Softball: Patient Palatine pulls in RM title
Palatine's softball team will head to its first-place Mid-Suburban League West showdown at Barrington on Monday as the Rolling Meadows Mustangs Stampede tournament champions.
The Pirates took the title under the lights on Saturday night with a 3-0 triumph over Evanston behind sophomore Rhiann Dick's 5-hitter.
Dick (4-1) kept the Pirates (11-1) in the game to the end and it paid off when she got 3 runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Freshman Kaitlyn Reed got the Pirates on the board when she tripled to score senior Grace Seiffert (leadoff single) from first base for a 1-0 lead.
"I was just going up there trying to get a base hit to help out my pitcher and keep things going for the team," Reed said. "I was really happy with how it all worked out and how we came together as team in the seventh."
"I was just trying to get on base so my teammates could get me in," Seiffert added. "I had complete confidence in all of us that we would come through."
After a walk to Emily Parrott walk, Maddie Craver doubled to score Reed (1-for-3). Grace Huff (2-for-4) then made it 3-0 with a single to right side to score Parrott.
Dick finished with 9 strikeouts.
"Our team was really helping me throughout the whole game, offensively and defensively," Dick said. "And when they were always staying positive it helped me throw strikes and get the outs when we needed them. Anna (Selleck) behind the plate was phenomenal and she really helped me stay focused during the whole game, it was a great team win."
Craver and Parrott (Appalachian State recruit) played flawless defense on the left side of the infield, backing up Dick and keeping the Wildkits off base. Each made three difficult plays on the left side, which helped clinch the win.
"Emily looked like she was already a Division 1 shortstop out there today," said Pirates assistant coach Kristen Proffitt. "The plays she made on the left side were extremely difficult, yet she made them look easy. It's so great to have such a solid left side. It lets our pitchers hit their spots and it takes away hits from our opponents."
Brittany Padden also had a double for Palatine.
"There was no doubt in my mind that we could pull it off," Padden added. " I knew that with our strong hitters that if I got on base they would bring me in. We've been working really hard and it's nice to see it paying off."
The Pirates are 3-0 in the West while Barrington stands at 11-0 and 4-0.
Palatine 10, Grayslake Central 1: Senior Sarah Grossman (7-0) threw a 1-hitter as the Pirates won the semifinal game of the Rolling Meadows tourney. She took a no-hitter onto the seventh inning and finished with 15 strikeouts, giving her 93 for the season.
"I knew they were going to be a tough team," Grossman said. "But if I threw the pitches that I needed to throw and hit my spots my defense would do the rest and get the job done."
Parrott (3-for-5, 2 runs), Huff (3-for-4, 2 runs), Padden (2-for-4, double, 3 RBI) and Reed (2-for-4, double, 2 runs) led the Pirates' offense.
Fremd splits: Senior Jess Mazur became Fremd's all-time home run leader by connecting for her 22nd and 23rd shots on Saturday in a 9-8 win over Waubonsie Valley at the Libertyville quad. Mazur broke the record of 21 set by Megan Hubbard.
Mazur's 23rd blast to left center served as game-winning RBI in the top of the seventh.
Mazur wound up 2-for 3 with 4 RBI while other multiple were Grace Stevens (2-for-4, RBI), Anna Freveletti (2-for-4, RBI) and Gianna Arnieri (2-for-4, double, RBI).
Mazur also earned the win the mound, raising her record to 4-2.
In the Vikings' first game, they dropped an 11-8 decision to Libertyville. Stevens (3-for-4, double, RBI), Lexi D'Ambrosio (3-4, double, 3 RBI), Freveletti (2-for-4, double, RBI), Hailey Hazlett (2-for-4, double) and Hannah Ban (2-for-4, home run, 2 RBI).
Prospect sweeps: On a day when Prospect's Lauren Caldrone continued to make doubles history, Prospect won a doubleheader.
The Knights won 19-0 and 14-2 on Saturday at Niles North and with one double in each game, Caldrone (3-for-4) moved into a tie for the career doubles lead at Prospect with 28.
Caldrone, who also belted 2 homers, was one of five multiple hitters in Game 1 for the Knights along with Cassie Cunniff (3-for-4), Alyssa Cacini (3-for-4, home run, double), Jackie Orel (3-for-4, double), Kaitlyn Pancini (2-for-4) and Colleen Palczynski (2 doubles), who has 19 career homers.
Winning pitcher Claire Doherty and Madeline Borkowski each struck out three while combining for a no-hitter.
