Tracy Rainey Becomes Lake Forest's Career RBI Leader in Split at Elmhurst
Jordan Ratliff takes no-hitter into the fifth inning in opener  
  

Tracy Rainey

Jordan Ratliff

Jill Pfund

The first inning was the only scoreless frame for the Foresters in game one. Senior Mallory Norton (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) led off the second with a base hit, advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on a one-out single by freshman Nikki Miller (Starkville, Miss./Starkville Academy).

Lake Forest broke the game open with three runs in the third. Freshman Jordan Ratliff (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield) walked to lead off the inning and, after a sacrifice bunt, sophomore Leslie Harshey (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) singled and stole second base. Senior Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) reached on an error but was still credited with a run batted in, the school record 116th of her career. Norton singled in Harshey and scored on a double by sophomore Danielle Gore (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey).

Three more Forester runs scored in the fourth. Senior Sam Pinsonneault (Manchester, N.H./New Hampton) walked to lead off the inning and freshman Megan Harkins (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) followed with a base hit. A sacrifice bunt moved up the runners and Rainey singled in Pinsonneault and advanced to second on the throw. Norton followed with an RBI-groundout and Rainey scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Harkins had a bunt single with two outs in the fifth inning. She then stole second and scored the final run of the contest on a base hit by Harshey.

Harkins, Harshey, Norton, and Miller each had two of the Foresters' 10 hits in the game. Rainey and Norton drove in two runs apiece and Harkins, Norton, and Pinsonneault scored twice each.

Ratliff held Elmhurst scoreless for all five innings for her first career shutout. She did not allow a base hit until surrendering a pair of fifth-inning singles.

Ratliff also started game two and allowed three hits in two more scoreless innings of work. She is now 4-0 with a 1.30 earned run average on the season.

The Foresters took the early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Gore singled with one out, stole second, and advanced to third on an illegal pitch. Miller then walked and stole second. A two-out single by senior Jill Pfund (Morenci, Mich./Morenci) scored both runners.

The Bluejays turned a two-run deficit into a three-run lead with five unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning. The home team also plated two (one earned) in the fifth.

Lake Forest was scheduled to play its home opener against Wheaton College tomorrow afternoon but the game was postponed due to impending bad weather. The team's next scheduled doubleheader is Carthage College at 1:00 next Saturday afternoon (March 27).