Lockport pitcher Bridget Faut found the perfect voice in delivering a near-perfect game.
The senior left-hander’s name echoes the French phrase “il faut” or “it must be done,” and she treated every pitch Wednesday afternoon like an obligation to throw strikes.
“I have this refuse to lose mindset,” Faut said. “I always say that nothing ever really gets in my way. I’m always ready to take on any bat or any type of player that comes up to the plate.”
Faut definitely took care of business against Richards.
She threw a one-hit masterpiece that featured nine strikeouts without a walk as the visiting Porters rolled to a 6-0 nonconference victory in Oak Lawn.
Senior infielder Sydney Amschler and senior outfielder Alexis Vander Tuuk each tallied two hits and an RBI to lead the offense for Lockport (4-1).
Emily Chavosky managed the only hit on a single in the bottom of the fifth for Richards (1-3). She also struck out seven and scattered seven hits in six innings. All of the runs were unearned. Her freshman sister, Brenna, pitched the seventh and recorded a strikeout.
Senior catcher Olivia Picciola, meanwhile, had the best vantage point for Faut’s superb performance. Faut stayed ahead of the hitters and keep the Bulldogs constantly off-balance.
“Bridget’s a great pitcher,” Picciola said. “She doesn’t walk many people in general. She’s really good at keeping the ball in the zone. If she does get behind in the count, she always comes back.
“(Wednesday) she had great movement on the ball.”
Faut faced just 23 batters and threw 57 of her 74 pitches for strikes.
Hit by a pitch in the first inning, sophomore infielder Sophia Schaller was the only other batter to reach base for Richards.
“She has great spin and really controls the ball,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said of Faut. “And she is very good at finding her spots. She’s a great leader — a three-year varsity player who brings a lot of game experience to the mound.”
Faut (3-1), a Maryville recruit, retired 12 straight before Chavosky recorded the only hit.
“I’ve never thrown a no-hitter,” Faut said. “I’ve had several one-hitters, and it’s hard not to think about it because it did weigh on my mind.
“I think I’m very good at not letting anything get to me, either good or bad. I stayed with the same mindset the whole game.”
Faut has a steely confidence and a quiet authority.
While her manner is essentially shy, she plays with exuberance. She’s also notorious among her teammates for possessing one of the loudest voices from the dugout.
“Softball is my best friend,” she said. “There are nine seniors on the team, and most of us have been playing together since before we were 10 years old.
“I’m very competitive, but I care about winning and sharing the field with my friends.”
Faut also is an outlier in her family as the only athlete. Her talent flourished, however, and she realized she had the ability to play softball when she was in middle school.
“It was at that age when I first started to take the game really seriously,” she said. “Once I got to the varsity level, I realized the speed of the game and that helped me gain confidence.”
As a junior last year, Faut went 10-3 and posted a 1.74 ERA. She struck out 119 out of the 321 batters she faced. She only allowed six extra-base hits.
“I definitely think I can only go up from here,” Faut said. “At least that’s my goal. I love to get those big outs, and then you everybody flexing at first base or everybody shouting.
“That definitely feels good.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
