Softball: Woodstock’s Kuiper strikes out 20 in shutout of Round Lake

Catching for someone who throws as hard as Megan Kuiper wasn’t something that came naturally to Woodstock catcher Emma Douglas.

And with the Blue Streaks’ first three games canceled or postponed because of the weather, Kuiper had something extra in the tank for Monday’s home opener against Round Lake.

“It’s fast. She’s fast, and lots of movement,” said Douglas, a senior. “It’s like she trips up batters so well, and she trips me up sometimes. She’s one of my favorite pitchers I’ve ever caught for.

“Learning how to catch her, it’s something you’ll never forget.”

Douglas’ mitt popped over and over again Monday afternoon as Kuiper, a sophomore, blew rise balls past swings of Round Lake hitters. She had four strikeouts in the first inning following a dropped third strike, and racked up 20 total as the Blue Streaks won 6-0 over the Panthers in Woodstock.

Kuiper also helped her own cause at the plate with the game’s biggest hit, an opposite-field triple to right field that cleared the bases for three RBI in a five-run fifth inning for Woodstock (1-0) against sophomore pitcher Piper Berry, who herself had an enormous pitching performance with a career-high 16 strikeouts.

Kuiper, though, stole the show.

Round Lake (0-2) didn’t put a ball in play against Kuiper until the seventh inning. She carried a no-hitter into the seventh, but a bunt single off the bat of Arianna Cabral to start the inning ended the no-hit bid.

Kuiper fielded the ball and threw to first base but Cabral just beat the throw. The next batter, Berry, followed with a hard hit past shortstop Kenzie Bowles, but the Streaks kept the shutout intact with a 1-4-5 double play and strikeout No. 20 from Kuiper for the 21st out.

“I was so excited that it was nice out and we finally got to play,” said Kuiper, who fired 205 strikeouts as a freshman with a 1.98 ERA and two perfect games. “You have such a long winter, you do so much over the winter and then you get to come out here and show what you’ve been working on.”

Kuiper said she’s thrown as fast as 70 mph, usually settling in the mid- to upper-60s. It’s her devastating rise ball that has opposing batters often looking silly at the plate.

“Before it was kind of flat, but now I’m starting to get it up and working on keeping the same velocity throughout the whole game,” said Kuiper, who threw 71 of 92 pitches for strikes. “I felt good (going into the seventh), but I definitely didn’t throw my best. It was really low, and I needed to bring it up.”

First-year Round Lake coach Daniel Berry felt his players put up solid efforts against Kuiper.

“Meg’s great. She’s one of the best in the state. She’s one of the strongest pitchers in the sophomore class,” Daniel Berry said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. I thought our girls did fantastic. They’re not used to seeing anything like that, so coming in there and just fouling a couple off and being able to adjust.

“I mean, we’re teaching kids how to bunt and we got two (down), so I was pumped about that. Seeing kids like that (Kuiper) is fantastic.”

Berry, who last year as a freshman hit .484 with seven homers and had 132 strikeouts in 63 innings as a pitcher, gave up one unearned run in the second and didn’t get into any real trouble until the fifth.

Quincey Beard and Hailey Ryan had back-to-back infield singles to start the inning, followed by a strikeout and a dropped third strike that allowed Katie Nixon to reach first base.

Tipper Axelson drew a bases-loaded walk for a 2-0 lead, and Kuiper followed with a one-out triple to score three. The next batter, Douglas, smacked an RBI hit for the sixth run.

“It was nice to be out on the dirt. Mother Nature has not been very cooperative to us,” Woodstock coach Alyssa Cook said. “Megan has always been a force, and she came out and showed that today. I’m really excited for the rest of the year with her and all our returners and incoming freshmen.

“Our defense has definitely grown, and there’s a lot of confidence no matter who’s out there.”

Berry said, despite being a sophomore leader on a young team (15 of 21 players are underclassmen), this spring she doesn’t want to put any added pressure on herself, and let her play do the talking.

“From last year I definitely learned to slow down,” she said. “I can’t put the whole weight of the world on my shoulders. Softball is a fast game, especially as you get older. I love playing with these girls.”