Zanger first to wear home run chain as her solo shot sets stage for Raiders’ victory over Saukees

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s new home run chain didn’t quite fit over Morgan Zanger’s helmet after her solo shot in the first inning of Monday’s game against Pittsfield.

“We did not think that part through,” Zanger said.

She also didn’t know the ball had cleared The Backyard’s left-field fence.

“Whenever they started cheering, I thought they were cheering because the other team caught it, so I stopped at second base,” she said.

That was only a momentary pause, and Zanger finished her trip around the bases, joined her teammates in celebration at home plate, and scored the first run of QND’s 4-0 victory.

After that, QND junior pitcher Caitlin Bunte did not allow a single baserunner, completing a two-hit shutout while notching 10 strikeouts.

Bunte said when she finds a groove like she did on Monday, nothing can shake her.

“My teammates are so supportive,” she said. “It’s really comforting, and when you know you’re locked in, you can trust every pitch that you have.”

QND coach Eric Orne said Bunte has a way of bringing out the best in her teammates.

“Her abilities and her talent kind of make everybody rise up,” he said. “That makes it special for me as a coach because you come out, you practice hard, and you get to the game and things are easy, and we’re used to that.”

Zanger said this elevated performance goes hand-in-hand with the belief she and her teammates have in Bunte.  

“She is absolutely crucial to our team,” Zanger said. “She is amazing, and we have full faith in her.”

QND catcher Payton Stupavsky drove in the Raiders’ second run with a fourth-inning single, but her defensive play gave the Raiders a bigger lift.

In the third inning, Stupavsky made a diving catch in foul territory on a bunt attempt by Pittsfield lead-off hitter Rebecca Neupauer. She also was part of a pick-off play that led to Neupauer getting thrown out at the plate for the second out of the first inning.

The Saukees (5-3) loaded the bases with one out in the opening frame as Neupauer and Lila Simon led off with back-to-back singles, and one out later, Torie Stambaugh was hit by a pitch. Neupauer was picked off in the next at-bat, and after an intentional walk, Simon was thrown out at home on fielder’s choice to end the inning.

“They could have scored three or four runs that inning, and we needed to put a stop to it,” Orne said. “This was our best defensive game of the season by far.”

Bunte led off the fifth inning with a single and scored with two outs to make it 3-0. Lanie Fesler drove in the Raiders’ fourth run with an RBI double in the sixth. Brooke Boden went 2 for 2 and reached base three times for QND (4-0).