Freshman Maddie Webb earned the victory in the circle and drove in the winning run at the plate in the Lake Forest softball team's 4-1 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stout in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. The Blue Devils took the opener 2-0.
Forester pitchers allowed just one earned run in 13 innings on the day. Stout scored after errors off sophomore Missy Dieckman-Meyer in the third and sixth innings of game one. Dieckman-Meyer struck out seven batters and walked one while surrendering four base hits in the contest. Despite taking the loss, she lowered her earned run average on the year to 1.32.
Lake Forest managed only two hits and had just four baserunners in the game.
After escaping bases-loaded jams in each of the first two innings, the Foresters took their first lead of the day in the third inning of game two. Senior shortstop Kat Beall singled up the middle to lead off the frame and back-to-back fielder's choice groundouts put junior centerfielder Maria Zepeda on first with two outs. Zepeda stole her team-high eighth base of the year on the second pitch to sophomore first baseman Riley Frisbie, who later lined a 2-2 pitch over the centerfielder's head for a run-scoring single.
Stout loaded the bases for the third consecutive inning in the bottom of the third and a walk tied the score with no outs. Lake Forest freshman pitcher Shaye Gauthier, who worked her way out of trouble in the first two innings, was replaced by Webb, who did the same by getting a strikeout, popout, and groundout to end the inning with no further damage.
Webb allowed just two singles in five innings of relief and improved to 3-2 on the year. She also doubled with two outs in the top of the sixth to plate Zepeda with what proved to be the game-winning run.
Lake Forest tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a home run by sophomore catcher Sydney Wyatt. Beall, the only Forester with multiple hits in the contest, also scored on the second round-tripper this year for Wyatt.
Stout made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, recording back-to-back hits with two outs. However, after initially misplaying the second single, Zepeda grabbed the ball and fired a strike to third to beat the overly-aggressive baserunner and end the game.
The non-conference doubleheader split left Lake Forest with a record of 13-7 and Stout at 12-3.
The Foresters will host a pair of games against Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday with the opener beginning at 3:00 p.m.