Conant senior second baseman Kiana Leopoldo sure knows something about comebacks.

She did not play softball her freshman year due to surgery for a torn labrum in her shoulder, but she came back to play on the varsity team as a sophomore. She could not play as a junior due to ACL knee surgery, but came back this spring to start at second base. Even this past winter, she came back from a broken hand to play for coach Todd Strauch’s girls basketball team.

On Tuesday afternoon, her Conant softball team produced a major comeback from an early four-run deficit, and Leopoldo played a major role with base hits in the fourth and fifth innings that ignited rallies, getting the Cougars to within a run.

Conant then scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning. Winning freshman pitcher Adler Long completed six innings without giving up an earned run, striking out 10 to lift No. 5 seed Conant to a 5-4 triumph over No. 12 Willowbrook in the Cougars’ Class 4A regional.

The Cougars (16-7) will face the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 4 Fremd (16-7-1) and No. 13 Bartlett (11-17) in Friday’s championship game.

Conant did not have a hit in the first three innings, but collected eight in the next three.

“I’m so proud of everyone,” said Leopoldo, a Harper recruit who will study elementary education. “We started a little rusty, but we eventually got all the hits we needed.”

One of those hits was a home run by junior Cailyn Kehoe (2 for 4, three RBIs) that followed a leadoff single to right by Leopoldo (2 for 4) in the fourth to make it 4-2.

“Cailyn’s homer definitely set us off and got us hyped,” Leopoldo said. “I’m so excited for my senior year to be playing on my home field in a regional championship.”

It was Kehoe’s single to center in the fifth inning which scored Leopoldo and got the Cougars to within 4-3.

“Those two (Leopoldo and Kehoe) really worked well together today,” said Cougars coach Allie Jay, a former Cougars standout herself. “They’re our upperclassmen, and I feel they just wanted to spark our offense, and they did just that. They were very consistent. They didn’t try to overdo it and did their jobs as leaders for our team.”

The Cougars took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with superb execution.

Long began the rally with a single down the left-field line. Perfectly executed bunts by Abby Kovaka and Morgan Schiffner resulted in a run scored by pinch runner Kate Clark.

The decisive fifth run came home on an error with two outs when Vivian Bartholomew scored on Leopoldo’s fly out to left.

Long, who came in to start the second inning in place of freshman starter Brooke Arndt, wrapped up the game by retiring three of the top four batters in the Warriors’ order.

“Adler got the job done, and I was very impressed with what Brooke did,” Jay said. “She put balls in play that we could have had, so hats off to her. And Adler came in, picked up the ball and threw extremely well and competed the rest of the game. I’m proud of both of them.”

Jay hopes Payton Ackerman can return in a few days from a knee injury. Long got cleared to play Tuesday after suffering from a contusion in her shin from a ball that was hit at her.

“We’re doing the best with what we have, and honestly I’m very proud of everyone stepping up in different roles,” said Jay, who had sophomore Sophia Gomez behind the plate, junior Jenny Ryan (two walks) at shortstop and junior Grace Reed (1 for 2, walk) at third base.

“It took the entire team. They executed, and they stayed tough. I’m very proud of them. We’ve been working on those bunts all season, so I’m very proud to see them execute them, too.”

Seniors Allison Coppersmith and Marli Smrz were each 2 for 4 for Willowbrook (15-15).

“Those two have been tough for us in the top three of our batting order basically from Day 1,” said Willowbrook coach Natalie Gamino. “So they did well. We just had to score in a few more innings.”

Coppersmith led off the game with a single to left, and junior Liz Pettinger followed with a double to left-center for runners on second and third.

Smrz then drove them home with a single to left.

Natalie Quigley and pitcher Adrianna Weaver each reached on a fielder’s choice, and Quigley scored the Warriors’ third run when she came home on a wild pitch.

Freshman Savanna Bauman reached on an error in the second inning and eventually scored on Smrz’s single to center for her third RBI.

“We played well,” Gamino added. “After scoring in the first two innings, we just had to keep at it. The goal was to score in every inning, and we didn’t do that, but I think keeping them to a one-run game showed how we played well. The defense was pretty solid, and I think their pitcher (Long) just got the best of us at the end.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260519/softball/softball-leopoldo-sparks-conants-comeback-win-over-willowbrook-in-regional-semifinals/