Lake Forest Reaches Third NCAA Regional Final in Four Years
Team defeats Thomas More and Pitt-Bradford, falls twice to Muskingum 
  

Kendra Grant was 2-1 on the weekend and 11-4 this seaosn.

Freshman Kendra Grant (Bothell, WA/Bothell) threw her first career shutout against Thomas More. She allowed just five base hits and struck out one batter without walking anyone. The Foresters matched a season high with 15 hits, including three by junior Melissa Wegner (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech), who extended her hitting streak to nine games.

Lake Forest scored its first run in the top of the second inning on singles by sophomores Jenny Riddle (Bloomington, IL/Normal) and Stacey Nadelhoffer (Evergreen Park, IL/Evergreen Park) and senior Hannah Starck (Aurora, IL/Aurora West). Riddle led off the fourth inning with her team-high fifth home run of the season and Wegner singled, advanced to second on a bunt, stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher in the fifth. The team’s final two runs scored in the sixth inning. Starck singled to start the frame and scored on a Wegner double. Wegner then came home on a single by freshman Jessica Kirincich (Channahon, IL/Minooka).

The Foresters managed just three base hits in their first game against Muskingum. Senior Alissa Mildebrath (Carol Stream, IL/West Chicago) accounted for two of them and Kirincich had one.

The Muskies scored three times in the third inning, once in the fourth, and four times in the fifth.

Lake Forest took the lead in the top of the second inning against Pitt-Bradford on a two-run homer by sophomore Lisa Jeziorny (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg), her second round-tripper of the year. The Lady Panthers plated three in the bottom of the fifth and led 3-2 until the top of the seventh. Starck and Mildebrath each singled with one out and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. Wegner drove in Starck and reached second base herself on an error by the first baseman. Watts then singled in both the winning run and an insurance tally.

Grant pitched the first six innings to record her team-high 11th victory of the season. Closson struck out two in the seventh and tied a school record with her fourth career save.

Grant was in the pitcher’s circle again on Monday against Muskingum, who scored three unearned runs in the top of the second inning and plated one more in the sixth.

The Foresters pulled to within a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Starck led off the frame with an infield single and Mildebrath followed with a base hit to left field. After Wegner bunted the runners over, sophomore Erin Watts (Evergreen Park, IL/Evergreen Park) drove them in with her third home run of the season. She also passed Wegner for the team lead in runs batted in with a school record 34.

The Muskies pulled away with three runs in the top of the seventh inning and blanked Lake Forest in the bottom half of the frame to claim the regional title.

Jeziorny, Wegner, Mildebrath, and Watts were named to the all-tournament team. They combined to bat .327 with three doubles, two home runs, six runs scored, nine RBI, and three stolen bases on the weekend.

The Foresters, who set or tied single-season school records with 218 runs, 184 RBI, 356 base hits, 62 doubles, 506 total bases, and 68 stolen bases on the year, lose just four players to graduation.