Freshman pitchers Shaye Gauthier and Maddie Webb did not allow an earned run in a combined 11 innings of work as the Lake Forest College softball team defeated Keene State College 8-0 in six innings and Hamilton College 9-1 in five on Thursday.
Gauthier was in the circle against Keene State and turned in her second shutout of the season, allowing just three base hits while striking out a season-high eight batters and walking two. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate and scored a run in the contest. Gauthier improved to 2-0 with a 0.40 earned run average in four appearances covering 17.1 innings this season.
Sophomore first baseman Riley Frisbie got things started offensively for the Foresters with a one-out double in the bottom of the first inning. She came home with the game's first run on a two-out single to left by sophomore designated player Haylee Sherlund.
Lake Forest broke through for six runs in the bottom of the third and Frisbie started the rally with a leadoff single. After an error by the Owls and a walk loaded the bases, Sherlund collected her second run batted in of the contest on a sacrifice fly to center. Senior shortstop Kat Beall followed with a two-run double, making the score 4-0, and she eventually scored on a base hit by senior leftfielder Sydney Gardner. Bases-loaded walks to junior outfielders Maria Zepeda and Abby King brought home two more runs and the Foresters led 7-0 after three innings of play.
The game ended during the bottom of the sixth inning when junior third baseman Alyssa Grimm ran for Sherlund after she was hit by a pitch, stole second, and came around to score the team's eighth run on an error by the Owls' shortstop.
Frisbie accounted for the game's first run against Hamilton as well, although by a less conventional method. She reached first on a one-out error in the opening inning, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on an errant pickoff attempt by the Continental catcher.
After Hamilton tied the score on an unearned run in the bottom of the second, the Foresters turned in their second six-run inning of the day in the third. Gardner and Zepeda drew walks to begin the inning and Frisbie followed with an RBI-single up the middle. After a sacrifice bunt, Beall singled in the second run of the frame and the third came home on a sacrifice fly by junior designated player Kyra Lenzi. Back-to-back doubles by Webb and Grimm brought home two more runs and, after a pitching change, junior rightfielder Diamond Owens, closed out the rally with a run-scoring single.
Doubles by Zepeda and freshman catcher Nicole Schussler and a single by Beall resulted in a pair of runs in the top of the fourth and gave Lake Forest an eight-run lead.
Webb surrendered just three hits and did not issue a walk in the five-inning contest. She is now 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA this season.
The Foresters have won four straight games and are now 8-2 on the year. Keene State fell to 1-4 and Hamilton to 2-4.
Lake Forest will take on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Friday afternoon at 2:00 (EST) and Millikin University at 4:30.
