Conant is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Monday. They will host the Palatine Pirates at 4:45 p.m. Conant is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
On Saturday, Conant came up short against Bartlett and fell 10-5. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Arjun Patel
| 04/12/25 @ Bartlett | 3 |
| 03/28/25 @ Oswego East | 3 |
| 03/26/25 vs Leyden | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs Addison Trail | 3 |
| 03/31/25 vs Dundee-Crown | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
Arjun Patel and Alex Martinez did some serious damage despite the final result: Patel scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Martinez went 2-for-4 with one home run. Patel has become a key player for Conant: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3-1 otherwise. Andrew Lipka was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Palatine waltzed into their matchup on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They walked away with a 10-6 victory over the Golden Eagles. While the Pirates didn't have the best season last year (they finished 14-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Brandon Ziebell tossed a big game, tossing 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Those hits marked the first that he allowed this season.
On the hitting side, Palatine got a massive performance out of Peter Mulhern, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those three runs gave Mulhern a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ben Ratacjzak, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and one double.
Palatine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Palatine's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Conant, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-4-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Conant hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Palatine struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Conant's way against Palatine when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Conant made off with a 6-0 win. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
