It was the second game of a doubleheader against conference rival St. John Fisher College on April 5 at Kostrinsky Field. The softball team was locked in a close one with the Cardinals, leading the game 3–1, but senior pitcher Carly Myers was in a jam with runners in scoring position.

One of Fisher’s batters ripped a hard ground ball toward the left gap in the infield. It looked like the Cardinals were going to score at least one run to cut into the lead — until senior co-captain and shortstop Erica Cutspec dove and stretched for the ball, stopping it in its path.

No outs were recorded, but the play prevented runners from scoring.  

Cutspec, who has been starting at the shortstop position for the past four years, may sport quick speed and a mean bat, but these do-whatever-has-to-be-done plays define the person and player she has grown into during her four years on South Hill.

She leads by example, on and off the field,” senior co-captain and pitcher Nicole Cade said. “She has a great presence on the field.”

Cade, who said Cutspec is “all heart,” said she has been like this since day one of freshman year.  This heart has not only turned her into a natural leader, but has also helped her rack up some outstanding numbers as well.

Cutspec, who said she did not hit well her freshman year, has swung the bat very well since her sophomore season.

“I was just trying to figure it all out,” Cutspec said.

Sophomore year she hit .372, with a .416 slugging percentage and a .449 on base percentage. As a junior, she hit .392, with a .523 slugging percentage and a .429 on base percentage.

This year, she has continued her pattern of improvement, carrying a .473 batting average, with a .645 slugging percentage and a .515 on base percentage into yesterday’s doubleheader against Cornell University.

Head Coach Deb Pallozzi said Cutspec is the motor that makes the Bombers run smoothly.

“She sets the tone for us,” Pallozzi said. “We go as Erica goes.”

Five years ago, Cutspec’s coach at Fort Plain High School in Fort Plain, N.Y., called Pallozzi and asked her to come to a game. Pallozzi attended a game during the State Sectional Finals.

At the game, the first batter Pallozzi saw at the plate impressed her. Her initial fear was that this player wasn’t who the coach had asked her to come see play. As it turns out, the player was Cutspec.

To this day, both Pallozzi and Cutspec said they feel fortunate about the way time has passed during the past four years.  

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” Cutspec said. “It’s an absolutely perfect fit.”

Cutspec said she is also grateful about the guidance and tutelage of Pallozzi.

“The program here was exactly what I have been looking for [with] the way Coach Pallozzi runs it,” Cutspec said. “It’s been a great experience and has helped me not only to compete on the softball field, but also I know it will help me during life.”

Cutspec, Pallozzi and the rest of the Bombers remain focused on winning a national championship.

And though Pallozzi said it will take all 22 players working together to accomplish that feat, the leadership of Cutspec is a solid building block.

“[She’s] strong because nothing is impossible to her and competitive because she never says die,” Cade said. “She never gives up until the game’s won.”