Bats go silent in Notre Dame's softball semifinal loss

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The final four experience began almost as tragically as it had ended magically a year ago for the Notre Dame softball team Friday.

The defending Class 3 state champions, who claimed the title after pitcher Lauren Reinagel's perfect game last season, were no hit by Nevada sophomore Christian Novak in a 3-0 loss in the state semifinal.

"I can't remember the last time our softball was shut out, let alone no hit," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said, "so she was phenomenal on the mound today."

It was the first time the Bulldogs, who entered the game batting .412, had been shut out all season.

"I feel like our group is tremendously disciplined and she just made them look silly today, swinging at balls over their heads," Graviett said. "She had to have tremendous movement on it and just baffled us all day long."

Notre Dame third baseman Jessica Menz turns for the tag as Nevada's Casey Barker safely reaches third base during the sixth inning Friday.

Novak struck out 11 batters in her seven innings of work, most with the help of her riseball, which left Notre Dame batters swinging at pitches well out of the strike zone.

"She had a good one," Graviett said of Novak's rise. "Any time you see girls chasing -- especially high caliber softball girls like we have -- chasing balls over their head, she's got tremendous movement. It started belt high and then ended up over your shoulders and there's just nothing you can do with it."

The only blemish on Novak's day was a walk to pitcher Katie Bond in the second inning.

"I had known that they hadn't seen a lot of inside pitching all year, so I knew to throw them inside," Novak said, saying that information had come from the coaches of other teams. "And then I was told that if it's working then they're not going to hit it, so keep throwing it. My riseball was a big factor there."

Bond matched Novak in the circle for much of the game, but a walk to Nevada leadoff batter Nikki O'Bryan to start the sixth inning led to trouble.

Notre Dame's Courtney Reinagel makes a catch during the second inning of a Class 3 state softball third place game against Kirksville on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2010, in Springfield, Mo. Notre Dame lost 2-1, placing fourth in the state. (Kristin Eberts)

The next batter in the Tigers' lineup bunted. Bond cleanly fielded the ball but had to make a quick throw to try to get the speedy runner. Her throw to first base sailed into right field, allowing O'Bryan to score.

"When they got a runner on I think we all got a little shaky because it was my first walk the whole game," Bond said. "Then after that the bunt -- that error -- kind of just all shook us up."

Bond struck out the next two batters she faced before Tiffani Long drove her fifth home run of the season over the right-field fence to give Nevada a 3-0 cushion.

"We talk all year long about limiting mistakes," Graviett said. "When we make mistakes, keeping it to a one-run game, we feel like with our offense we can put a run or two up on the board. But again, the same way you give the pitcher credit, you have to give the hitter credit. She went the opposite way with a home run with a lot of power. You got the three, four hitters out and she follows it and does her job."

Bond allowed just four hits and struck out five in the game.

RIGHT: Notre Dame's Brianne Sanders fields a ball during the second inning of the third-place game against Kirksville. (LEFT: Notre Dame's Courtney Reinagel makes a catch during the second inning of Friday's third-place game.)

"I thought Katie was tremendous today," Graviett said. "She'd probably like to have the one ball back -- that bunt that she threw away, but that had nothing to do with her pitching performance. I saw a lot of maturity and growing up in her and she got some big strikeouts today."

But Novak, who said she didn't realize she had thrown a no-hitter until after the final out was recorded, wouldn't give anything back.

"It wasn't really better today than it usually is," Novak said of her devastating riseball. "But sometimes it's on, sometimes it's off and today it was just on."