ND wins with 1-2 punch

Through its first two games of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament, Notre Dame picked up two victories on only seven hits and three runs.

The Bulldogs' offense finally picked it up a bit in the championship game, using two home runs and seven hits to defeat Sikeston 5-3 on Monday at Capaha Field.

Notre Dame, the No. 4 seed, knocked off No. 1 Jackson 2-0 in a semifinal game Monday before defeating No. 2 Sikeston in the finals.

"Hopefully, we can keep this momentum," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "Pitching and defense have been there all year long. We feel if we score four runs, we can beat anybody."

Through three innings of the championship game, it appeared Notre Dame's offensive woes would continue. Trailing 1-0, Notre Dame only had one baserunner in the first three innings off Sikeston starter Bryce Wibbenmeyer.

Blake Essner gave the Bulldogs (10-6) their first hit of the game with a leadoff single in the fourth. After Shane Menz popped out, catcher Dane Balsmann gave Notre Dame's offense a shot in the arm by blasting a Wibbenmeyer pitch over the right field wall for a 2-1 lead.

"I just relaxed a little more," Balsmann said. "I've been tense all year."

One inning later, Jeremy Brinkmeyer tagged his first career Notre Dame home run off the scoreboard in left field.

"I didn't know if it was out because I hadn't hit one before," Brinkmeyer said.

Essner and Balsmann both hit long drives in the sixth inning -- Essner had a triple and Balsmann a double -- which helped the Bulldogs put up two more runs. Overall, Essner finished with three hits and Balsmann had two hits and three RBIs.

"We're coming on," Balsmann said of the offense. "It usually takes one person to start it up."

While the offense has had its share of struggles, Notre Dame's pitching has not missed a beat. Essner threw six innings for the Bulldogs in the championship game to get the win, allowing three runs on five hits.

Essner exited the game after allowing the first two runners to reach in the seventh, and Kirk Boeller allowed both to score but did not allow another runner while earning the save.

Over his final three innings of work, Essner struck out six, including a strikeout with a runner on third and one out in the fifth.

"Really, the later part of the game, he got his breaking ball over and that made all the difference in the world for him," Graviett said.

Jerod Scott picked up a pair of RBIs for Sikeston (13-4).

This was Notre Dame's first SEMO Conference tournament title. Notre Dame was routed by Sikeston in the tournament championship game last year.

Brinkmeyer said defeating a team like Sikeston, which also beat Notre Dame in the district finals last year, should give the team some confidence as the district tournament comes around.

"This is our first conference tournament win, and hopefully we'll continue that momentum into district," he said. "That's our main goal."

Semifinal roundup

Notre Dame reached the championship game by beating top-seeded Jackson (13-2). Brinkmeyer threw a three-hit shutout to improve to 6-0.

The Bulldogs did not get their first hit off Jackson starter Jason Meystedt until the fifth inning, but they were able to string together three straight hits in the sixth inning to pick up a pair of runs.

Meystedt allowed just four hits in seven innings.

In the second semifinal, No. 3 Sikeston got the best of Central ace Brad LaBruyere in a 4-2 win. LaBruyere, the Tigers' sophomore ace who has thrown two no-hitters this season, struck out eight in six innings. Matt Hester had two hits and an RBI for the third-seeded Tigers (10-10).

CHAMPIONSHIP

Notre Dame 5, Sikeston 3

Notre Dame 000 212 0 -- 5 7 1

Sikeston 010 000 2 -- 3 5 3

WP -- Blake Essner, 3-2. LP -- Wibbenmeyer. HR -- Dane Balsmann (N), Jeremy Brinkmeyer (N). 2B -- Balsmann (N). 3B -- Essner (N), Cullen DeHart (S). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame, Essner 3-4, Balsmann 2-3; Sikeston, Eric Chappell 2-3. Records -- Notre Dame 10-6; Sikeston 13-4.

Semifinals

Notre Dame 2, Jackson 0

Notre Dame 000 002 0 -- 2 4 1

Jackson 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0

WP -- Jeremy Brinkmeyer, 6-0. LP -- Jason Meystedt, 4-2. Multiple hits -- Jackson, Brandon Gendron 2-3. Records -- Notre Dame 9-6, Jackson 13-2.

Sikeston 4, Central 2

Central 100 100 0 -- 2 4 2

Sikeston 021 001 0 -- 4 7 0

WP -- Ross Merideth. LP -- Brad LaBruyere. 2B -- Cullen DeHart (S), Scott Brueckner (C). Multiple hits -- Central, Matt Hester 2-3; Sikeston, Tyler Baker 3-3. Records -- Central 10-10.