Softball Game Preview: Conant Cougars vs. Palatine Pirates

The Conant Cougars will head out to challenge the Palatine Pirates at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Palatine took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Conant, who comes in off a win.

On Monday, Conant was able to grind out a solid victory over Schaumburg, taking the game 6-1. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Saxons: they've now won seven in a row.

Dani Gemmell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on one hit and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

Ava Falcone

Home Runs (Career)

05/12/25 @ Schaumburg	3
05/07/25 vs Wheeling	1
04/29/25 vs Palatine	1
04/28/25 vs Hoffman Estates	1
04/23/25 vs Schaumburg	1

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ava Falcone, who fired off three home runs, four runs, and one stolen base while going 3-for-3. Those three home runs gave her a new career-high.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Palatine's offense. They fell just short of Fremd by a score of 1-0 on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Pirates' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Conant's victory bumped their record up to 11-7. As for Palatine, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-13-1.

Conant took their win against Palatine when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 12-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.