WEBSTER CITY – In hindsight, perhaps a rainout wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world.

While most of the state’s prep teams said uncle to Mother Nature and took the night off on Wednesday, the Webster City softball team was on the field and looking to upset fourth-ranked (Class 2A) and North Central Conference leader Fort Dodge St. Edmond at Lynx Field.

The Gaels had other ideas and they didn’t waste any time asserting their dominance.

A three-run first inning for St. Edmond set the tone for what would be a long night for WCHS, both in the field and at the plate, as the Gaels were never threatened and cruised to a 14-1 victory.

Singles, doubles, triples, home runs – you name it and St. Edmond (21-6, 11-0 NCC) did it. But most of the offensive exploits were just overkill with all-conference pitcher Amanda Lansman in the circle.

WCHS (10-15, 6-4 NCC) managed to scratch out just three base hits. Lansman struck out 13 batters, seven of them on called third strikes and that had Lynx head coach Jess Howard less than thrilled afterwards.

“I know Lansman moves the ball and she’s a very good pitcher, but our pitch selection wasn’t the greatest up to bat,” Howard said. “I thought we let a lot of good pitches go by and swung at a lot of bad pitches, especially early on.

“If you go down swinging, that’s something you can tolerate because you’re at least attempting to put the ball in play. But looking at that third strike, especially when it’s a very good third strike, is frustrating as a hitter and as a team.”

Lansman fanned the first seven batters she faced and eight of the nine one time through the order. In fact, she recorded the initial 14 outs on either strikeouts, pop-outs to her in the circle or dribblers to her that she sent to first.

Kali Dawson broke up Lansman’s perfect game with one out in the fourth on a single in the hole between short and third.

Taylor Schnathorst sent a pitch the other way for a single in the fifth, which pushed Maddie Anderson – aboard on an error – over to third. Anderson scored the Lynx lone run moments later on a double steal.

Courtney Lampman notched the team’s third hit – a seventh inning single to left.

St. Edmond sprayed 14 hits to all areas of the field off Lynx right-handed hurler Gabbi Hoversten, who was charged with 11 earned runs.

The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 hitters in the Gaels’ lineup – Jackie Stumpf (2-for-3, three runs scored, two RBI), Maggie Harvey (2-for-4, two runs scored, four RBI) and Anna Yung (3-for-4, two runs scored, three RBI) – combined to go 7-for-11 with seven runs and nine RBI.

Yung delivered a first-inning RBI double to right-center that put St. Edmond ahead to stay.

Harvey put her prowess on display in the fifth with a RBI triple down the right-field line. In the seventh, she sat on a Hoversten change-up and sent it out of the park via left field for a three-run home run.

Harvey’s dinger came just a few pitches after Stumpf missed a grand slam by just a foot or two.

Lansman collected two hits, including a three-run jack to left field in the sixth, part of a five-run frame that extended the Gaels’ lead to 10-1.

WCHS helped St. Edmond out too with six errors, including two in the first inning that helped the visitors jump ahead 3-0.

“Teams like this and Carlisle, you’ve got one through nine that are going to put the ball in play,” Howard said. “You’ve got to be ready and you’ve got to be the one that wants to make the out.”

The errors hurt, there’s no doubt, but the lack of production at the plate made the bobbles seem secondary.

“You’re not going to beat a team like that only scoring one run,” Howard said. “Granted, we don’t like to see the defensive (problems), but it didn’t play a big part in the game.”

WCHS will be back at Lynx Field this evening to take on Clear Lake, followed by a trip north for the Forest City Invitational on Saturday.