Koludrovic's Blasts Put Foresters in Driver's Seat at MWC Tourney
Freshman's pair of first-inning two-run homers were all the team needed
  

 Tina Koludrovic cleared the fence twice on Friday.

Monmouth had defeated Lawrence University (4-3) earlier in the day. St. Norbert knocked off Lawrence with an 8-7, eight-inning victory in the tournament's first elimination game.

The Foresters' day got off to a great start. Starting pitcher Nancy Findeisen (Beecher, IL/ Beecher) struck out the side in the top of the first inning against St. Norbert. In the bottom of the first, freshman shortstop Tina Koludrovic (Darien, IL/Downers Grove South) belted her third home run of the season, a two-run blast to left-center field. The pair of first-inning runs provided an early end to the game's scoring.

Findeisen continued to pitch well throughout the game, and recorded her school-record eighth shutout of the season. The sophomore allowed just four base hits and struck out six, giving her a school-record 120 K's in 112 innings this year. The win raises her record to 12-5 and her earned run average dropped to 0.75.

Another falling ERA on Friday was that of round two starting ptcher Leigh Anne Furgerson (Carmel, IN/Westfield). After a pair of errors led to an unearned Monmouth run in the top of the first inning, Furgerson settled down and scattered six hits in the complete-game victory, raising her record to 11-4 and lowering her ERA to 1.33. Against conference opponents this season, Furgerson is now 6-1 and has allowed just one earned run and 24 base hits in 40 innings of work.

Monmouth's early lead did not last long, as Koludrovic struck again with another first-inning, two-run homer. Her fourth blast of the season barely cleared the fence, just a few feet inside the left-field line.

Junior designated player Megan Gibson (Brown Deer, WI/Brown Deer), who scored on both of Koludrovic's home runs, crossed home plate for the third time on the day courtesy of a third-inning double by junior third baseman Robyn Slater (Granite City, IL/Granite City). Gibson finished the day without a hit in two official at-bats, but drew a pair of walks in each game. The fourth Forester run came on a fifth-inning home run by freshman second baseman Alissa Mildebrath (Carol Stream, IL/West Chicago), her school-record seventh of the season.

The tournament will continue on Saturday (May 4th). St. Norbert and Monmouth will play at 10:00 AM, with the winner advancing to play Lake Forest at noon. Should the winner of the early game also defeat the Foresters, there will be a rematch at 2:00 PM to decide the 2002 MWC Champion as well as the league's representative to the NCAA Tournament. Lake Forest is looking for its first MWC Title since 1988.

Monmouth - Lawrence Box Score
Lake Forest - St. Norbert Box Score
St. Norbert - Lawrence Box Score
Lake Forest - Monmouth Box Score