Lightning takes second in Summer Bash

The Northern Illinois Lightning women's fastpitch softball team finished in second place last weekend at the Northern Illinois Lightning Summer Bash held at the Elgin Sports Complex.

The Lightning went 5-2 in the tournament, losing to the Elgin Heat 8-6 in the championship game.

In pool play, the Lightning beat the Wisconsin Blues 5-4, lost to the Tinley Park Vipers 5-4 and beat the Northlake Chaos 8-3. The Lightning then downed the Fox Valley Renegades 14-3 before edging the Illinois Alleycats 2-1 in the quarterfinals. That game ended the 10-year history of the Elgin-based Alleycats and its founder and coach Tom Potter.

"That was a bittersweet win," said Lightning manager John Radtke. "While we were fortunate enough to move on in the tournament, it's sad to see the Alleycats' run come to an end. They've been a worthy adversary over the years and Tom Potter is one of my best friends. There will be a void in our softball circle without him and the Alleycats."

The Lightning then downed the All-American Raiders 4-1 in the semifinals, scoring 4 runs in the sixth inning off former Naperville Central ace Natalie Wunderlich.

Alex Lagesse, Lauren Ott, Emily Mahoney and Sarah Carlson each hit home runs in the tournament for the Lightning, which is now 10-3 for the season.

Lagesse went 11-for-18 at the plate for the weekend and now leads the team with a .444 batting average for the season. She also picked up 3 of the 5 wins in the circle and is now 6-2 with a 0.49 ERA for the season.

The Lightning is back in action this weekend at the USSSA Women's State Championships at the Inwood Sports Complex in Joliet.