Powerful showing from Conant

With two Mid-Suburban League championship teams over the past three years, Conant softball coach CathyAnn Smith has supervised some powerful offensive teams.

There was no power shortage from her Cougars on Tuesday at Palatine.

Conant pounded out 17 hits, including 3 home runs en route to a 14-1 victory.

Senior first baseman Hailey Rothstein (3-for-4, 5 RBI) belted her fifth and sixth homers of the season while junior catcher Dream Aaron (2-for-5) crushed her 10th, a 2-run blast well beyond the center field fence to make it 14-1 in the top of the seventh.

Rothstein also belted a 2-run shot over the right center field fence in the seventh after clubbing a 3-run homer to center in the third inning to break a 1-1 tie.

Moments earlier, senior Kim Zaucha started the inning with a single to left. She stole second and came home on senior captain Elisa Ambrose's RBI single to left.

Shortstop DeeDee Durr (2-for-5, 2 RBI) then reached on an error, setting up Rothstein's 3-run blast.

"Every time we get a run scored against us, it brings a fire under us and we play harder," Rothstein said. "Once somebody gets a hit, it's becomes contagious. "Honestly, as a team, when there are two out we take that as a challenge and we all do well in that situation."

Zaucha singled in her first three at-bats to go 3-for-4 with an RBI. Lauren Grzelak, Stephanie Taucher, Morgan Bihun and Sam Gadomski also had hits for Conant (18-5, 9-3).

Gadomski (3 strikeouts) earned the win, running her record to 8-1 with her only loss to MSL West leader Schaumburg (21-1, 12-0).

"Sam is a hard worker," Smith said. "She just goes out and does her job and the defense plays behind her."

Rothstein made a couple of nice scoop and stretch at first base while Durr alertly handled a popup over her shoulder in shallow left for the second out of the bottom of the seventh.

Palatine (9-15, 5-7) went ahead 1-0 on junior Kenzie Craver's two-out single in the second inning.

"We put the ball in play, but unfortunately right at them," said Pirates coach Nicole Pauly, who also received hits from Victoria Parrott (triple to right), Erin Davis, and Nora Walsh. "I thought Erin (Davis, the Pirates pitcher) threw a really nice game, especially in the first few innings but we didn't give her the run support. Unfortunately, against a great hitting lineup like Conant, you can only hold them down for so long."

Coincidentally, Rothstein's other multi-homer game was last season against Palatine when she also hit two.

"Hailey was seeing the ball well, so was Dream," Smith said. "With this group, hitting is contagious."