Opportunity knocks, and freshman pinch-hitter answers to help QND softball rally at Pittsfield

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame freshman Cadence Smith knew her opportunity would come, and she made the most of it.

The QND softball team was trailing Pittsfield 4-2 with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fourth on Monday when Smith came off the bench to hit for Ellie Miller in the flex spot.

“I was ready to go out and help the team,” Smith said.

Smith helped the Raiders in a major way, driving an 0-1 pitch from Emma Wombles deep to center field. The ball sailed over Kenley Gerard’s head and to the fence, allowing Smith to reach second with a bases-clearing double that gave the Raiders a 5-4 lead.

“She probably got a little help from the wind there, but she just put the ball in play and got a good jolt out of it,” QND coach Eric Orne said. “That’s what we needed.”

The Raiders used the momentum from that swing to score five more runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and Caitlin Bunte found her groove in the circle to help the Raiders close out a 10-4 victory at Vic Callender Field.

“It was a really great feeling,” Smith said of her clutch hit. “It was amazing.”

Smith’s lead-changing swing came a half inning after the Saukees pieced together a four-run bottom of the third to take a 4-2 lead.

“I felt like the first couple innings, we got in the box and were just swinging,” Pittsfield coach Ariana White said. “Bunte is a great pitcher, hands down. We knew that coming into this game, so I just reminded them to get back to the basics. I was very happy with how we put the ball in play in that inning.”

The Saukees struggled to repeat those swings the rest of the game. Bunte struck out five batters and allowed just one baserunner in the final four innings. She retired the final seven batters she faced.

“You can just tell she felt it,” Orne said of Bunte. “She felt the game was in her grasp, and she was controlling it. That’s what her talent does.”

Bunte learned from the mistakes she made in the third and corrected them from that point forward.

“That one inning, I was throwing too many over the plate. I was rushing the game, and they were getting the momentum,” Bunte said. “The next inning, we tried to do more movement pitches, tried to get it off the plate and keep them off-balance.”

While Bunte kept the Saukees off-balance, the Raiders continued to tack on runs with more two-out magic. Alyssa Ley singled and Lauren Miller doubled with two outs in the fifth to drive in a run each. Back-to-back singles by Madalyn Boyer and Ley brought in the Raiders’ final three runs in the sixth. The Raiders scored all 10 of their runs with two outs.

“That’s what good teams do,” Orne said.

Bunte said the Raiders’ hitting prowess with two outs was fueled by a steady flow of energy from the dugout.

“We had great talk, great chatter and encouragement from our teammates today,” Bunte said. “The main thing was just try to pass the bat. Even with two outs, we can still do something. The inning’s not over, and we know the job’s not done until it’s over.”

Smith drew a walk leading off the sixth and notched another base hit with two outs in the seventh, making her 4 for 4 in her last five plate appearances. Ley finished 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs after going 1 for 7 in a doubleheader against Bloomington Central Catholic on Saturday.

“I was seeing it really well,” Ley said. “I came off of a not so great weekend, but the most important thing is just to bounce back.”

Bunte went 2 for 3 with a two-run home run in the third inning and scored three runs. In the last eight games dating back to April 5, Bunte has gone 15 for 22 with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

“She’s been on quite a roll offensively,” Orne said. “When she steps into the batter’s box, she’s in scoring position. It’s like when a kid walks into the gym, and they’re already scoring. She’s a weapon, and we’re certainly utilizing her every which way we can.”

Monday marked the first of six games in six days for Pittsfield (9-2-1). The Saukees will face Brown County in Mount Sterling on Tuesday before returning home to play Barry Western on Wednesday. They will face Carlinville on Thursday and North Mac and Riverton on Saturday.

The Raiders (14-2) will have Tuesday off before the first crosstown showdown of the season with Quincy High School on Wednesday. That game will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. at Avenue of Lights Field.