Notre Dame baseball team reaches Class 4 final four

CLAYTON, Mo. -- There were smiles and several hugs, but there was nothing emphatic about the Notre Dame baseball team's celebration following Thursday's game at Shaw Park.

Hunter Eftink struck out Clayton's Andreas Petermann for the final out of the game, and the Bulldogs casually formed a line at first base to shake hands with the Greyhounds, carrying on as if it was just another win.

But this wasn't just another win.

A third consecutive trip to the Class 4 quarterfinals played out differently for Notre Dame, which cruised past the Greyhounds 8-1 and into the final four for the first time since 2009.

Notre Dame's Ross Essner connects with the ball for a double in the sixth inning against Clayton during a Class 4 quarterfinal, Thursday, May 28, 2015 in Clayton, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

"It's the greatest feeling ever," said Bulldogs center fielder Chase Urhahn, who went 3 for 3 with a double and scored four runs. "... This year it's finally our time. We're looking forward to it."

Urhahn led off for Notre Dame (26-5) and blasted the first pitch he saw for a double in the bottom of the first. He advanced to third on a groundout before Christian Job sent him home with a two-out RBI single that gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

"We knew the pitcher coming in only had seven walks on the season, so I was ready for the fastball," Urhahn said. "I was going to jump on him early, hopefully I was going to get a first-pitch fastball, and I did in my first at-bat. I hit him pretty good, and as the leadoff guy, it's just about getting on base any way I can."

Notre Dame extended its lead in the bottom of the third when Dean Crippen plated Urhahn on a sacrifice fly, and a fielding error at second base pushed across two more runs to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead heading into the sixth inning.

"I've never been worried that we won't score. It's just if we can hold them back," said Job, who batted in the four-hole and finished 2 for 4 with a game-high three RBIs. "I've always been confident in our hitting all the way through the lineup. The past couple games it's even been the bottom of the lineup getting guys on base, and then we come in and drive them in. Everyone's contributing."

Notre Dame's Thomas Himmelberg throws to first base for an out against Clayton in the third inning during a Class 4 quarterfinal, Thursday, May 28, 2015 in Clayton, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Clayton (17-12) sent Billy Heil to the mound to relieve starter John Howard in the bottom of the sixth, and Notre Dame took advantage of the pitching change.

Ross Essner started a two-out rally for the Bulldogs with a double to left-center field, and Urhahn sent Essner home on an RBI single to left field. Logan Heisserer walked to reach base, and Dean Crippen scored Urhahn on a single to left field before Job cleared the bases with a two-run single, giving Notre Dame a comfortable 8-0 lead.

"We can score at any point and can put those innings together," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said about his team's four-run sixth. "It's just a matter of time it seems like before we bust out."

Eftink relieved Bulldogs starter Adam Pope in the sixth and retired the Greyhounds in order but encountered some rare trouble in the seventh. The sure-handed lefty gave up a leadoff triple to Justin Gellman, who advanced home on an error, and a two-out walk but allowed nothing more.

Pope pitched five shutout innings to earn the win. He allowed four hits, struck out three batters and walked none.

Notre Dame's Ross Essner is congratulated by his teammate after scoring in the sixth inning against Clayton during a Class 4 quarterfinal, Thursday, May 28, 2015 in Clayton, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

"Adam was solid. It was great. That was the gameplan coming in here, if we could get five out of him and then finish with Hunter. That's been a luxury," Graviett said. "... Hunter's coming off a little bit of a sore ankle, but he came out there and battled. The thing about him is what you saw. When a couple things went bad, there was no emotion on the mound, no adversity. He just digs right back in there and throws."

Howard threw five innings and was tagged with the loss. He gave up four earned runs and six hits and had three strikeouts and one walk.

Crippen finished 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs, and Essner was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored for Notre Dame, which combined for 10 hits.

Graviett was pleased with his team's defensive outing. Notre Dame committed only two errors -- a throwing error in the fifth and a fielding error in the seventh.

"We're very athletic in the field, and we're really starting to play and buy into how good we can be as a team," Graviett said. "With our pitching and the defense like that, that's really what's going to carry us."

The Bulldogs continue their journey for a state title next Thursday in a state semifinal against Smithville, which defeated Boonville 3-1, at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Missouri.

Notre Dame and Clayton shake hands after a Class 4 quarterfinal, Thursday, May 28, 2015 in Clayton, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

No player on Notre Dame's roster has experience in the state semifinals in baseball, but there's a confidence that surrounds the team.

It starts with Graviett, who's seen it all in 17 years at the helm of the Bulldogs' program.

"He has all the confidence in the world in us. He knows we're always good enough, and he says he's never going to put us in a situation where we're going to fail because he knows we can do it," Urhahn said. "Him having a whole bunch of experience makes us confident and makes us ready.

"He's definitely prepared us."

Clayton 000 000 1 -- 1 5 5

Notre Dame 101 024 x -- 8 10 2

WP -- Adam Pope. LP -- John Howard. 2B -- Howard (C), Billy Heil (C), Chase Urhahn (ND), Pope (ND), Ross Essner (ND). 3B -- Justin Gellman (C). Multiple hits -- Clayton: Heil 2-3; Notre Dame: Urhahn 3-3, Dean Crippen 2-3, Essner 2-3, Christian Job 2-4.