PALATINE, Ill. – It's been a busy week of conference play for the Harper College softball team. The Hawks played doubleheaders against N4C foes Madison College, Triton College, and Rock Valley College in a span of just four days.

Harper College vs. Madison College

The Hawks came up short in both games of their doubleheader against Madison on Monday, losing 12-4 and 7-4.

In game one, the WolfPack tallied 13 hits in the victory, including a 4-for-4 effort from Breanna Guenther. Harper had eight hits and was led by Raegan Fingerman (Fox River Grove, Ill./Barrington) and Sara Markelonis (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove), who both had 3-for-3 games. Jamie Haze (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Madison raced out to a 6-0 lead after 1 ½ innings in game two and held on for the win. Outfielder Anna Kawka (Franklin Park, Ill./East Leyden) provided a big offensive boost for the Hawks. Her two-run triple in the bottom of the second inning cut the deficit to 6-2, and she added a base hit later in the game.

Harper trailed 7-2 in the bottom of the seventh but trimmed the WolfPack lead to 7-4 on a pair of RBI singles from Markelonis and Olivia Hamilton (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor). Emily Butler (Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey) flew out to center field to end the game.

Harper College at Triton College

In game one of Tuesday's doubleheader at Triton, Raegan Fingerman (Fox River Grove, Ill./Barrington) provided the pop for the Hawks. Her home run to left field in the third inning gave Harper a 1-0 lead, but the Trojans struck back with three runs in the bottom half to take the lead. Trojan pitcher Megan Reidy held the Hawks in check for the rest of the game, allowing only four hits in a complete game effort for a 3-1 win.

Olivia Hamilton (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) (5-7) pitched well in the loss, surrendering just three earned runs and striking out six in six innings.

Harper salvaged a series split with an 8-4 win in game two. Tied 4-4 in the sixth inning, the Hawks strung together five straight hits to start the inning. Lane Winkler (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows)'s RBI single scored Jamie Haze (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) for the go-ahead run. Emily Butler (Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey) followed with an RBI single, and Kawka plated Winkler with an RBI double. Beth Petrunich (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East)'s RBI fielder's choice pushed the lead to 8-4, and Hamilton shut down the Trojan offense, giving the Hawks a victory.

Eight of nine Harper hitters tallied a hit in the win. Petrunich, Haze, and Winkler each had two hits. Hamilton (6-7) earned the victory in the circle with a complete game effort.

Rock Valley College at Harper College

Daily Herald Article

Facing off against the No. 1 team in the nation and defending national champion Rock Valley College proved to be a tough challenge for Harper on Thursday afternoon. The Hawks lost 19-2 in game one and 9-4 in game two against the Golden Eagles.

Rock Valley had 17 hits from 11 different batters in game one, led by Abby Kissack's 4-for-5, four-RBI game. Harper scored both of its runs in the fourth inning. Cummings' RBI double put the Hawks on the board, and Haze's RBI base hit scored Cummings.

The Golden Eagles appeared to be in charge in game two with a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Harper scored four times in the bottom half to trim the deficit to 5-4. Rock Valley plated two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and shut down the Hawks to sweep the doubleheader.

Petrunich and Markelonis each had two hits

Up Next

The Hawks currently have a 7-12 record overall and 4-7 mark in N4C play. They resume conference play with a home doubleheader on Tuesday, April 21 against College of DuPage starting at 3 PM.