Softball: Palatine tops Barrington, will play for MSL title
The current group of Palatine softball players continued to set the standard for program success.
Less than 12 months after becoming the first Palatine team to appear in the state finals (third in Class 4A), many of the same girls helped produce another unprecedented feat in program history.
For the first time since the Mid-Suburban League softball championship game was introduced in 1974, the Pirates have landed a spot in the showcase event.
And they did it by defeating the team with a record 14 MSL crowns and 18 appearances - Barrington.
Junior lefty Rhiann Dick blanked one of the most explosive offenses in the state, 2-0, by tossing a 5-hitter with 6 strikeouts at the Fields of Dreams on Thursday.
Two weeks ago, the Pirates (22-2, 14-0) won on their own diamond, 6-4, over Barrington (21-4, 12-2).
The two wins over Barrington gives the Pirates the tiebreaker to play for the MSL title.
The Pirates will visit MSL East champion Hersey (17-5) next Thursday for the league title.
Palatine can win the MSL West outright with a win in one of its final two conference games on Monday and Tuesday.
"For our girls to beat them twice this year just gives them extra confidence to go into the state playoffs," said Pirates coach Nicole Pauly Capalbo, whose club also defeated Barrington in the supersectional last spring. "Barrington is such a good program. Everyone in the area respects Barrington."
Dick, a Wisconsin-Whitewater recruit, has quickly earned the respect of her peers, compiling a 19-2 record.
"Rhiann did a phenomenal job," Capalbo said. "They got runners on but Rhiann did a good job of refocusing and getting her outs."
Dick got the only run she would need in the third inning.
Chase Friel and Kaitlyn Reed led off the inning with base hits and they advanced to second and third on an error.
Grace Huff's sacrifice fly to center brought home Friel to make it 1-0.
Huff also played a key role in the Pirates' second run.
The senior center fielder led off the sixth with a double to left and went to third on classmate Emily Parrott's single to center.
Amanda Stanczuk's bloop single to center got Huff home for the 2-0 lead with no outs in the inning.
Fillies pitcher Tori Meyer (2-1) then retired the next three batters to limit the damage.
"This is a really cool experience and I am so happy I got to do it with my teammates," Huff said. "And with Pauly and (Kristen) Proffit (assistant coach) being here, too.
"We knew we had defeated Barrington before so that gave us the confidence we needed. We had to come together and work together to accomplish this."
Senior Leyden Atlas had the only extra base hit for the Fillies. She doubled to left with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
But Dick retired the final five batters to give Palatine its biggest conference win in program history.
"This is perfect," Dick said. "I'm so happy for our team. I really have to give credit to Anna (Selleck), who has been such a good catcher back there for me. And the same with Proffitt. Her pitch calls are so good. I'm glad I'm on board with both of them."
The Pirates lived up to their goal on the board in the meeting room prior to the season.
"One of the goals we wrote was to win the division and I think everyone in that room believed we could do that," Capalbo said. "It was just a matter of focusing on every conference game and we have."
Both teams were focused in a game that held everyone in suspense down to the last pitch.
"It was a very clean game of softball," Capalbo added. "It was well played on both ends but we got the runs when we needed to and luckily those were all we needed with Rhiann's performance on the mound."
Kendall Peterson, one of ten Fillies' recognized prior to the game the Senior Day, had one of Barrington's 5 hits. The others came from Atlas, Meyer, Samantha Murphy (well-placed bunt) and Ellie Wintringer.
"Congratulations to Palatine," said Fillies coach Perry Peterson. "They did what they needed to do. They were the better of the two teams and deserved to win."