Ormond’s persistence at the plate pays off for Liberty in win over QND

Published 11:51 pm Monday, May 11, 2026

QUINCY — Liberty senior Camdyn Ormond just kept fouling off pitches until she found one she liked during a pivotal at bat against Quincy Notre Dame pitcher Cadence Smith on Monday at the Backyard.

Ormond was able to poke the ball just past the infield into shallow right field to score the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning, bringing home Claire Obert after she led off the frame with a triple.

“I was a little stressed out and a little nervous because it was such a relief to finally place the ball on the field and get a run in,” said Ormond. “It was off a change up and thankfully I was able to hit it.”

Liberty leadoff hitter Ava Heming doubled home Shea Ionson in the seventh inning to add some insurance, with the Eagles defeating QND 3-1.

“It was definitely a relief,” said Ormond of Heming’s RBI double. “It took a little bit of the pressure off.”

Heming finished the game going 2-for-4 with a double, triple and an RBI.

“(Heming) had a big game,” said Fessler. “She led off with a triple, hit another one up the middle. She set the tone. She was aggressive on the bases. I’m just all around pleased with how we played today.”

Both pitchers shined during Monday’s softball showdown.

Eagles starting pitcher Chandler John earned the win after pitching a complete game with two strikeouts, while allowing eight hits, one walk and one earned run.

“(John) was very efficient, but I thought both pitchers did very good,” said Fessler. “Chandler hit her spots. We were working on different pitch sequences to keep them off balance in different locations, to just not hit barrel. I thought she did a really good job.”

Raiders starting pitcher Cadence Smith battled in a tough luck loss, pitching a complete game with 13 strikeouts and allowing eight hits, two walks and three earned runs.

“Cadence kept us in the ball game,” said Orne. “I thought she was really strong early on. We scraped across a run there and tied it up. But at the same time, give Liberty a lot of credit for battling and getting the big hits there late in the game.”

Liberty struck first in the top of the second inning when Weslee John singled, stole second base and later scored on a passed ball.

QND tied it up in the bottom of the third inning after Natalie Zook singled home Josie Boyer.

“Natalie’s been our best clutch player all year long,” said Orne. “She’s just been great with two outs, getting the ball to the green and getting the big RBI. I thought she did a great job with the bat there.”

After that one blemish, John settled in and kept QND off the scoreboard.

“Chandler always does good,” said Ormond. “I’m pretty confident when she’s in the circle.”

The game ended with Liberty second baseman Anna Dietrich running backwards towards the outfield to catch a pop up for the final out.

“(Dietrich) works on that play a lot in practice, over her shoulder with drop steps,” said Fessler. “So glad to see her hard work and practice is helping her out.”

Monday’s loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for QND.

“It was just a great postseason venue game today,” said Orne. “I thought Chandler (John) did a really good job of battling. We had some opportunities, but we didn’t come through there. They made some nice plays. It was just one of those games where you just needed a couple of big hits at the time and we just didn’t get that one big hit.”

It was another close contest between the two rival schools, with QND winning last year’s matchup 4-3 on April 3.

“It’s always good to beat QND,” said Ormond. “It definitely prepares us for the postseason playing harder teams.”

Up next for Liberty (18-2) is a road game against Pittsfield (16-7) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“I talked to Coach (Michael) Starman last night on the phone,” said Fessler. “He’s wishing we could play more. It’s a good game for both of us to get ready for the postseason.”

playoffs

“I’m excited,” said Ormond. “Hopefully we can go to state this year and play against some harder teams.”

Up next for QND (17-10) is a road game against Rushville-Industry (12-6) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by a home game against Camp Point Central (6-11) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Rushville is very good, too,” said Orne. “They’re one of the top teams in the conference. It’s what we want to see. Camp Point always plays us to a 1-1 game, so this is great. We’ll get through graduation and get ready for the postseason.”