BULLDOGS POUR IT ON RAMS

With an incredibly quick bat, Notre Dame sophomore slugger Josh Eftink has the potential to change the outcome of a game every time he comes to the plate.

In Monday's 6-2 victory over Scott City, Eftink not only shifted the momentum with one of his powerful swings -- he changed the weather.

Leading off the sixth inning with the Bulldogs trailing 2-1, Eftink blasted a 2-0 pitch from Scott City pitcher Tim Lowery over the center field fence to knot the score 2-2.

"Timmy fell behind in the count and had to throw a fastball," said Scott City coach Mike Umfleet. "Josh knew it was coming and he knew what to do with it.

"Eftink hit the home run, the rain and wind started and it was like an omen out there. He took the wind out of Timmy's sails."

With storm clouds rolling in and a steady rain beginning to fall, Notre Dame scored four more runs in the inning and starter Ryan LeGrand finished off a complete game by striking out the side in the seventh to improve the Bulldogs' to 6-4 on the season. Scott City fell to 3-4.

"Josh is a great hitter, probably one of the best hitters in the area," Umfleet said. "Big-time hitters get big-time hits in big-time situations. He's definitely a big-time hitter; we found that out today."

Notre Dame coach Gregg Muench knew all about Eftink's talents after the 5-foot-11, 180-pound shortstop led the area in home runs as a freshman last season. Even so, Muench was hardly expecting Eftink's towering fly ball to leave the park.

"I didn't think it was going to go out at first," Muench said. "That's 370 feet out there and it sure didn't have the wind behind it.

"It just carried and kept going. It shouldn't have gone out; he's just that strong."

Wes Steele followed Eftink's dinger with a single up the middle and, after Lowery's third strikeout of the game, Matt Bollinger singled and Bryan Drury walked to load the bases with one out. Steele had an RBI and two of Notre Dame's seven hits.

Lowery, who with the help of his defense pitched his way around potential jams in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, appeared on his way out of trouble again after catcher Jason Bickings scooped up a bad throw at the plate on a forceout for the second out of the inning.

But Notre Dame's ninth-place hitter Tom Wencewicz, with a batting average under .100, walked on five pitches to put the Bulldogs ahead for good. Despite starting on last year's successful team as a freshman, back problems early this season have gotten Wencewicz off to a slow start at the plate.

"I told him a good coach would pinch hit for him, but I like him too much to do that," Muench said with a smile after the game. "I had to say something to get him to laugh.

"He's a good hitter and I know he can do it. (In this situation) he had the composure to take the walk."

Leading 3-2, Nathan Essner cleared the bases with a three-run double past the diving attempt of newly-inserted left fielder Rafe Camp. Scott City's starting left fielder, Howie Stubenrauch, left the game in the top of the sixth inning after reinjuring two broken fingers on a head-first slide into first base. Essner was eventually gunned down at third base trying to stretch his double into a triple to end the inning.

LeGrand, after allowing two runs in the second inning, kept the Rams off the board the rest of the way. He struck out the side in the seventh to finish with 10 strikeouts. He walked only two.

Bickings had two of Scott City's four hits, including an infield single that scored Travis Burger in the second inning.

Notre Dame's at Fredericktown on Wednesday. Scott City goes to East Prairie on Thursday.