The Lake Forest softball team capped off a brilliant season in Midwest Conference play on Saturday with a resounding 8-5 victory over Grinnell College in the Midwest Conference Tournament Championship at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis.
 
The Foresters (28-14-1, 14-2 MWC) faced Grinnell in the championship game after the Pioneers defeated Illinois College in game five of the tournament earlier in the day, 8-5.
 
With the win, the Foresters earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and captured the Midwest Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 2019 and the fifth time total under head coach Joe Kinsella.
 
Saturday's win over Grinnell was a bit of redemption for the Foresters, as the Pioneers beat Lake Forest in the MWC tournament championship in 2024.
 
Junior right fielder Emmie Nyen, who after the game was named the conference's Position Player of the Year and 1st-team All-MWC, led the way for Lake Forest by hitting 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, and a run scored.
 
Lake Forest's first two hitters in the lineup, Kaia Mismash and Cadence Dempsey – who were both named 2nd-team All-MWC – each chipped in two hits and each scored two runs to fuel the Forester attack at the plate.  
 
The Foresters' offense scored early and often to put the pressure on Grinnell. Mismash led off the bottom of the first with a double down the right-field line. After advancing to third base on a wild pitch, Mismash stole home as the Foresters pulled off a double steal with Dempsey swiping second base simultaneously.
 
Lake Forest wasn't done in the first, as Nyen laced a liner to right-center field to plate Dempsey with a standup triple, followed by an RBI single from Kyla Chevalier to take a 3-1 lead after one inning.
 
The Foresters would add three more runs in the second inning and two more in the fifth inning to keep Grinnell at an arm's length.
 
Pitcher Hannah Smith earned the start in the circle for Lake Forest, however, junior Riley Stiles (12-4) picked up the win after relieving Smith after just 1 2/3 innings of work. Smith allowed four hits and four runs, however, just one of those was earned.
 
In relief, Stiles worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and took control of the game from there. Stiles pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one run, while walking one and striking out a pair. The junior pitcher was named 1st-team All-MWC after the game and finished the year with a sterling 1.84 ERA.
 
The Foresters will find out their next opponent on Monday at 10 a.m. for the 4-team regional round of the NCAA tournament; the selection will be broadcast on NCAA.com.