Softball: Grossman, Palatine power past Hoffman Estates

Palatine's offense let loose for a season-high 20 hits on Tuesday at Hoffman Estates.

And it was a sophomore batting in the No. 6 spot who broke loose for a career day at the plate.

Sarah Grossman went 5-for-5 with 3 doubles and 6 runs as the Pirates rolled to a 27-7 five-inning victory over the Hawks in the Mid-Suburban West softball contest.

The weather was more suited to football, and so was the final score.

The 27 runs helped pave the way to Palatine's first win of the season after five losses.

Every Pirate in the batting order scored at least once.

"We've been working to put everything together," said Grossman, a pitcher who served as the designated player on Tuesday. "We've been working through things and playing hard. We didn't want to leave a lot of people on base."

Junior Brooke Bauer (2-for-4) cleared them all off the bases in the top of the fifth when she ripped a 3-run homer for the Pirates' final runs.

Sophomore Maddie Craver (3-for-3, double) reached base in all six of her plate appearances and was the winning pitcher.

Freshman shortstop Emily Parrot went 3-for-5 and reached base five times while Kenzie Craver and Jade Demars each had 2 hits.

Grace Huff, Victoria Parrott and Emily Griffin (double) each had a hit for the Pirates, now 1-1 in the MSL West.

"Some of our last few games were tough losses but this was a great win," said left fielder Victoria Parrott. "This is awesome because everyone worked as a team and the girls coming off the bench performed well, too."

And of course, no one performed better at the plate than Grossman, who doubled in her first three at-bats.

She also had a double in the Pirates' 4-2 loss to Elk Grove on Monday.

"She's been swinging a hot bat lately," said Pirates coach Nicole Pauly, who was no stranger to similar big offensive games when she starred at shortstop for the Pirates from 2002 to 2005. "I don't tell her (Grossman) too much. I just let her go in the batter's box to do what she can handle."

The Pirates hope to handle their bats and other parts of their game in similar fashion the rest of the season.

"In previous games, we couldn't put everything together," Pauly said. "But we did well this time in terms of hitting, playing solid defense and having our pitchers come around."

Hoffman's top hitter was No. 3 batter Giselle Velazquez, when went 2-for-3 with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the fourth that followed consecutive walks to Mary Bean (1-for-2) and Brynn Connelly (1-for-2, 2 RBI).

The Hawks' other 4 runs came in the bottom of the third, including Connelly's 2-run single to right that scored Bean and Megan Amato (1-for-2).

Velazquez and Martina DeAstis (1-for-2) also had RBI singles in the inning.

With the bases loaded, Palatine turned a nifty 1-2-3 double play (Maddie Craver to Kenzie Craver to Bauer) in the bottom of the third inning.

Hoffman coach Lindsey Hamma, who like Pauly was a Big Ten infielder and played professionally, was proud of her players for never quitting.

"They continued to give their top effort to the end," she said. "We just have to be better fundamentally and we can't give teams second chances."

Hamma said the Hawks will use the game as a learning experience.

"We'll learn from it and get right back into action (today) against Hersey," she said . "We have to get better. It's simple as that. The girls know the expectations and that they've got to perform."