Harper Bats Lead Team to First Win

DES PLAINES, Ill. – The Harper College softball team had an unbelievable day at the plate in a doubleheader at Oakton Community College on Sunday afternoon. After a heartbreaking 11-10 loss in game one to the Owls, the Hawks rebounded for a 14-9 victory, their first win of 2016.

The Hawks (1-9) had 35 hits in 77 at bats in the two games (.455 team average) and did not strike out at all in either game. 

In game one, Harper scored six runs in the third inning to take a 7-2 lead. Jordan Dallmann (Roselle, Ill. /Lake Park) hit her first homer, a solo shot, and Danielle Reptowski (Hanover Park, Ill./Schaumburg) had an RBI triple in that frame. The Hawks added to the lead in the fourth inning with RBI singles by Isabelle McGuinnis (Arlington Heights, Ill. /Hersey) and Kristen Serviss (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) to make it 9-2. 

The Owls' big inning came in the fifth inning. They sent 10 batters to the plate and scored seven runs, capped off by a two-out grand slam by pitcher Atorena Michael. They took a 10-9 lead on a sixth inning homer from Emily Bernath. 

The Hawks did not give up when they trailed by one in the seventh inning. Shortstop Sandra Portogallo (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Conant) smacked a two-out RBI triple to tie the game at 10-10. However, in the bottom half of the inning, Bernath had a walkoff RBI single to give the Owls the victory. 

Harper got two hits apiece from McGuinnis, Serviss, Jill Hoffman (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey), and Courtney Russ (Lake Zurich, Ill. /Lake Zurich). Emily Butler (Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey) was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Dallmans was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

The Hawks had 35 hits in two games at Oakton CC on Sunday afternoon. (Jim Cummins)

The Hawks came out swinging again in game two. Dallmans's RBI triple in the first inning put the Hawks up 1-0. Oakton tied the game with a homer in the bottom half of the inning, but Harper kept scoring with one in the second, two in the third, and three in the fourth. The Hawks led 7-5 after four innings. 

In the fifth inning, Harper sent 10 to the plate and scored five runs, highlighted by Dallmann's two-run double. The Hawks led 12-5 into the sixth inning, but Oakton got back in the game with four runs. But in the top of the seventh, Dallmann continued her monster game by socking a two-run homer to push the Harper lead to 14-9. The sophomore was an incredible 4-for-4 with a double, two triples, a homer, six RBIs, four runs scored, and six RBIs. The catcher also recorded 10 putouts. 

McGuinnis (1-8) shut down the Owl attack in the bottom half of the seventh to preserve the Hawks' first victory. She struck out eight batters and only walked one in seven innings of work. 

Portogallo also had an impressive game two, going 4-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and five runs scored. Butler and McGuinnis each had two hits and two RBIs, and Hoffman had another two-hit performance. 

Next up Harper is a trip to Madison College on Tuesday afternoon. The Hawks and WolfPack (17-12, 5-2 N4C) play a doubleheader at the Madison College Softball Complex starting at 3 PM.