Notre Dame slips vs. top-ranked Eureka

EUREKA, Mo. -- The Notre Dame baseball team literally slipped from the ranks of the undefeated Friday.

In a game that featured a game-long drizzle and two No. 1 ranked teams in Missouri, the Eureka Wildcats took advantage of tricky footing to escape with a 3-2 victory on their home field.

Eureka, the top-ranked team in Class 4, scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Chase Bollinger. The game-winner came just one pitch after Notre Dame center fielder Jake Pewitt slipped to his knees as he started in after what looked to be a routine fly ball to shallow center.

Instead of Pewitt grabbing the second out of the inning and holding runners at first and second, Eureka sent its No. 4 batter to the plate with the bases loaded and just one out.

"I was thinking swing at the first pitch," Bollinger said. "I just wanted to drive it out."

Bollinger lofted the first pitch from Brandon Peters into medium right field, which Pewitt ranged over to grab, but his one-hop throw to the plate was unable to catch Logan Meyer, who tagged up and slid under the tag of catcher Mark Hagedorn.

The loss dropped top-ranked Notre Dame, the defending Class 3 state champions, to 8-1.

The Bulldogs had won three of their first eight games by the run rule, but knew they would have their hands full with Eureka.

"This was a good team. This is what we want to play against. We don't want to beat people by 10 runs every time we come out," said Notre Dame pitcher Colton Young, who allowed five hits through the first six innings. "We want to better ourselves."

The teams stood toe-to-toe the entire game, and both had several good scoring chances. Notre Dame outhit Eureka 7-6, while the Wildcats committed the game's only two errors.

The teams also matched each other with two runs in the fourth inning.

"We battled and had an opportunity to win and that's all that we were looking for," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said.

Meyer had drawn a leadoff walk after fouling off a couple of 3-2 pitches from Peters, who started the seventh in relief of Young. Peters then made a sliding fielding play on a sacrifice bunt to retire leadoff batter Kory Wisdom before Aaron Vogt was issued an intentional walk. Peters then coaxed the Wildcats' RBI leader, Brett Vanover, to send a fly ball to center.

Pewitt initially broke back, but when he tried to change direction, he slipped and the ball fell in front of him.

"I got a little bit unlucky," Pewitt said. "I tried to get in behind it, and it just dropped in front of me. It had top-spin on it."

The ending was a change of fortune for Eureka (11-4), which came into the week with just one loss. However, the Wildcats suffered losses to Marquette, Parkway West and Vianney in a four-day span.

"They were coming off some losses this week and they were wanting to bring their A game," Graviett said. "But I'm sure they were excited to play us as we were them. We're the defending Class 3 state champions and ranked first, so I'm sure they talked about it all week. We were wanting to come up and play those type teams, and I'm glad we had the opportunity."

Notre Dame stranded the bases loaded in the first inning and had baserunners through each of the first five innings against starter Corbin DuCharme, who left after retiring the Bulldogs in order in the sixth. Winning pitcher Bryant Gaume also retired Notre Dame in order in the seventh.

Notre Dame broke on top in the fourth after Jeremy Essner opened the inning with a double. Ethan Essner followed with a single to right field. Jeremy Essner was going to hold at third on the play, but he scored when the right fielder tried to throw behind Essner, but instead threw the ball wildly toward left field. Ethan Essner took third on the error and scored on a one-out infield single by Coby Holland for a 2-0 lead.

Eureka had runners in scoring position in the first two innings but didn't break through until the bottom of the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by No. 8 hitter Stephen Kohler.

Eureka had a runner at second with one out in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Young emerged unscathed. He struck out three of the four batters he faced in the jams.

He retired Vanover and Bollinger, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, in the fifth-inning jam.

"He was pretty good," Bollinger said. "I heard he was pretty good before we played them."

Young finished his six innings with seven strikeouts, three walks and one hit batter.

"I don't think he had his real good fastball today, but he battled through it, and when he needed to reach back, he can reach back," Graviett said. "He gets you 0-2, 1-2, you're at his mercy. That's when he's at his best.

"That's the first time we extended him and he's really had to throw six solid innings. So it was a tremendous outing for him."

Jeremy Essner and Trenton St. Cin both went 2 for 3 with a double for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame 000 200 0 -- 2 7 0

Eureka 000 200 1 -- 3 6 2

WP -- Bryant Gaume. LP -- Brandon Peters. 2B -- Trenton St. Cin (ND), Jeremy Essner (ND), Ian Foege (E). Multiple hits: Notre Dame -- Essner 2-3, St. Cin 2-3. Records: Notre Dame 8-1, Eureka 11-4.