Cacini belted two more homers in Game 2 while going 2-for-4. She now has 133 RBI, the school's all time leader in that category (broke the record of 86). Cacini also holds the career record with 21 home runs.
Other multiple hitters in Game 2 were Cunniff (2-for-4, triple) and Caldrone (3-for-4, double). Busse and Orel also had doubles.
Junior Emalee Depa threw a 5-hitter with 10 strikeouts and 1 walk for the win.
Barrington gets third: Barrington (14-1) took third place in the downstate Washington tournament.
The Fillies dropped their final game of pool play 2-1 to Geneseo and then defeated Brimfield 4-2 in six innings (time limit).
The Geneseo game ended with the international tiebreaker rules in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Geneseo pitcher Jane Thomas threw a 3-hitter with 3 strikeouts to get the win over Catherine McMahon (6-1), who struck out two and only gave up 4 hits.
Abbey Jacobsen, Samantha Murphy and Jessica Bellis had the hits for the Fillies.
In the third place game, Kendall Peterson (RBI), Jacobsen (RBI), Murphy and Caroline Hoppe (1-for-1, walk, hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases) had the 4 hits for Barrington, which rallied with 3 runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Tori Meyer (5-0) earned the win and was named to the all-tourney team along with Peterson.
Elk Grove sweeps: The visiting Grenadiers (5-6) topped New Trier 13-2 (five innings) and 18-8 in the twin bill.
Lauren Clausen (2-1) threw a 7-hitter with 11 strikeouts and 2 walks in the opener as Jaimie Klicka belted her second homer of the season and went 3-for-4.
Other multiple hitters were Olivia Masnica (3-for-4), Katia Pendowski (2-for-2), A.J. Trausch (2-fo-r4), Morgan Leach (2-for-4), and Grace Engwall (2-for-3).
Pendowski belted her third and fourth homers in Game 2 and had 5 RBI as the Grens collected 19 hits. Leading the way were Leach (4-for-4, 5 RBI), Trausch (4-for-6, 2 RBI) and Clausen (4-for-6, 3 RBI).
Brooke Baldassarre (1-2) chalked up the win.
Maine West takes 3rd: Grayslake Central topped the Warriors 7-1 in the third-place game of the Rolling Meadows tourney. Gabby Demma (2-for-3, double, 1 run) and Amanda Bryne (2-for-3, 2 doubles) led the offense for West.
In the semifinals. Evanston posted an 11-0 win over the Warriors (7-6) who had 4 hits, one apiece from Brianna Torres, Jessica Steingard, Olivia Feldkamp and Demma.
Meadows 15, Glenbrook South 6: Caroline Slowik belted her first career homer and added a double while going 3-for-5 as Rolling Meadows won in their own tourney. Other multiple hitters for RM were Sara Benner (3-for-4), Stephanie Thompson (2-for-5) and Parker Cavanaugh (2-for-4), who had a triple and a double.
Earlier in the day, Meadows (4-8) fell 13-1 to Geneva. Sam Allen doubled for the Mustangs while Thompson and Slowik each went 2-for-2.
Glenbrook North 8, Wheeling 2: Wheeling's runs came on a 2-run homer over the center field fence by Peyton LaCaeyse in the second inning which got the Wildcats to within 3-2. The Spartans scored 5 times in the bottom of the third inning to complete the scoring in the nonconference game in Northbrook.
Senior Dakota Medrano pitched four strong innings of relief for Wheeling (0-5). She did not allow a run while giving up 4 hits and striking out two. Medrano also had the Wildcats' other hit and scored LaCaeyse's homer.
Hersey sweeps: Visiting Hersey won 11-1 and 6-2 to raise its record 7-2. Asia Luboyeski had a home run for the Huskies.
Wauconda 15, Buffalo Grove 8: Sam Hansen and Olivia Morini (2 RBI) each had doubles for the visiting Bison (2-7) in the nonconference game.
Lakes 14, Schaumburg 0: Rachel Kissamis and Tatiana Cooper each had doubles for the visiting Saxons (0-8) in the nonconference game.
St. Viator falls twice: Nazareth took both ends of the twin bill 11-4 and 10-2 in Lyons. Nicole Ardito doubled in Game 1 for St. Viator (2-13). She finished with 3 hits for the day, including a triple and 2 RBI. Teammates Haley Robinson and Maggie VanValkenburg each had 2 hits on the day.