The Forester softball team collected a pair of key victories at Cornell College on Monday, taking the opener 5-3 and game two 5-4.
Lake Forest freshman catcher Kyla Chevalier was 4-for-7 on the day with a pair of doubles, her fourth home run of the season, four runs scored, and three driven in. Freshman third baseman Cadence Dempsey and senior right fielder Elena Chrisman matched Chevalier's also had two hits apiece in both halves of the doubleheader and they combined for three doubles, four runs scored, and three batted in.
While Chevalier and Dempsey scored all five of the visitors' runs in the opener, the historical performance came from sophomore pitcher Ailee Pederson, whose 13 strikeouts rank tied-for-third in program history and match the highest total by a Forester since 1980. She allowed just three base hits and one earned run in the complete game victory.
An error brought home Dempsey and Chrisman doubled in Chevalier in the first inning. Chevalier's two-run homer in the fourth made the score 4-1 but two unearned runs from the Rams in the home half of the inning cut the lead to one. A Dempsey double and Chevalier single in the fifth provided an insurance run and, thanks in part to a double play in the bottom of the frame, Pederson faced the minimum over the last three innings.
Chrisman plated two with a base hit in the top of the first inning of game two. A wild pitch from the Cornell pitcher brought home another run in the second, making the score 3-0.
All four of the Rams' runs and five of their seven hits came in the bottom of the second and the score remained 4-3 until the top of the fifth. Chevalier doubled with one out and junior first baseman Teagan Delarwelle followed with a groundout to the shortstop. Chevalier broke for third after the shortstop released the ball and the first baseman's throw sailed over the third baseman's head, enabling the Foresters to tie the game. Chrisman followed with a double and raced home with what turned out to the the winning run on a bloop single down the right field line by sophomore second baseman Kelly Collins.
Freshman center fielder Emmie Nyen joined the other three Foresters with two-hit performances and the visitors had a 10-7 advantage in that category as a team.
Sophomore pitcher Hannah Smith struck out a season-high seven batters and improved to 7-3 on the year.
The victories improved Lake Forest's overall record to 14-11 and evened the team's Midwest Conference mark at 4-4. Cornell fell to 11-15 overall and 6-2 in the league.
The Foresters will continue conference play against Ripon College at home on Saturday. Game on of the doubleheader will begin at 1:00 p.m.
