Lake Forest College Sports Information
March 14th, 2002
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Despite Pair of Losses, Foresters Finish Trip With 5-3 Record
Carroll and Simpson defeat Lake Forest on Thursday
  

Kristin Brand is batting .471 with a 6-game hitting streak.
ORLANDO, FL - While dropping games to Carroll College (5-3) and Simpson College (1-0) on Thursday (March 14th) was not the way Lake Forest College head softball coach Diane Kanney and the Foresters were hoping to end their annual Spring Break excursion to Orlando, Florida, the trip itself was extremely successful. The team's school record-tying 5-3 record for the week included a 2-0 shutout of Denison University, a 10-5 win over Ithaca College, and a 1-0 triumph over Muskingum College, the defending NCAA Division III National Champions. Denison, Ithaca and Muskingum entered the season ranked 14th, 9th and 1st, respectively, in the country (USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association). Add to that a no-hitter over Springfield College, and the Foresters' week contained more highlights than some teams' entire seasons.

Thursday, however, was slightly less eventful for Lake Forest. Against Midwest Conference foe Carroll College, the Foresters turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the third inning and one more in the fourth. The Pioneers recovered, though, and scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score and two more in the sixth to claim the 5-3 victory, which does not count in the league standings.

Sophomore first baseman Shanon Joselane (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard East) went 2-for-2 in the game and finished the trip with a .294 batting average, second-best on the team. Kristin Brand (McHenry, IL/McHenry West) went 1-for-2 to extend her hitting streak to six games. The senior leftfielder was the Foresters' top hitter for the week with a .471 batting average.

Lake Forest's second game of the day was a pitchers' duel between sophomore Nancy Findeisen (Beecher, IL/ Beecher), the early-season ace of the Foresters, and Simpson's Lyndsey Owen. Lake Forest senior rightfielder Chris Laurine's (Richmond, IL/Richmond-Burton) single in the bottom of the fifth inning was the first base hit for either team and the only one for the Foresters in the game. Findeisen retired the first 16 batters she faced before a sixth inning single ended her chance for back-to-back no-hitters. With one out in the seventh, Simpson finally scored the game's only run. It was the only score allowed by Findeisen in 28 innings on the trip, giving her an earned run average of 0.25.

Forester pitchers combined for an ERA of 1.41, struck out 44 batters, and allowed just 49 baserunners (41 hits, 7 walks and 1 HBP) in 54-2/3 innings of work. Offensively, Lake Forest out-hit its opponents .252 to .200 and out-scored them 25 to 16 on the trip.

The next action for the Foresters will be a 1:00 PM doubleheader at St. Xavier University next Saturday (March 23rd). After playing another doubleheader on the road against Carthage the following Tuesday (March 26th), Lake Forest will play its home opener against Benedictine University on Friday, March 29th.

Lake Forest - Carroll Box Score
Lake Forest - Simpson Box Score