Pioneers Fall 8-3 and 11-3 to Lake Forest

Lake Forest (16-14, 10-1 MWC) used late-inning rallies in both contests to hand the Pioneer softball team a pair of setbacks on Saturday afternoon. The Foresters held on for an 8-3 victory in the opener before recording an 11-3, six-inning win, in the nightcap.

The Foresters took advantage of a wild pitch and a two-out error to score three runs in the opening frame of game one. Grinnell got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Darcy Ward '09.

LFC added a run in the fourth to get its lead back to three before the Pioneers struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within 4-3. Ward reached on a throwing error to start the inning before moving to second on a single by Emily Stewart '08. Following a Maddy Raimando '08 sacrifice bunt, Tess Cohen '09 delivered the big two-run single.

The Foresters then exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth to pull away at 8-3. The Pioneers threatened in the sixth with runners at second and third with one out but had a runner gunned down at home on a ball that deflected off the third baseman's glove, as the shortstop was there for the throw home. The Pioneers then popped out to end the inning.

Stewart and Kim Durinick each finished 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead Grinnell, while Madison Salander added two hits. As a team, the Pioneers pounded out 13 hits in the contest, but stranded 12 runners.

Lee Anne Steinberg '07 suffered the loss, going 5.2 innings, allowing all eight runs (three earned) on 13 hits. Cohen went the final 1.1 innings and allowed just one hit.

The nightcap started out as a pitcher's dual with Grinnell holding a 3-0 lead heading into the Forester's half of the fifth inning. Cohen, who got the start on the mound for the Pioneers, had yet to surrender a hit.

Jenny Riddle broke up the no-hitter while delivering a pinch-hit double down the left field line to start the fifth. Following a walk and a groundout, the Foresters had runners at second and third with one out. The big blow of the game came off the bat of Hannah Michal, who blasted a game-tying, three-run home run to left field. LFC would later add two more runs in the inning to grab a 5-3 lead.

After holding Grinnell scoreless in the top half of the sixth, Lake Forest broke the game open in the bottom half with six runs on five hits. The game ended on a Shelby Neill two-run home run to right centerfield, giving the Foresters the 11-3 win.

The Pioneers, which scattered eight hits in the contest, were led offensively by Ward and Cohen, who finished with two hits apiece. Cohen suffered the loss on the mound for Grinnell, going five innings and giving up six runs (four earned) on just four hits, while striking out six. Emily Kolbe went the final 0.2 of an inning and allowed five unearned runs on four hits.

The Pioneers fall to 7-13 overall (5-6 MWC) and will close out the conference portion of its schedule tomorrow afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. home doubleheader versus Monmouth.

Game 1
Game 2