Kendall Cardone has provided South Williamsport consistent production whether swinging the bat or playing third base. But ask those who know Cardone best and the first thing will say deals with neither.

Simply put, they love that she is a tremendous teammate.

Unselfish, hard working and pleasant, Cardone has made an impact that goes beyond stats. That is a big reason so many are happy that she is experiencing such a strong season. And that big year continued in a big way Thursday in Allentown as Cardone went 3 for 3 with a home run, double and three RBIs, helping South Williamsport defeat Bristol, 10-0 in the Class AA state quarterfinals.

“That’s somebody I’m really happy for. She pulls for everybody,” South coach Tom O’Malley said. “Two seconds after her at-bat, she’s back in there pulling for her teammates, regardless of what she did. She is the ultimate teammate. That’s who she is.”

“She’s like a bundle of sunshine,” right fielder Sage Lorson said. “When you see her do well, it makes you so happy.”

South’s ray of sunshine rained hits all over the field against Bristol as the Mounties (21-2) earned the program’s first state Final 4 appearance since 2004. South plays Bald Eagle Area Monday at Central Mountain in the state semifinals.

Getting there has been an outstanding collective effort with players throughout the roster making big contributions. Cardone shined through against Bristol and her second postseason home run helped South end the game early against the District 1 champions. Before that, she had already driven in two runs as South started breaking the game open against the perennial District 1 power.

“I just kept reminding myself that there’s people behind me who have my back and there’s people who have confidennce in me to do this so I felt confident in myself,” Cardone said. “It was a very confident game for me; it was a very good game for me.”

Cardone has put together a lot of strong games this season, making excellent plays at third base and hitting .385 with 18 RBIs. Part of a group which has excelled together since they were playing Little League, Cardone has started the past two years and the sophomore has played a key role in South winning consecutive District 4 championships.

Last year, Cardone played some at third base, but mostly in right field. The thing O’Malley and the team loves most is that Cardone does not care where she plays. However she can help, Cardone is glad doing so. And, oh, the help she provides.

“We weren’t sure where we were going to play her last year and she ended up in right and third and the line she said to me is, ‘Whatever you need, coach,'” O’Malley said. “Any coach would love to hear that and that’s what she told me. That’s as good as it gets right there.”

Cardone has played some of her best softball at the perfect time and provided one of the season’s biggest hits in the district quarterfinals against East Juniata. There, South trailed 2-0 entering the fifth inning and needed a spark. Cardone provided it, smashing a one-out home run. Her teammates fanned the flames from there with Lily Reidy homering an inning later to tie it before Gianna Goodman hit a walk-off single and scored Mikaiya Hills in the 3-2 victory. Cardone also was in the middle of rallies in close playoff wins against Troy and Muncy as South twice overcame two-run deficits and became the program’s first repeat district champions of the 2000s.

The quarterfinals remained good to Cardone Thursday as she belted the ball in each at-bat. Part of a balanced offense, Cardone helped South scored in every inning and build an 8-0 lead with seven runs in the second and third innings. As happy as Cardone was, her teammates were probably even more excited.

They see the way Cardone works all year. They see the positive impact she mades on the field and in the dugout. They see the way she makes the team better in ways even impressive statistics cannot measure. They understand who Cardone is and how valauble she is.

So her happiness is there’s and vice-versa. And that speaks volumes.

“We all see her work so hard and to see what she can do out on the field is so cool. I love it,” first baseman Abby Lorson said. “She’s the voice in our dugout all the time. She’s always cheering everyone on so to see her do something so cool is amazing.”