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Grinnell College Athletics

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Team
Ben Wajerski
6
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS 25-18
8
Winner Grinnell GRINNELL 14-29
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS
25-18
6
Final
8
Grinnell GRINNELL
14-29
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS 0 2 0 0 3 1 0 6 6 2
Grinnell GRINNELL 0 1 0 0 4 3 X 8 14 3

W: Marquez, Julia (10-9) L: A. Fritz (6-3)

5
Grinnell GRINNELL 14-30
8
Winner Lake Forest LFC 28-14-1
Grinnell GRINNELL
14-30
5
Final
8
Lake Forest LFC
28-14-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Grinnell GRINNELL 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 5 7 1
Lake Forest LFC 3 3 0 0 2 0 X 8 10 3

W: R. Stiles (12-4) L: Trani, Emma (3-15)

Game Recap: Softball | | Ted Schultz

Pioneer softball team advances to title game of MWC Tourney before seeing season end

Grinnell opens the day with victory over Illinois College and then falls to Lake Forest

KENOSHA, Wis. - For the fourth season in a row, the Grinnell College softball team advanced to the championship round of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Pioneers did so with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over second-seeded Illinois College to open action Saturday morning at Carthage College. Grinnell kept up the momentum against top-seeded and regular-season champ Lake Forest College, testing the Foresters the entire way before falling 8-5.

Grinnell fell behind Illinois College 5-1 to start the day, but erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game as Lexi Herrick '28 hit an RBI single through the right side and Kala Bisterfeldt '28 smashed a three-run triple to left-center. She scored via an error on the same play.

The Lady Blues retook the lead with a run in the top of the sixth, but Grinnell countered with three in the bottom of the sixth as Leanna Guerra '28 walked with the bases loaded, Herrick sent an RBI single through the left side and Bisterfeldt lofted a sacrifice fly to right field.

Illinois College put its first two runners on base in the top of the seventh before relief pitcher Lane Kohler '25 shut the door while securing the victory. Both Pioneer pitchers were superb, as starter Emma Trani '26 scattered four hits and struck out two in four innings and Kohler fanned three and allowed just two hits after that.

Grinnell enjoyed one of its biggest offensive performances of the season, pounding out 14 hits compared to six for the Lady Blues. Herrick had three of those hits and Hannah Dykstra '25, Kohler and Elyse Pender '27 added two apiece.

That set up a meeting with the Foresters, who had run-ruled Grinnell to start the tourney on Friday. This one had a different feel to it though, as indicated by the Pioneers taking a 4-3 lead midway through the second inning. That led the Foresters to switch pitchers.

Pender walked with the bases loaded to account for a first-inning run, while Sofia DiCarlo '25 bashed a two-run single to left-center and again Pender walked with the bases loaded in the second.

Lake Forest answered with three runs in the bottom of the second for a 6-4 lead. The Pioneers got one run back in the fifth on Guerra's RBI single through the left side, but Lake Forest countered with two in the bottom of the fifth.

The Foresters shut down Grinnell the rest of the way to claim the title and the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Kohler had three of Grinnell's seven hits and again shared pitching duties with Trani, who had two strikeouts before giving way to Kohler in the fifth inning.

During the day's action, Dykstra jumped to fifth on Grinnell's career RBI list with 91 and ninth in double plays turned with 13. Kohler finished her career ranked eighth in pitching appearances with 57 and 10th in victories with 13.

O'Malley became Grinnell's all-time leader for at-bats in a season with 150 and Lindsey Schultz '27, Dykstra, DiCarlo and O'Malley tied the record for games played with 44.

A story on record book entries this season will be published next week.
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