ND reaches quarterfinals with a 6-1 triumph over De Soto

In softball the ability to lay down a bunt is key to a successful offense.

Notre Dame showed it could bunt with the best of them on Wednesday in a Class 3 sectional game at Notre Dame Regional High School, laying down three bunts in a five-run fourth inning en route to a 6-1 win over De Soto.

"If you're going to keep advancing you have to get down the bunts," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said.

Notre Dame (21-6) will play its third quarterfinal game in four years at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Kirkwood Athletic Association. The Bulldogs will play Lutheran South, who disposed of last year's Class 3 runner-up Sullivan 4-1.

"We'll just take it one game at a time and play like it's our last," Notre Dame senior Whitney Ostendorf said.

With the score tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, Notre Dame's Courtney Ostendorf laid down a one-out squeeze bunt that scored the go-ahead run for the Bulldogs and set the stage for a big inning. Heather Menz had put down a successful sacrifice bunt to put Bailey Reutzel at third and set up Ostendorf's squeeze.

"We take a lot of pride in that," Graviett said of the squeeze play. "That's something I feel all nine of our hitters can do."

Courtney Ostendorf's squeeze bunt was just the start of a long, and ugly inning for De Soto (20-6). Ostendorf was able to reach first on an errant throw to first. With runners on first and second, Colleen Diveley laid down a bunt and reached on another errant throw to first which led to another run. With two outs and already three runs across, Whitney Ostendorf put the nail in the coffin with a two-run home run over the left-field fence.

The home run was Whitney Ostendorf's second long drive of the game. In the first inning Ostendorf hit a double to the base of the left field fence that scored Alana Weissmueller for the first run of the game.

"It looks like I picked the right time to hit good," Ostendorf said.

Notre Dame starter Miranda Schlosser, with the help of two innings of relief from Beth Schnurbusch, made the five-run fourth inning hold up. De Soto's lone run came on an RBI single from Casey Sides.

Whitney Ostendorf led Notre Dame's offensive attack with a 3-for-4 performance.

Notre Dame 6, De Soto 1

Notre Dame 100 500 0 -- 6 6 2

De Soto 001 000 0 -- 1 6 4

WP -- Miranda Schlosser. LP -- Erin Gant. HR -- Whitney Ostendorf (N). 2B -- Ostendorf (N), Bailey Reutzel (N), Heidi Friedrich (D). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame, Ostendorf 3-4; De Soto, Kaitlyn Hasty 2-3. Records -- Notre Dame 21-6, De Soto 20-6.