All Boden-s well for Raiders in extra innings of sectional championship victory

QUINCY — As she trotted toward home plate following a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to put her team back in front, Brooke Boden wasn’t thinking she would have to be the hero again two innings later.

“I was just ready to get our last out,” the Quincy Notre Dame junior third baseman said after she cleared the left-center field fence to give the QND softball team a 3-2 lead in Friday’s Class 2A QND Sectional championship.

Boden savored another moment in the 11th inning. 

Down to its last strike in the bottom of the ninth inning, Auburn’s Taylor Patterson singled home Kendal Conway to tie the game at 3. Two frames later, QND’s Caitlin Bunte led off with a single, and one out later, Boden laced a single to right field and a miscue in the outfield allowed pinch-runner Paige Blivens to race home from first base to give QND another one-run lead. 

This time, the lead didn’t evaporate. Auburn put two runners on in the bottom of the 11th, but Bunte induced a popout to first baseman Addi Zanger to secure the 4-3 victory.

“She loves the game and loved the moment tonight,” Raiders coach Eric Orne said of Boden. “She came through so big for us. She was a great hero tonight, and we live to play again on Monday.”

This is QND’s first sectional championship since 2011 and gives the Raiders a chance to play for a spot in the final four at 11 a.m. Monday in the Decatur Super-Sectional at Millikin University. They will face the winner of Saturday’s Tolono Unity Sectional title bout with Tolono Unity facing Effingham St. Anthony. Tolono Unity defeated QND 7-6 on April 29 at The Backyard. 

“Both teams are tremendous programs,” Orne said. “We’re going to have a couple more practices and go for the big one on Monday.”

QND (24-4) could have decided the outcome in the eighth inning as well. Laela Hernandez-Jones ripped a single up the middle to score Faith Kientzle from second base, pushing the Raiders in front 2-1. Auburn (25-10) was again one strike away from defeat when Addison Wheatley singled home Meena Taylor to tie the game. 

“Give Auburn a lot of credit. They just kept battling,” Orne said. “They were down to their last strike several times and found a way. An incredible game that I’ve never been a part of.”

QND second baseman Alyssa Ley made a season-saving diving stop on a sharp ground ball off the bat of Mailee Schoen to strand the bases loaded and send the game to the ninth  inning.

“I thought all right maybe today is our day,” Orne said. “A legendary effort out of our kids. We had heartbreak twice where we were one strike away and these kids just kept battling. We caught a break late, and time and time again this team has shown a will to win.”

The Raiders had 14 hits. Boden led the way with a home run, two singles and a double. Bunte, Logan Pieper and Payton Stupavsky added three hits apiece.

“Everybody plays a part,” Pieper said.

Stupavsky also caught all 11 innings.

“(QND assistant coach) Lori (Vogel) said we could do something special and that really stuck with us,” Stupavsky said.

Bunte tossed a complete game and faced 47 batters. She scattered nine hits and struck out six Trojans.

“Crazy roller coaster,” Bunte said. “All (the coaches) were telling me to breathe and relax and they have my back and guiding me all the way.”

The Raiders earn a chance to compete for a spot in the state tournament, a feat that hasn’t happened since 2001.

“I feel like at the beginning of the year we knew we had something, but we really didn’t know what,” Stupavsky said. “We’re just proving ourselves every day.”