Lake County Liberty has blast at Summer Bash

Following up its repeat championship in the Oak Lawn Senior Tournament, the Lake County Liberty kept rolling by going 6-0, outscoring the opposition 56-16, and winning the recent Northern Illinois Lightning 18U Summer Bash Tournament.

The Liberty also earned a bid to ASA Northern Nationals.

The Lightning tournament, featuring a field of 16 teams, was held at the Elgin Sports Complex.

The Liberty began pool play with a 10-0 whitewash of the Chicago Fireworks, as Jessica Munda (Zion-Benton) pitched a no-hitter. The offense was led by Jackie Kisman (Crystal Lake Central) with 3 hits, while KC Dunne (Buffalo Grove) and Amanda Daly (Johnsburg; University of Dayton) each blasted 2-run home runs. Megan Gier (McHenry) was 2-for-2 with a double and 2 runs scored, while Sara Jacobson (Jacobs) scored twice and swiped a pair of bases.

The following game saw the Liberty jump off to a 5-run first inning and add 7 runs in the second en route to a 16-2 trouncing of the Elk Grove Heat. Sam Kozenski (Antioch) got the victory in the circle and added a double and run scored on offense. Dunne, Jacobson and Gier had 2 hits apiece. Jacobson also drove in 4 runs while Shannon Lauret (Zion-Benton), Brittany York (Crystal Lake Central), Allie Micucci (Stevenson), and Daly each had 2 runs batted in.

Bracket play began with the Liberty dousing the Aurora Blaze 7-0 behind the 1-hit pitching of Munda, who went the distance and struck out nine. Kisman and York had 3 hits and a double each, while Dunne belted 2 doubles and drove in 3. Daly chipped in with 2 singles. Sarah Clauser (Warren) scored twice for Lake County.

Next up for the Liberty was the St. Louis Illusions. Liberty batters pounded out 13 hits as Lake County rolled to a 9-4 victory. Daly picked up the complete-game win, fanning seven without allowing a walk. Alex Booker (Warren) and Daly blasted home runs. Dunne knocked in 2 runs with 3 hits, and Booker, Kisman and York had 2 hits apiece. Lauret doubled, drove in a run, and stole a base. Kozenski singled and scored a run.

The semifinal game matched Lake County against the hard-hitting Midland Magic 91 from central Illinois. Liberty bats stayed hot, rapping out 16 hits en route to an 8-7 win. For the fifth consecutive game, the Liberty took the lead in the first inning, scoring 3 runs, then adding 5 more in the second. Dunne, Jacobson and Lauret each belted out 3 hits, while Kisman and Clauser had 2 each. York added an RBI double. Munda notched the win, tossing 4 strong innings and striking out five.

With the victory, the Liberty moved on to the championship game against the Illinois Thunder. Booker and Jacobson paced the Liberty's 13-hit attack with 3 hits each as the Liberty roared past the Thunder 6-3 for the title. Booker also stole 2 bases and scored twice. Jacobson, Dunne and York belted triples, while Clauser and Daly stroked doubles for Lake County. Daly earned the victory and was backed by errorless defense, including 2 double plays turned by Kisman, Dunne and Micucci that silenced Thunder rallies.