ROSEMONT, Ill. – The CUW softball program opened the 2019 season with a pair of losses under the dome in Rosemont, Illinois. The Blue and White fell to Lake Forest, who advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, 6-3. CUW ended the day with a 4-1 loss to Buena Vista.

The Foresters broke open the game with six runs in the third inning. All six runs were unearned.

The Falcons did not fold and continued to battle and posted three runs to the scoreboard in the fifth inning.

Senior Sara Rosenow (Kimberly, Wis.) singled to left field to score freshman Jillian Gardner (Plainfield, Ill.).

Junior Nicole Lewis (Manhattan, Ill.) later scored Rosenow on a single to left field.

Junior Molly O'Connell (New London, Wis.) scored the final run of the game on a single to center field that crossed freshman Taylor Kuske (Kaukauna, Wis.) across home plate.

The Falcon defense kept the Foresters from adding more in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, the Foresters popped up to shortstop.

Freshman Gina Followell (Romeoville, Ill.) recorded six strikeouts in the circle and did not allow an earned run.

Junior Samantha Schloegl (Genoa City, Wis.) and Nicole Lewis led CUW with two hits.

Samantha Schloegl, Krystal Cortes and Taylor Kuske all recorded their first hits at CUW.

The Beavers bit the Falcons with two runs in the top of the first inning.

Senior Maddie Zazas (Mundelein, Ill.) scored Molly O'Connell on a sacrifice fly to center field. O'Connell led the Falcons in game two with two hits.

Freshman Nicki Becker (Brodhead, Wis.) had two strikeouts in the start.

The Blue and White will compete in two weeks in sunny Florida on March 15 against Staten Island and Dubuque.