Plenty of support for Conant's Neuman, Rothstein

Conant's hard-hitting senior first baseman Hailey Rothstein was the only player at Prospect on Monday to reach base all four times.

Appropriately enough, she had the biggest fan club on hand, with several relatives in the stands.

Playing on the same softball diamond where her cousins Holly and Laura starred as all-area left fielders in the last decade, Rothstein went 2-for-3 with a RBI as Cougars junior pitcher Sara Neuman blanked the Knights 5-0 in the Mid-Suburban League opener.

Neuman (10 strikeouts) just missed her first no-hitter.

Her summer teammate (on the Lemont Rockers) Delihah Malczewski hit a flare to shallow center field with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

But the Cougars (6-1) ended Neuman's shutout by turning a nifty 4-6-3 double play, Lauren Grzelak to DeeDee Durr to Rothstein.

"Sara pitched her heart out and I can't put into words how much she has grown," Rothstein said. "She's such a great attribute to our team and she is always so positive. She doesn't have to hang her head at all (after losing the no-hitter). She did a great job."

"I know if I hit my spots or if I don't, my defense is going to back me up," said Neuman, who raised her record to 4-1. "This team is so close. I have so many people to back me up."

Rothstein had plenty of family members backing her, including cousins Laura, Holly and Katianne, also a former standout athlete at Prospect.

"I remember the fun times sitting out there and watching my cousin (Laura) playing left field for Prospect," said Hailey, a Wisconsin-Platteville recruit. "I think that's what gave me the passion I have for the game. It just grew stronger watching my cousins."

The only other player in the game with 2 hits was Cougars catcher Dream Aaron, whose 2-run double to the right center gap scored Grzelak (doubled in the sixth inning) and Durr (single in the second inning) for the game's first two runs in the top of the first.

Rothstein followed with her single off the left field fence to make it 3-0.

Knights pitcher Jenny Krengiel allowed only 2 more runs the rest of the way and Prospect's defense came up with some big plays. Freshman shortstop Alyssa Cacini threw a runner out at the plate (catcher Erica Nelson made the tag) in the second inning and left fielder Cate Meersman did the same in the fifth inning.

"This was the best we've played in terms of defense," said Prospect coach Jim Adair. "It really saved us and it was actually what had been hurting us."

Offensively, the Knights (3-4) only had runners on base in third, fourth and final inning.

"Sara (Neuman) is tough," Adair said. "She moves the ball around well and whenever she wants to bring the fastball, she can do it."

Neuman's RBI single to left gave her a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning and pinch runner Stephanie Taucher scored the Cougars' final run on an error in the seventh.

"Sara (Neuman) was on fire," said Conant coach Cathyann Smith. "We also played solid defense. Things really connected. The girls are on a mission. They came out with a plan and I'm really proud of how they executed."

Morgan Bihun, who made two nice plays at third base for the first two outs in the bottom for the sixth, and Kim Zaucha also had hits for Conant.

Batting cleanup, Aaron went 2-for-3 with her game-winning RBI double in the first inning.

"It's nice having Dream and Hailey (cleanup and No. 5) back to back," Smith said. "It's a nice combination when they are both one. Up and down the lineup everyone has been connecting. When someone doesn't hit, there is someone else to pick the up. They are working well together."