The Lake Forest College softball team won the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Leadoff Classic Gold Bracket Consolation Championship Sunday (March 14) by defeating Gustavus Adolphus College 4-3 in eight innings and posting an 8-3 triumph over Mount Union College. The Foresters won five of six games at the event and finished their Spring Break trip with a 7-3 record.

Gustavus Adolphus entered the weekend ranked ninth in the nation and scored all three of their runs in the top of the first inning.

The Foresters played "small ball" to score their first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman Nikki Miller (Starkville, Miss./Starkville Academy) led off with a bsae hit and advanced to second on a bunt single by senior Jill Pfund (Morenci, Mich./Morenci). Both runners advanced on a groundout and the run scored on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Megan Harkins (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor).

Pfund singled in a pair of runs with the bases loaded and two outs in the third to tie the score.

After the shaky beginning to the game, Forester freshman Jordan Ratliff (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield) settled down and blanked the Gusties the rest of the way. She had six strikeouts in the game and retired 16 batters in a row before getting into and out of a jam in the eighth inning. A runner was placed on second to begin the frame and the leadoff batter singled and advanced to second on the throw. A lineout, fielder's choice, and popout kept the game tied and set up Lake Forest's first walk-off victory of the season.

Harkins was placed on second to start the bottom of the eighth, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Noel Harmon (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park).

Mount Union took the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning of the final game of the trip. Lake Forest responded with two in the bottom of the frame when senior Mallory Norton (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) singled in Harkins and scored on a double by sophomore Danielle Gore (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey).

The Foresters took the lead in the bottom of the third inning on a three-run homer by Miller, the first round-tripper of her collegiate career. Another single by Norton and double by Gore preceded Miller's blast.

The score remained 5-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning, which began with a double by Miller. Harkins tripled in a run and then came home on a double by Harmon, who scored on a base hit by Rainey. It was the school record-tying 115th run batted in of Rainey's career.

Lake Forest freshman pitcher Kelly Chesnut (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) tossed her second complete game of the season to earn the victory. She allowed six base hits and a walk while striking out three batters in the game.

Rainey was named to the Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team after batting .429, driving in eight runs, and handling 34 chances at shortstop without an error in six games. Norton batted .455 and drove in nine runs and Harkins hit .364 and scored nine time. Ratliff was 2-0 with a 2.21 earned run average and 13 strikeouts in 19 innings.

Lake Forest is scheduled to play its home opener next Saturday (March 20) against Wheaton College. The doubleheader will begin at 1:00 p.m. and live stats will be available on the Forester Athletics Web site. The team will also play a doubleheader at Elmhurst College the following afternoon at 1:00.