manzo tripled in a run in the bottom of the fifth and, after the visitors plated one in their half of the sixth, junior pitcher Carlie Mertz added another run-scoring three-bagger in the bottom of the frame. Schussler added an RBI single, Manzo drew a bases loaded walk, and Gauthier singled in two more runs in the sixth. The final two runs of the inning came home on a St. Norbert error, ending the game.
Mertz earned the complete game victory in the circle and improved to 2-1 on the year.
The home team jumped out to the early lead in game two on a run-scoring single by Manzo in the first inning and another by freshman catcher Angelle Bills in the second.
After St. Norbert rallied for three unearned runs off Forester junior Meghan Joyce in the fifth inning, the Foresters answered with three of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Senior second baseman Shaye Gauthier led off the inning with a double down the left field line, advanced to third on an infield single by senior shortstop Hannah Kalnicky, and scored to tie the game on a groundout by Manzo. Brie Gauthier then doubled in Kalnicky and came home on a single by sophomore rightfielder Elena Chrisman.
Brie Gauthier, who relieved Joyce with two outs in the fifth, worked around a walk in the seventh to earn her first victory of the season. She struck out a pair of batters and did not allow a hit in two-and-a-third innings of work.
Chrisman was the only Forester with two base hits in the game and she also stole two bases.
Lake Forest improved to 7-3 while St. Norbert fell to 5-5. The games did not count towards the teams' records in Midwest Conference play.
The Foresters will host another non-conference doubleheader against Beloit College on Saturday. Game one is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
