Schaefer, Soard among those swinging the sword for ND in loaded offensive lineup

Leadoff walks by Soard and Kennedy Lyon in the third inning then preceded Kate Entler's two-RBI single to center and — following another walk by Ford — a one-out double by Notre Dame's No. 1 in Schaefer, giving Notre Dame a 5-0 cushion to play with midway through the third inning.

"It takes everybody, so having confidence in what each of us can do is really special," Schaefer said of the team's collective hitting and poise at the plate. "That's what makes us a family."

Boyd County cut the lead to 5-3 through four innings of work, but Schaefer got a three-run inning going in the top of fifth with a leadoff single while Rush walked, leading to two big RBI base hits by Candace Oudeh and Lyon that put Notre Dame ahead by a 7-3 mark.

Soard's single in the same frame was then followed by an RBI groundout from Entler, and midway through the fifth, the Lady Titans held an 8-3 lead over a school nearly eight-and-a-half times its size.

"Knowing that I have people in front of me or behind me, as the two-hole hitter, allows me to feel like I'm just up there to swing for contact," Soard said. "I'm really just getting up there and wanting to put the ball in play for my team."

Ahead by five runs heading into the bottom of the fifth, Notre Dame's comfortable lead was tested and surpassed by Boyd County.

Rallying back with eight runs between the fifth and sixth frames, the Lady Lions utilized production from one-through-three hole hitters in Jadyn Goad, Kentucky commit Savanna Henderson and Marshall signee Jaycie Goad to grab the point back. They combined to go 8-for-10 with three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored in the game, helping Boyd County take its first lead of the game, 11-8, in the bottom of the sixth.

Notre Dame wasn't fazed. Soard, who threw 31 pitches in relief, went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored and had three defensive assists from her shortstop position, was confident the whole way.

"We knew that if we did what we were capable of offensively, we would come back in the bottom of the seventh and would only need to get three outs defensively to win the game," Soard said. "We had that confidence that we could do it."

Entler, one of the unsung heroes of the Notre Dame lineup, proved that right away.

Following a leadoff double by Kennedy Lyon, Entler hammered a 1-1 pitch so high and deep into the Eastern Kentucky night that one couldn't see the ball initially in the air. It ultimately traveled over 250 feet to straightaway center before dropping well out of the park.

Notre Dame was within 11-10. Entler, a battering ram herself with five home runs in 2026, finished 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBI and a run scored in the game.

"When she got up there, in my head, I thought, 'She's going to hit one out,'" Soard said. "When I saw it go and it went out there, it was, 'Wow, she did it.' She comes in clutch for us and has been great this season and in every season."

But they weren't done yet.

Back-to-back walks by Ava Rush and Ford set up Schaefer at the plate.

The last in a line of three Schaefer sisters to attend Notre Dame (Hagen, Cassie), Lyndsey roped a double to right center field. The hit scored Ava Rush to tie the game at 11 apiece.

The hit improved Schaefer's batting average over the last seven games to an incredible 16-for-21 (.762). Quick to remind her older sisters that she is the only state champion in the family, Schaefer put up two triples, three doubles, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored in that span.

"I do," Schaefer said when asked if she reminds her sisters of that fact. "They may have had many accomplishments themselves, but at the end of the day, I'm the only state champion in the family."

Following a walk to Bella Rush that loaded the bases, the situation proved to be too much for Boyd County. On a 1-1 count, Brooke Jacobs had a pitch get away to the backstop, which Ford scored off of.

Notre Dame had regained its lead. And, following a RBI sacrifice fly by Audrey Bach that added in an insurance run and made it 13-11, they wouldn't relinquish it.

"That was crazy," Soard said. "When she scored, it was just like, 'We're back now.' When she scored, we knew that if we just added another run or two, we could play defense without a lot of pressure."

The win improved Notre Dame to 20-2 overall. The Lady Titans have scored double-digit runs in exactly half (11) of their 22 games. They've hit 18 home runs in their last 13 affairs and have tallied a home run in 11 of their last 13 contests to boot — all marks that increased with its comeback triumph over Boyd County in a game where Notre Dame head coach Shad Ford said that his Lady Titans "fought like champs."

But knowing the bigger picture that will be at stake later this month and next when tournament play hits full-song, two of Notre Dame's senior leaders know that Saturday's comeback win over Boyd County is only a precursor of what is to come later in May as well as in June.

"It definitely helps us with battling," Schaefer said. "We're going to get into the tournament and see tougher pitching. Playing teams like this is going to help us in the end."

"We just have to turn up the small things," Soard said, crediting Candace Oudeh in part of her response for her play in filling in at right field. "Honestly, everything was sound. Going forward, we just need to keep hitting and keep playing to our ability level on defense like we did (on Saturday)."