Make sweet music, Kenny G, yelled out a fan from the stands.

On cue, Kendall Gillham obliged.

The Notre Dame junior ripped a two-run base hit in the four-run inning that helped propel the Saints to a 5A first round 5-0 state victory over region rival Horizon. The Saints finally hit the right playoff notes in Saturday’s midday home affair.

Their program hadn’t won a postseason outing since 2012. Credit Notre Dame’s new kids on the block for the playoff victory lap.

Close to 10 new players as well as second-year coach Todd Mabrey have helped turn things around for the 21-7 Scottsdale program. 2011 was the last time Notre Dame won 20 games.

“We really want to grow this program big-time,” Mabrey said. “The program should be as big as baseball. It should be as big as lacrosse. This is a good school.

“I’m here to try and build this program.”

Having a hurler, Rutgers commit Marley Caldwell, who has struck out more than 200 batters this season, helps the cause.

Caldwell (14 strikeouts) fanned seven of the first nine batters and allowed just two hits in her complete game performance to improve to 19-4. Her lineup meanwhile came through as well with some help from Horizon miscues.

Notre Dame’s two-hole hitter, Daelyn Flowers, came up roses, reaching base three times while driving in three runs. Gillham had the game’s only extra base hit, a double in the first, and one of Notre Dame’s two hits in the fifth, when Horizon had two errors and Notre Dame scored four runs.

“I was making sure I was looking for the down pitch, because lately I’ve been struggling with swinging up high,” said Gillham about her fifth inning at bat. “So that’s all I was thinking, swing down and it worked.”

Horizon, which split its regular season two-game series with Notre Dame, finished its 2025 campaign with a 10-13 record.

“We played well, and I think we had our opportunities. We just didn’t cash in,” said Horizon coach Jackie Coburn, whose team stranded five runners. “We’ve had a rough year, but I’m really excited for them. We had a lot of ups and downs and injuries. But they worked hard, and I’m really proud of them.”

With the first round win, No. 5 seed Notre Dame advanced to the double elimination portion of the 5A state tournament.

On Tuesday, the Saints will travel to Buckeye to face No. 4 Verrado in the second round.