Softball player Sam Ritsema was named Forester Athlete of the Week on Thursday after helping her team win three of four games over the weekend to qualify for the four-team Midwest Conference Championship Tournament.
Ritsema, a junior shortstop, batted .417 (5-for-12) on the weekend with three doubles, a home run, and four runs batted in.
Ritsema had a pair of base hits in each game of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Monmouth College. Her double in the bottom of the third inning of the opener gave the Foresters the lead for good in a game they would eventually win 7-5. Lake Forest prevailed 5-3 in game two, thanks in part to back-to-back home runs to begin the bottom of the first inning. Ritsema belted the second of the round-trippers and drove in the team's next run on a third inning double.
The Foresters split a doubleheader with visiting Illinois College on Sundaym winning the opener 8-0 in six innings and falling 7-0 in game two. Ritsema had a lead-off double and run scored in the fifth inning and her sacrifice fly in the sixth drove in the final run to end the game. She was 0-for-2 and was hit by a pitch in game two.
In addition to her production on offense, Ritsema was perfect at shortstop over the weekend as well, recording seven putouts and seven assists without an error. She chased down a single near the line in short left field and threw out a runner at the plate to end game one against Monmouth.
Forester Athletes of the Week are selected by the Athletic Department on Thursdays. Ritsema also earned the award once as a freshman.
