Softball: Woldman’s 1-hit shutout gives Palatine MSL East championship

Palatine's softball team went 45 seasons without winning a division title in the Mid-Suburban League.

But now the Pirates have two in the last seven seasons.

Senior Quinn Schwartz' RBI single to left with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning scored Vicky Miramontes with the decisive run in Palatine's 2-0 shutout at Schaumburg on Tuesday.

In a terrific pitcher's duel, Pirates junior right-hander Mia Woldman tossed a 1-hitter with 12 strikeouts while Saxons ace freshman right-hander Alana Nieto allowed 5 hits while striking out 10.

Palatine improved to 18-3 and clinched the East Division with a 9-0 record, three games ahead of Schaumburg (13-4-1, 6-3).

A perfect bunt by Meghan Czyzowicz brought home Sammie Kendrick (leadoff single followed by Jenna Hubert's single) from third base for an insurance run in the top of the seventh.

The last and only time Palatine won a divisional title was in 2019 behind junior left-hander Rhiann Dick, whose mother Jen is the Pirates assistant coach to head coach Janalee Lyke.

And Jen Dick was involved on Schwartz' big at-bat.

"Coach Jen told me before I stepped into the box to know my role and know my job was to get a hit," said Schwartz, who is an Elmira College (Elmira, NY) hockey recruit who plans to study forensic science. "So I stepped in the box with that attitude of just knowing I had to get a hit."

The inning featured picture-perfect offensive execution.

Miramontes began with a bloop single down the right field line. Madelyn Lebo followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt before Eliza Piecuch did her job with a sacrifice fly to right that got Miramontes to third. She easily scored on Schwartz' game-winning RBI..

"We work on that (offensive execution) in practice and talk about how important that part of the game is," said Lyke. "And it showed up today."

Now the Pirates will be hitting in the first MSL semifinals next week as champions of the MSL East.

"It's an amazing feeling," Schwartz added, "It's really a special team as we all just click and work all really good together."

"It's pretty awesome," said PiLyke, who coincidentally won the title on Tuesday at her alma mater where she was a freshman on the Saxons' only team to win a MSL divisional title 2015. "The girls have been working really hard and it's been paying off. It's exciting to see."

Palatine fans got to see another gem from their ace Woldman, who credited her defense.

"It's just a great team all around," said the Loyola pledge. "It was just trusting my defense and knowing that If I do give up a hit, my teammates will be there to back me up."

And sure enough, that's exactly what happened in the bottom of the fifth when Woldman gave up her only hit, a leadoff single to left by Addison O'Neill.

First baseman Sammie Kendrick then made a terrific diving catch on the next batter's bunt, then turned around and threw a strike to second baseman Miramontes who was standing at first base to double up the runner.

Hubert , the Pirates third baseman, was the only multiple hitter in the game, going 2-for-3, including a hard flyout to centerfielder Taylor Dolecki in the second inning. Hubert's infield single with one out in the top of the fifth inning broke up Nieto's perfect game.

"That game kind of came down to the little things," said Saxons coach Ellen Abreu. "They got their bunts down and we could have done better in that area today. That was the main thing. When you are in a tough game like that, and the two pitchers are throwing well, it comes down to the little things."