Interference call ends pitchers’ duel as Raiders outlast Warriors at softball slam

QUINCY — Whether the play was savvy, lucky or both, Alyssa Ley’s instincts paid off.

With the bases loaded, two outs and the Quincy Notre Dame softball team leading Hardin Calhoun 1-0 in the top of the seventh inning Saturday, Ley ranged to her left from her shortstop position to field a ground ball off the bat of the Warriors’ Lilly Pelletier. As she did, Ley and Audrey Gilman, who represented the go-ahead run at second base, collided.

“They always tell you to go to the ball no matter what and not worry about the runner, so that’s just kind of what I did,” Ley said. “She just happened to be there.”

The collision resulted in an interference call and automatic out, allowing the Raiders to escape with the 1-0 victory in the final game of the QND Softball Slam at The Backyard.

“Sometimes you have that with the bases loaded, just a lot of things going on on that play,” QND coach Eric Orne said. “Alyssa did the right thing — attack the ball. She had to go attack the play.”

Would Ley have still made the play even without the interference call?

“I think so,” Ley said.

Raiders pitcher Caitlin Bunte thought so, too..

“Oh, yeah. I trust Alyssa 100 percent,” Bunte said. “I knew she was going to get there, but her little hockey move there made it so much better.”

The Warriors’ rally started with a one-out double down the left field line by Anna Oswald. Bunte struck out Layla Longnecker for the second out then intentionally walked Gilman. Lacy Pohlman extended the inning with a swinging bunt single up the third-base line that neither Bunte nor catcher Lauren Miller could get to in time. This was the third time a Warriors hitter reached in such a way.

“It’s a little unfortunate,” Bunte said. “It happens, so we have to be ready for it. I think it was good for us to see that and understand what’s happening, where to go with it. I think it was good for us, but in the moment, it was a little stressful.”

Bunte was able to shake off that tough break by inducing the ground ball that led to the interference call on the next pitch.

“That was tense,” Ley said. “We were feeling it for sure, but I think we were all pretty confident in each other that we would get that last out.”

The Raiders’ lone run came in the third inning when ninth-place hitter and freshman right fielder Sophia White put down a bunt, advanced to third on two throwing errors and scored on a passed ball on the next pitch.

“We’re so happy to have her speed this year,” Bunte said of White. “Just like that, she can do those things, and we trust her with that, and so does Coach Orne. It’s really awesome that we can create that momentum by running the bases.”

Bunte struck out 10, walked four and gave up five hits.

“I was feeling pretty strong,” Bunte said. “I feel like everything was just rolling.”

The Raiders mustered just one hit — a Madalyn Boyer first-inning single — off of Gilman, a Creighton University commit.

“It was a great test,” Bunte said. “We haven’t seen a lot of pitching like that, and Gilman’s always a great one to see during the season because of her amazing rise ball and just her speed in general.”

QND (4-1) will play its first of five games in five days when they take on Mendon Unity at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.