Green Knights Knocked From MWC Tournament

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, May 4, 2019 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - St. Norbert College looked poised to force a decisive seventh game in the Midwest Conference Tournament but Lake Forest College got a two-out, two-run walkoff home run from Shaye Gauthier to send the Green Knights to a 5-4 season-ending loss. The Green Knights opened the day with an 8-6 elimination-game win over Grinnell College.

Lake Forest entered the bottom of the seventh trailing St. Norbert 4-3. Sydney Wyatt opened the inning with a single, but the next two Foresters were retired. Gauthier then hit a two-run home run to left-center field to clinch the MWC Tournament championship and the automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

St. Norbert (23-17) scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning. Alyssa Sikora hit a solo home run, followed by singles from Sarah Koltermann and Emma Molenhouse followed with singles. Following a sacrifice, Brianna Braeger was intentionally walked. Allison Knop then walked to force in a run and Carley Frauenhoff followed with a two-run single for a 4-0 lead.

Lake Forest got back into the game after an outfield error extended the fifth inning and Wyatt followed with a two-run home run., The Foresters got a two-out single from Riley Frisbie in the sixth to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Each team finished with eight hits. Koltermann was 2-for-4 for the only St. Norbert multi-hit game. Molenhouse took the tough loss, walking two and striking out two.

In the opener, St. Norbert trailed Grinnell 5-0 after the Pioneers opened the game with two runs in the first inning and three more runs in the third. The Green Knights rallied with a five-run third inning to tie the game, scoring all of their runs with two outs. Taylor Ullman had a big bases-clearing double to drive in three runs, followed by a run-scoring double from Sikora and an RBI single by Koltermann.

St. Norbert would take the lead with three runs in the fifth inning. Sikora had a two-run double to put the Green Knights ahead 7-5, while pinch-runner Abby Primus scored off an error on the back end of a first-and-third steal situation. Grinnell would get a single run in the seventh but would not threaten again.

Frauenhoff finished 3-for-4 for the Green Knights, while Sikora was 2-for-2 and Koltermann was 2-for-3. Ellie Olsen earned the win in relief, allowing two hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout in four innings pitched.