Lockport second baseman Addison Foster thinks it’s pretty neat that her best friend, Kylie Ryan, plays right behind her in the outfield.
Even if Ryan can be a bit bossy at times.
“Ha-ha … yeah, I tell her every time, if there’s a small blooper, it’s mine,” Ryan said. “I tell her, ‘Back off.’ It’s my favorite thing to do. And I’m loud.”
Foster is usually all ears.
“If I hear her voice, I’m backing off,” Foster said, laughing. “That’s for sure. I have so much confidence in her as an outfielder. I know she’ll catch it.”
Nobody called Foster off Tuesday when she caught a pop fly for the final out in Lockport’s convincing 12-0 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over visiting Sandburg.
Foster led the way with two hits and a walk for the Porters (16-4, 4-3). Ryan added two walks and a two-run single, while Brooke Keltner and Kelcie McGraw each had doubles.
McGraw pitched all five innings, striking out nine while allowing only three hits. Addison Torgerson, Ashley Fuller and Samantha Pagnucci had the hits for Sandburg (4-12, 2-5).
Foster, a Stetson recruit, is having a senior season to remember.
A lefty leadoff hitter, she’s batting .542 with five doubles, three triples and 11 RBIs. She is 10-for-10 on stolen bases.
“I want to go up there and give it my all in my senior season,” Foster said. “I want to lead off and get on base so that the batters behind me can score me. It’s my job.”
She does her job in several different ways. Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec got lost while counting.
“Whatever they call it, a triple threat, a five-point … I don’t know, they have special names for it,” Chovanec said. “We’ve just been blessed to have Addy on the field and at the top of our lineup for the last three years.
“She has just embraced that position and led well.”
Foster spread her offensive wealth around Tuesday.
In the first inning, she drew a walk. In the third, she took a nice half swing and drove a line single to left field. In the fourth, she swung through and hit a rocket grounder up the middle for another single.
Consistent production is her game. And it rubs off on those around her.
“She is the most energetic player out there,” Ryan said. “You just gravitate toward her. She has the best attitude and she’s just a wonderful best friend.
“We’ve played together since I was 5 and she was 6, and we’ve never split. I’m glad to know and play with her for 12 years. It’s just amazing.”
Foster is a real analyzer when she goes to the plate and decides whether to slap, bunt or swing.
“It all depends on where the defense is playing me,” Foster said. “Most of the time, they play in on me, so I like to hit to get the ball past them.
“But if they’re playing back on me, I’ll do the small ball and slap it to get on base.”
Foster is a natural right-hander in all aspects but swinging a bat. She started her softball career as a right-handed hitter.
It soon changed.
“My coaches saw that I was fast,” Foster said. “I seemed that I would have more potential as a lefty hitter, so I switched. I took a couple of lessons to get the footwork down.”
The talent came in phases.
“At first, it was obviously more about making contact,” Foster said. “That’s when I got really big into slapping. And then as I grew up, I was able to place the ball slapping. Then I could read the defense.
“Slapping is literally all about timing. I love it. I would never switch back.”