LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Grinnell College's softball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second year in a row Saturday afternoon, and did so in spectacular fashion.

The Pioneers beat host Lake Forest College 11-7 in the Midwest Conference Tournament championship game to extend its season. The win over the MWC regular-season champion, a team that beat Grinnell twice last month on its way to finishing league play unbeaten, was Grinnell's second in as many days over the Foresters.

Like Friday's victory, Saturday's also came after Lake Forest had taken the lead. Grinnell rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a two-run second-inning and took the lead for good with a three-run fourth frame.

Grinnell improved to 27-14, its second-highest victory total in program history, while out-hitting the hosts 13-11. Samantha Chu '24 - who set a Grinnell season record for at-bats with 142 - and Alexa Okada '24 each had three of the Pioneers' hits, while Hannah Dykstra '25 and Kyra Killion '24 had two apiece.

Christin Hartman '24 earned the pitching victory, giving up nine hits and fanning three in 5.1 innings. Kathryn Vermeulen '24 finished up the game.

After the 30-13-1 Foresters scored twice in the first inning, Okada hit an RBI double to right-center and Chu added a run-scoring double to left-center in the second to tie it.

The teams traded runs in the third to make it 3-all, with Grinnll's coming on Dykstra's solo homer to left. After Lake Forest scored in the top of the fourth, Grinnell made it 6-4 in the bottom as Okada hit an RBI single to left and Dykstra provided a two-run single to center.

The Pioneers tacked on three more runs in the fifth on an error, Chu's RBI double down the left-field line and Taylor Durak's '24 RBI single to left.

The Foresters made it a 9-7 game in the sixth, but Okada gave the Pioneers some breathing room in the bottom of the inning on a two-run double down the right-field line.

Grinnell shut down Lake Forest after that, recording the final out on a groundout to Chu at third to send the team into celebration.

Grinnell set a season record for total bases with 571. On the career chart, Okada now ranks seventh in doubles with 25 and 10th in fielding chances with 478. Dykstra now has seven homers, which is eight-best in program history.

The Pioneers will find out their NCAA Tourney foe during Monday's selection show at 10 a.m.