Feeling rejuvenated: QND softball team plays with energy, better execution heading into postseason

QUINCY — Fifteen hours didn’t change much.

Friday night at the Backyard, the Pearl City softball team jumped on Quincy Notre Dame by scoring twice in the top of the first inning in what became a 7-2 victory. Saturday morning, the Wolves struck for two runs in the top of the first again.

“There’s a part of everybody saying, ‘Here we go again,’” Raiders coach Eric Orne said.

A rejuvenated QND lineup didn’t allow that to happen.

The first three hitters in the Raiders’ lineup singled to jumpstart a five-run bottom of the first with senior catcher Lindsey Fischer completing the outburst with a two-run double. It catapulted QND to a 10-5 confidence-building victory.

Although a 6-0 loss to Class 4A powerhouse Edwardsville followed Saturday afternoon, the Raiders limited the Tigers to just two runs in the first five innings and proved they were competitive.

So Saturday in its entirety became the boost QND needed with play in the Class 2A Peterburg PORTA Regional beginning Tuesday.

“As a team, we’ve all been kind of in the dumps,” Fischer said. “But we came back and started rattling the bats. It all starts with the top of our lineup and it feeds down to the bottom of our lineup. It’s just energy and other people feeding off other people doing well.”

The Raiders glistened with confidence.

“We needed that a lot, especially heading into the postseason,” senior third baseman Eryn Cornwell said. “A lot of girls’ confidence is really low right now. So we needed a good win to get us going again, to get our bats going again and get our confidence back up on offense and defense.”

That confidence was shaken Friday night in a 7-2 loss to Pearl City, a 22-win team in Class 1A.

“Last night was kind of a low point in our season as far as our energy level and our execution level,” Orne said. “So we had a couple captains speak up last night, and we had better energy today and we executed. We acted like we really wanted to be out here and play hard.”

Playing with a lead helped.

Freshman left-hander Caitlin Bunte settled in after the first inning. She worked around a leadoff single in the second inning, gave up a run in the third after the Wolves’ Cheyenne Handsaker doubled with one out and turned a double play in the third to thwart any uprising.

She struck out three and walked none.

Her offense helped her out, too. Two walks and an RBI groundout by Alyssa Ley in the second inning made it 6-2, and Cornwell led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to left field.

QND tacked on three more runs in the fourth with Brooke Boden delivering a run-scoring sacrifice fly, Fischer driving in another run with a double and Lilly Marth scoring on a wild pitch.

“I think everybody did relax,” Cornwell said. “Jumping on top early really makes our pitching and our defense relax, too. It allows us to make our plays easier and take pressure off everybody.”

Fischer felt that.

“After you get up three or four runs, it’s time to take a deep breath and just calm down and say, ‘We’ve got this,’” Fischer said.

Fischer, Cornwell and Laela Hernandez-Jones each had two hits as part of an eight-hit attack.

“Just having any hit, any hard ground ball, any way to get on base helps,” Fischer said. “Even having a walk helps anyone get out of a slump.”

Against Edwardsville, the Raiders were limited to three hits, including a double by Ley, but they put the ball in play. Starting pitcher Carlee Gilker went 5 ⅓ innings, allowing three earned runs with two strikeouts and no walks.

It was another sign this team is getting in the postseason frame of mind.

“Even though we had a couple wins this week, we weren’t playing good softball,” Orne said. “This is a sign we’re playing a little better softball. At this point in the year, these are the games you have to play because the (Buffalo) Tri-Citys of the world are looming and we have to be ready.”

Fischer is confident they will be.

“We want to get another shot at Tri-City,” said Fischer, referencing last season’s sectional semifinal loss. “We would see them at the sectional, so we have to get out of regionals. Being able to hit and string things together to win a regional is our first challenge.”