The Conant Cougars will head out to face off against the Palatine Pirates at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. Conant is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Conant took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out Schaumburg 4-3. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Mason Hopkins and Om Patel dominated on the mound. Hopkins pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Patel didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Hopkins has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Andrew Lipka, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most hits he has posted over his last 14 matchups. Andrew Miller was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Conant was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Palatine). Everything went their way against Rolling Meadows on Friday as they made off with a 13-7 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Pirates considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Tyler Kreuz looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Jack Hefferan was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI. Another player making a difference was Joey Kurey, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Conant's record is now 15-11-1. As for Palatine, their record now sits at 15-11.
Conant came up short against Palatine when the teams last played back in April of 2025, falling 9-5. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
