Palatine short on quantity, not quality
The number of players are down in Palatine’s softball program this season.
But the number of runs and wins are still up.
Junior Megan Hedstrom threw a 4-hitter to her longtime softball teammate Lauren Logan as Palatine posted an 8-4 victory at St. Viator on Thursday.
The Pirates’ varsity roster includes only 10 players.
“Everyone is definitely getting a lot of playing time,” said Logan, who is now spending time as a catcher after playing first base nearly all her life. “It’s just knowing how to get through the whole game. We definitely have to be a close-knit group.”
Thursday’s game was close when St. Viator (1-1) scored 4 runs on 1 hit in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game.
But the Pirates (2-1) answered with a run in fourth, 2 in the fifth and 1 in the sixth to win their second straight game after a season-opening loss at Prairie Ridge.
Senior first baseman Kayla Brogan (2-for-4) doubled in fourth and scored on shortstop Tori Walzak’s single.
Walzak also made one of the game’s defensive gems with a nifty backhand stop and throw to Brogan for the first out of the sixth inning.
Senior Kaileigh Moertl doubled to right to lead off the fifth and scored on Courtney English’s infield hit. English later came home on a wild pitch to make it 7-4.
Logan led off the sixth with a double to left and scored on sophomore Jamie Haze’s double to center to cap the scoring.
“It’s definitely a new perspective catching,” said Logan (2-for-3), who was an all-area first baseman as a sophomore last spring. “I’ve just got to get used to blocking the ball instead of picking it up. I know I just have to keep the ball in front of me rather than having to catch it for an out.”
Pirates coach Jeff Manz praised Logan for her position switch.
“She’s the only kid we had who could catch,” he said. “I know she’d rather be at first base but she has a had great attitude about it. She is doing it for the team.”
Hedstrom did some hitting for the team, too, belting her third homer in as many games.
The junior cleanup batter went 2-for-4 (2 RBI) with a solo blast over the center-field fence to lead off the second inning.
“We are just all pulling together,” said Hedstrom, who had 5 strikeouts and is now 1-1 with 1 save. “We are all collaborating and working as one. If someone is down, someone else is there to pick her up.
“I’ve played with Lauren (Logan) for a long time. She is very versatile and really doing a good job behind the plate.”
Senior shortstop Alex Flasch (1-for-2, on base three times), Michelle Presslak, Erika Kreiner and Colleen Dunne scored the Lions’ runs in the fourth inning when sophomore pitcher Sam Hogan (1-1) had their only hit with a 2-run single.
The Lions were coming off a 2-1 triumph over Prospect on Wednesday.
“It was like night and day,” said Lions coach Dan Twarog. “Wednesday we had great defense, this game not so great. But that’s the sign of a young team, up and down.
“Give credit to Palatine They were being aggressive on the bases and hitting the ball everywhere. short and long, in all places.”
Pirates No. 9 hitter Kristen Rossi was 1-for-2 with a walk as all nine starters had hits for Palatine.
“Megan Hedstrom is really crushing the ball,” Manz said. “She is seeing it well. And that’s hard to do when you are in the circle and your main focus is pitching.
“She’s made a few mistakes but she is doing a good job moving ahead and worrying about the rest of the game rather than what happened before. And that’s part of being a leader, which we need because she has been with us so long.”