Freshman pitcher Missy Dieckman-Meyer tossed a four-hit shutout in her collegiate debut as the Lake Forest College softball team split a pair of games to begin the 2017 season on Sunday. The Foresters dropped a 6-5 decision against Amherst in the opener before blanking the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 7-0.
Lake Forest trailed Amherst 6-0 before beginning a comeback effort in the top of the sixth inning. Junior shortstop Kat Beall doubled in the Foresters' first two runs and later scored on a base hit by sophomore outfielder Emma Carlson. Sophomore first baseman Lucy Stahl then led off the seventh with her first career home run. A two-out single by sophomore centerfielder Maria Zepeda extended the game and she came around to score her second of four runs on the day on a double by freshman designated player Riley Frisbie. Amherst was able to record the final out, however, to secure the victory and improve to 3-0 on the young season.
The Foresters belted three home runs against River Falls, beginning with a round-tripper by Zepeda to lead off the bottom of the first. The opposite field shot was her sixth career homer.
Lake Forest then broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore second baseman Alyssa Grimm began the rally with her fourth career home run and the team's second run came home with Frisbie was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Beall followed with her second two-run double of the day to make the score 5-0.
The final two runs of the contest came home when sophomore rightfielder Abby King's first career hit cleared the center field fence.
Dieckman-Meyer surrendered just four singles and a walk while striking out six batters in her Lake Forest College debut. Sixty-three of the the 91 pitches she threw in the game were strikes.
River Falls fell to 1-5 on the season.
Lake Forest will continue play at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida, with two more contests on Monday. The Foresters will take on Washington University in St. Louis at 8:00 in the morning and Concordia University Wisconsin at 10:30.