Fox Valley Lutheran softball finishes off unbeaten NEC season with shutout of Freedom
By Dustin Riese
For AppletonSportsPage.com
FREEDOM – It’s hard enough to remain unbeaten this late in a softball season, let alone to do it in one of the toughest leagues in the North Eastern Conference.
That is what the Fox Valley Lutheran Foxes have accomplished this season as they looked to close out NEC conference play with another victory.
Even with all the accomplishments they have already achieved, things haven’t been easy for the Foxes of late. Their last three games have been decided by two runs or less, and FVL’s offense has been held to three runs or less in all three games. That included their matchup with the Freedom Irish on Friday, as they were the lone remaining team standing in the way of an unbeaten conference season.
Behind the arm of Madison Babcock in the circle, the Foxes’ offense did just enough as they pulled out a 1-0 rain-shortened victory against Freedom at VFW Park.
The win caps off an unbeaten conference season and gives FVL (22-0, 18-0 NEC) the conference in their final year in the league before they venture off to the Bay Conference next season.
“Obviously a close game,” Foxes coach Travis Pfrang said. “(Freedom pitcher Kailey) Stordeur kept us off balance with a really nice change-up. Madi Babcock was dominant again for us on the mound. She has been so steady for us this season.”
Runs were at a premium in this one in a tale of polar opposites on the mound. Babcock is one of those pitchers who thrives on her fastball, and with six strikeouts across five scoreless frames, she was dialed in. Stordeur, on the other hand, is more of an off-speed pitcher, and that approach alone gave the Foxes fits in the early innings as they struggled to generate any consistent offense.
FVL had a chance to score the game’s first run in the opening inning off a pair of one-out singles from Babcock and Natalie Bromm, but it was Stodeur who stood tall to keep them off the board.
Things remained scoreless until the third when Avery Steffes led off with a double to set the Foxes’ offense up with a great scoring chance. Claire Pfrang made the most of that scoring chance as he followed that double with a double of her own to bring home the game’s first and only run.
“We stranded runners in a couple of innings, which hurt,” Pfrang said. “In the top of the third, our two lefties, Avery Steffes and Claire Pfrang, hit back-to-back doubles to plate our only run. Two nice at-bats strung together.”
From there, it was all Babcock as she faced just one batter above the minimum in her five innings, with that coming on a one-out single in the fourth. Looking to add to their lead late, the Foxes had a chance to do some damage as Natalie Probst managed to reach base on an error. However, with lightning in the area followed by a line of severe storms, the game was not only stopped prematurely, but it was determined not to be resumed as the Foxes closed out their unbeaten conference season 1-0.
“I’m very proud of the girls for going undefeated in conference,” Pfrang said. “In my opinion, the toughest D-2 conference in the state is our conference. Next, we have a nonconference game Monday in Shawano, and then into regionals. Hoping to keep the momentum and get to Madison.”
The WIAA postseason brackets will be announced on Sunday.
Foxes 1, Irish 0
Fox Valley Lutheran 001 00 – 1 6 0
Freedom 000 00 – 0 1 1
WP: Madison Babcock. LP: Kailey Strodeur.
SO: Babcock 6; Strodeur (4 inn.) 3, McArtney (1 inn.) 0. BB: Babcock 0; Strodeur 0, McArtney 0.
Top hitters: FVL, Avery Steffes 2B, run; Claire Pfrang 2B, RBI.
Records: Fox Valley Lutheran 22-0, 18-0 North Eastern Conference; Freedom 15-8, 12-6 North Eastern Conference.