Bulldogs take aim at top prize this time

~ Notre Dame heads to state with several players from last year's third-place team.

Last year, Notre Dame's softball team was forced to watch rival Kelly claim the Class 2 state title as it waited to play in the Class 3 third-place game.

The Bulldogs were newcomers to the state final four last year, making their first trip in softball.

After losing just three seniors from last year's squad, Notre Dame has made the trip to Columbia, Mo., again and will try to claim to its first softball state title.

Notre Dame (28-2) will face Timberland (21-7) at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Class 3 semifinals at the Rainbow Softball Complex. Defending state champion Webb City (24-5) will face last year's runner-up, Kearney (23-4), in the other semifinal at 12:30 p.m.

"Going in with the season we've had, you have to have confidence," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "Last year it was new to us, we were looking to see how we fit in. We proved we could play with anyone in the state. Now we feel we're one of the front runners."

Notre Dame fell to state champion Webb City 2-1 in the semifinals last year, before winning the third-place game 8-2.

Before this season had even begun, the talk around Notre Dame centered on raising the bar. Notre Dame showed throughout the season it was ready to take the next step, losing just two games to Class 4 Poplar Bluff over the course of the season.

The year has produced a school record for wins, numerous offensive records and a fourth district title in five years. Two hard-fought playoff victories later, Notre Dame is right where it hoped to be with another shot at earning a berth in the state championship game.

"We were sitting on 24 wins [at the end of the regular season] and wanted to go 6-0," Graviett said. "We're 4-0 and we need two more for the big prize. But you need win No. 5 before No. 6."

Standing in Notre Dame's way is Timberland, the 2003 Class 3 state champion. Timberland slugged its way by a sub-.500 Duchesne squad 6-0 to advance to Friday's semifinal. The Wolves had 13 hits in their quarterfinal victory, and received a one-hit shutout from sophomore pitcher Bailey Dockery.

Dockery sports a 1.94 ERA and a 13-5 mark in 119 innings. Offensively, Dana Romans leads the team with a .442 average. Latosha Evans is hitting .418 with a team-high 31 runs scored. Jessica Long is tops with 26 RBIs.

"You figure they got to this point, they're all good teams," Graviett said. "The way we played last Wednesday against Fredericktown, we can't get overconfident against anyone."

Notre Dame's potent offense will try to rebound after being virtually shut down by Sullivan ace Meghan Bailey. The Bulldogs had just one hit but managed to manufacture a pair of unearned runs.

Kristain Burger leads the high-powered Notre Dame offense -- which features three .400-hitters in the top three lineup spots -- with 40 RBIs, 14 doubles and five home runs. Erika Reinagel, one of two freshmen at the top of the order, set the school record this season for runs scored with 33 so far.

"We shouldn't be scared of seeing any kind of pitcher when we get up there," Graviett said of his offense, which has not been shut out this season. "We feel we faced one of the best in the state."

While the Bulldogs had to sweat out Saturday's thrilling 2-0 quarterfinal win over Sullivan, the game may have actually helped Notre Dame. Unlike the relatively easy win Timberland enjoyed, Notre Dame played under the intense pressure a state final four game will likely bring in the quarterfinal round.

"Finding a way to win against a pitcher of that caliber -- and showing when the odds are against you, you can find a way to win -- that's the way championship caliber teams are made," Graviett said.

Lost in the shuffle of Notre Dame's ability to produce two runs against Bailey in the quarterfinal win was the performance of Notre Dame starter Beth Schnurbusch. Schnurbusch shut down a Sullivan team that defeated Lutheran South 7-0 in the sectional round. For the season, Schnurbusch is a perfect 19-0 with an ERA under 1.00.

During last year's state final four run, Notre Dame used Miranda Schlosser on the mound.

"She's stepped up," Graviett said of Schnurbusch. "How she was going to handle it was a question, but she's answered the bell. She threw some of her best ball after we got the lead [against Sullivan]."

Defending state champion Webb City features the top statistical player in the field in freshman pitcher Nicole Hudson. Hudson is hitting .580 in 81 at bats with 51 RBIs and 11 home runs. On the mound, Hudson has a 14-3 record with a 0.57 ERA.

Kearney is led by catcher Kristen Hessel. Hessel led Kearney with a .481 batting average and a team-high 29 RBIs. Brittany Johnson was Kearney's top pitcher with a 12-1 mark with a 0.61 ERA.