Lake Forest College Sports Information
May 10, 2003
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Defeat Top-Seeded Gustavus Adolphus in Nine Innings
Furgerson goes the distance, Koludrovic drives in Gibson with the game-winner
  

 Leigh Anne Furgerson allowed just one run in nine innings.
WAVERLY, IA - The Lake Forest College softball team is now one win away from a second consecutive NCAA Regional Championship and a return trip to the National Tournament. The Foresters defeated Gustavus Adolphus College 2-1 in nine innings Saturday (May 10) to improve their record on the season to 25-11. Gustavus Adolphus, the tourney's top seed, fell to 27-10.

Lake Forest was the home team and fell behind early. The Muskies had a single and two doubles in the top of the first inning but were held to just one run.

The Foresters tied the game in the bottom of the second. Sophomore designated player Shannon Clerkin (Barneveld, WI/Barneveld) drew a one-out base on balls and advanced to second on a groundout. She went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a clutch single by sophomore left fielder Kristen Feeney (Brookfield, IL/Lyons Township).

Gustavus Adolphus had a number of scoring opportunities throughout the first five innings, but failed to get another runner home as junior pitcher Leigh Anne Furgerson (Carmel, IN/Westfield) pitched her way out of trouble. The second team all-region pitcher settled down and retired 10 straight batters before the Gusties threatened in the top of the ninth, putting runners on second and third with two out. A groundout, the last of 14 in the game induced by Furgerson, ended the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, senior right fielder Megan Gibson (Brown Deer, WI/Brown Deer) led off with a double down the left field line. Sophomore shortstop Tina Koludrovic (Darien, IL/Downers Grove South) followed with a single up the middle and Gibson raced home with the winning score. Both Gibson and Koludrovic had two of the Foresters' six base hits in the contest.

Furgerson improved her record on the year to 12-3 and lowered her earned run average to 1.23. She scattered ten hits in the complete-game victory while striking out four and not issuing a single walk.

Clarke College will take on host Wartburg College Saturday afternoon in the first of back-to-back elimination games. The winner will play again right away against Gustavus Adolphus. The winner of that game will play the Foresters at 1:00 Sunday (May 11) afternoon and will need to defeat Lake Forest twice to win the double-elimination tournament. The Foresters need just one more victory to claim the regional title and advance to the national tourney, where they finished second a year ago.

Box Score