Sweeps at Grinnell and Knox Clinch MWC South’s Top Seed for Lake Forest
Team will travel to St. Norbert or Ripon for next weekend’s Midwest Conference Tournament 
  

Christy Condon

Shelby Neill

Tracy Rainey

Jeanette Andresen

Lake Forest junior Hannah Michal (Lake Villa, Ill./Grayslake) and senior Kim Silvers (Walton, Ind./Lewis Cass) were both 3-for-4 with a double in the opener at Grinnell. Michal scored three times and freshman Shelby Neill (Manitou Beach, Mich./Lenawee Christian), who was 2-for-3 in the contest, drove in a pair of runs. Junior Christy Condon (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East) drew three walks in the game, including two intentionally, and came around to score twice. Junior Kendra Grant (Bothell, Wash./Bothell) scattered 13 hits over seven innings and earned the victory.

The Forester led 3-1 after the first inning and added one in the fourth. Grinnell pulled to within a run with two in the bottom of the sixth inning but Lake Forest’s four-run sixth put the game away.

Condon was the only Forester with two base hits in game two. She also scored twice, setting a school record with 38 tallies on the season. Michal, who belted a three-run home run, and freshman Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) also crossed home plate twice in the game and Neill homered and drove in three more runs. Freshman Jeanette Andresen (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) allowed eight base hits, struck out three, and walked one in the victory.

Grinnell led by three after scoring twice in the top of the third and once in the fourth. Junior Jenny Riddle (Bloomington, Ill./Normal) broke up the Pioneers’ potential no-hitter with a pinch-hit double in the fifth and Michal’s homer tied the score two batters later. Two more runs in the inning put the Foresters ahead and Neill finished off a six-run sixth with a walk-off home run.

Rainey had three base hits in the opener at Knox. Condon, freshman Jill Pfund (Morenci, Mich./Morenci), and senior Lisa Jeziorny (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) each had two hits and both of Pfund’s were doubles. She joined freshman Mallory Norton (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) with three runs scored and Michal with three driven in. Neill, Rainey, and Jeziorny each drove in a pair of runs. Grant won for the ninth time in her last 10 decisions and raised her record on the year to 9-5.

Lake Forest responded to Knox’s first-inning run with three in the second and five in the third. After the Prairie Fire plated three in the third, the visitors pulled away with two in the fourth and six in the seventh.

Rainey and Pfund were each 2-for-3 in game two and Rainey belted her first home run of the year. Condon added her ninth round-tripper of the season and Neill her six. Rainey also scored twice and matched Condon with three RBI. Andresen is now 9-6 after her second shutout of the year.

Lake Forest clinched the top seed in next weekend’s (May 4-5) MWC Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by the first-place team in the league’s North Division.