Lake Forest College Sports Information
May 12, 2002
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Defeat Benedictine 7-1, Close to Within One Win of Nationals
Freshmen Mildebrath and Koludrovic combine for five hits
  

 Alissa Mildebrath (top) and Tina Koludrovic are tied for the team-lead (and school record) in base hits this season with 41.
BLOOMINGTON, IL - The Forester softball team needs just one more victory to advance to the 2002 NCAA National Tournament after its 7-1 triumph over Benedictine University in Sunday's (May 12th) third game. In the day's first NCAA Regional match-up, host Illinois Wesleyan University knocked Eureka College out of the double elimination tournament with an 8-3 victory. In game two, Washington University became the second team to be ousted when it was defeated by Webster University, 3-0. In Sunday's fourth and final contest, Webster eliminated Wesleyan by a score of 9-6.

In the Foresters' first victory of the tourney, an 8-0 win over Webster University on Friday (May 10th), the offense was led by the upper classmen, as three juniors and four seniors batted a combined 13-for-24. In Sunday's win, freshmen Alissa Mildebrath (Carol Stream, IL/West Chicago) and Tina Koludrovic (Darien, IL/Downers Grove South), Lake Forest's top two hitters over the course of the season, teamed up for five of the team's 10 hits. Each has a school-record 41 base hits this year.

The pair came through right from the start, as Mildebrath singled to right field to lead off the game. After a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt, the Foresters' second baseman scored on a single by Koludrovic, the shortstop, to give Lake Forest the early lead.

Mildebrath crossed home plate for the team-leading 26th time this season after leading off the top of the third with another single. Eight Foresters batted in the inning, scoring three runs on as many hits. 

Lake Forest got three runs on three hits again in the fifth inning to put the game away.

Nancy Findeisen (Beecher, IL/ Beecher) pitched six solid innings for the Foresters, holding Benedictine, who entered the game batting .320 on the year, to just one run on seven base hits. The sophomore struck out six and did not allow a walk, extending her streak to 37 consecutive innings without issuing a base on balls. The ace of the staff's eighth straight victory raised her record on the season to 15-5 while the one run allowed actually raised her ERA to an amazing 0.71.

Fellow sophomore Leigh Anne Furgerson (Carmel, IN/Westfield), who earlier this year had a nine-game winning streak, pitched a hitless seventh inning in her first appearance of the tournament.

Monday (May 13th) will be the final day of the regional tourney, and will open at 10:00 AM with Benedictine (28-15) taking on Webster (31-6). The loser will be eliminated while the winner advances to the 12:00 PM game against Lake Forest, who, at 28-10, has now exceeded its previous school record for victories in a season by 10. The Foresters need a win in that game or the ensuing rematch (if needed) to advance to next week's (May 16-20th) 2002 NCAA National Tournament in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

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