Lightning notches Bloomington tournament championship

The Northern Illinois Lightning women's fastpitch softball team had one of its biggest weekends in team history this past weekend, winning the Bloomington Lady Hearts Invitational.

The Lightning finished the tournament 3-0 and was awarded the championship based on fewest runs allowed.

The Lightning opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over the two-time defending USSSA World Series champion Indiana Slammers. Alex Lagesse picked up the win, allowing no earned runs and 4 hits with 9 strikeouts and no walks.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, the Lightning scored twice on Courtney LaFerle's 2-run single that drove in Jaci Corn (2B) and Sara Strickland, who had walked. Nikki Schlagel's RBI single in the sixth inning added an insurance run.

The Lightning then downed the former ASA 23U national champion Michigan Hooters 3-2 behind the combined 4-hit pitching of Linsday Nauman and Emily Mahoney. Kaitlin Hardie scored on a wild pitch while Corn and Lagesse each scored on an infield error to account for the Lightning's runs.

In the tournament quarterfinals, the Lightning blanked the host Lady Hearts 3-0 in a game that went to the international tiebreaker. Hardie drove in 2 runs for the Lightning. Lagesse was again the winning pitcher, allowing 7 hits with 7 strikeouts and no walks.

Lagesse, who will be a junior at Valparaiso, has not allowed an earned run in 22 innings pitched this summer.

The remainder of the tournament was rained out just as the Lightning was starting its semifinal game against the East Peoria Lady Rage.

"It was quite the amazing weekend," said Lightning manager John Radtke. "Even through all the rain the girls stayed focused and we ended up beating three perennial national powers we had never beaten before."

The Lightning (5-1) hosts the Fifth Annual Lightning Summer Bash this weekend at the Elgin Sports Complex. The 16U and 18U tournaments begin Friday and feature 16 teams in each division while the women's tournament, with 14 teams, plays Saturday and Sunday.