LAKE FOREST, Illinois – The Ripon softball program was swept in a doubleheader on Saturday at Lake Forest as both teams were vying for first place in the Midwest Conference standings.
 
Ripon (9-18, 6-3 MWC) fell 13-0 in five innings in game one before Lake Forest (17-13, 8-2 MWC) took game two 7-1.
 
The host Foresters gained control early in game one, scoring three times in the first and three times in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Then, five more runs crossed home in the third, and the Foresters plated two more in the fourth. Limiting Ripon to just one hit in the game, Lake Forest cruised to the five-inning win.
 
Karissa Jenz had Ripon's only hit of the game, as the freshman went 1-for-2. Alayna Sadowska took the loss on the mound, giving up 11 hits and 13 earned runs across four innings of work.
 
Ripon started strong in game two, as Maddie Heisler opened the game with a single. With runners on the corners and one out, Arianna Alirez scored Heisler on a sacrifice bunt to give Ripon the early lead.
 
However, Lake Forest answered with three runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good. The Foresters scored once more in the second, and added three insurance runs in the fifth to take a 7-1 lead. The Red Hawks put a runner on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't convert and dropped game two.
 
Five different Red Hawks recorded a hit in game two: Heisler, Ashlyn Schultz, Emily Kasuboski, Sadowska and Jayden Markus. Brooklyn Cooper got the loss on the mound, pitching all six innings. She surrendered nine hits and seven earned runs.
 
NEXT UP: Ripon hosts Lawrence on Saturday, April 26 for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday's games will also serve as Senior Day for the Red Hawks.
 
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