Foresters Win Three of Five at Midwest Conference Classic
Closson earns all three victories, bats .364 
  

Ashley Closson is batting .327 with a 2.03 ERA this season.

All 10 MWC teams took on the five from the other division and Knox College recorded the only perfect 5-0 record. Ripon was 4-1 and the Foresters were joined by Carroll and Illinois College at 3-2. Beloit, St. Norbert, and Lawrence won twice each, Monmouth College was 1-4, and Grinnell College lost five times.

Junior Ashley Closson (Murphysboro, IL/Murphysboro) pitched a complete game one-hitter in the shutout of Beloit. She struck out a season-high eight batters and did not issue a walk. Freshman Jessica Kirincich (Channahon, IL/Minooka) was 2-for-3 in the contest with a pair of runs batted in. Sophomore Lisa Jeziorny (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) was 2-for-2 with a double.

Both of Lake Forest’s runs came in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Sophomore Jenny Riddle (Bloomington, IL/Normal) was the only Forester with two base hits against Carroll. Closson had a pinch-hit double and senior Hannah Starck (Aurora, IL/Aurora West) singled and scored both of the team’s runs.

Carroll scored once in the bottom of the first inning and three more times in the fourth. The Foresters plated one in the fifth and another in the seventh.

Junior Melissa Wegner (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) and sophomore Erin Watts (Evergreen Park, IL/Evergreen Park) were each 3-for-4 with a double against Lawrence. Wegner drove in two runs and Watts scored three. Kirincich was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Closson allowed just two earned runs and six hits in eight innings for her second win of the day.

After the Vikings scored one in the top of the first inning, Lake Forest brought home two in the bottom of the frame and added two more in the third. Lawrence took a 6-4 lead with a five-run fifth, but the Foresters regained the lead with one in the fifth and two in the sixth. The Vikings sent the game to extra innings with one in the seventh and a Wegner RBI single in the eighth scored the winning run.

Freshman Kendra Grant (Bothell, WA/Bothell) pitched well in the loss to Ripon, allowing just one run on four base hits while striking out two and walking one. A double by Kirincich and a Starck single were the Foresters’ only two base hits of the game.

Lake Forest had 11 hits against St. Norbert, including two each from Starck and fellow seniors Alissa Mildebrath (Carol Stream, IL/West Chicago) and Kristen Feeney (Brookfield, IL/Lyons Township). Watts scored twice and drove in a pair. Mildebrath and Kirincich also scored two runs and Feeney drove in three. Closson started and pitched five innings to get the win and even her record on the year at 5-5. Grant retired each of the six batters she faced to earn her second save of the season.

Lake Forest scored four runs in the top of the first inning but gave up five in the bottom of the frame. The Green Knights extended their lead to 7-4 with two in the second but did not score again. The Foresters scored one in the fifth inning and pulled ahead with five in the sixth.

Kirincich and Watts each had six base hits on the weekend. Wegner had five and Starck, Closson, and Mildebrath four. Watts led the team with five runs scored and joined Feeney with a team-high four RBI. Closson was 3-0 with a 1.40 earned run average and Grant posted a 0.88 ERA.

The Foresters will travel to North Central College on Wednesday (April 13) for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader. The team will resume league play Saturday (April 16) afternoon at 1:00 against Monmouth College.