Confident Central advances to final

~ The Tigers hammered Notre Dame 9-1 in the semifinal round.

Central ace Brad LaBruyere does not need much offense to lead his team to a win, but in his conference starts the Tigers have simply pounded the ball.

LaBruyere is 6-0 in regular-season conference starts, and the Tigers have scored 51 runs in those six games. With their ace on the mound in Saturday's SEMO Conference Tournament semifinal against Notre Dame, the Tigers banged out 11 hits in a 9-1 win at Central.

The top-seeded Tigers will face No. 7 Sikeston in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Capaha Field.

"This year, the pitchers we have in Lance [Young] and Brad, I think we feel confident as you come up to the plate," Central leadoff hitter Matt Hester said. "And as we hit, we're going to play well in the field as well."

Hester was one of three Central hitters to pick up three hits on Saturday, as the top of the Tigers' lineup dominated the game. Ten of Central's 11 hits came from the top four hitters in its lineup, and all nine RBIs came from those hitters.

"That gives you a good chance to win," Central coach Steve Williams said.

Notre Dame, shut out by LaBruyere in a 9-0 loss earlier in the season, led off the game with consecutive singles. The Bulldogs scored a run in the first, but LaBruyere was able to get out of the inning without any further damage.

Central answered immediately with four straight hits against Notre Dame starter Anthony Wulfers. Hester led off with a double, Blake Slattery followed with an RBI double, Ty Craft singled and LaBruyere drove in another run with a single.

"It was important for us to answer when they got the lead," Williams said. "It was important for us to answer and take the momentum."

The answers kept coming for the Tigers, with another four runs in the second inning. Hester had a two-out RBI triple, Craft drove in a run with a double and LaBruyere had another RBI on an infield single.

Hester said he was confident Central's offense would overcome Notre Dame's early run.

"I never had a doubt in my mind going to the plate," he said.

LaBruyere got behind a few batters after the first inning, but his domination was evident throughout the rest of the game. Only one Notre Dame hitter reached base over the next five innings -- that coming off a walk.

"It's always an uphill battle when you've got Brad on the mound," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said.

Wulfers lasted just two innings for the Bulldogs, allowing seven hits and six runs. This was the second loss of the week and the season for Wulfers, who also took the loss Tuesday against Sikeston.

Brett Heischmidt did not allow a run over his first three innings of relief, but got into trouble in the sixth. Eric Ennis started the inning with a single, Hester had an RBI single and LaBruyere drove in two with a double to finish the scoring.

"They could have thrown anyone out there today, we were ready to hit it," Hester said.

Craft finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Central. LaBruyere added three hits and a team-high four RBIs. Both Craft and LaBruyere had homered in Central's quarterfinal win on Friday.

Hester finished 3-for-4 and needed just a home run for the cycle. He had two RBIs.

"I was keeping my weight back and seeing the ball real well," Hester said. "I was picking up the pitches before they threw it."

On the mound, LaBruyere moved to 9-1 with a complete-game two-hitter. LaBruyere did not allow a hit after the first inning, struck out seven and walked three.

"He's such a good closer," Williams said. "It's tough for teams to come back on him."

Central, leading the regular season conference standings with an 8-1 record, has a chance to earn its first conference tournament title. The Tigers shut out Sikeston in their first meeting this season.

"We've never won the tournament," Williams said. "Hopefully, we can change that Monday night."

Notre Dame missed out on a chance to defend its conference tournament title with Saturday's loss. The Bulldogs lost to No. 3 Kennett in their first meeting this season, and will get the chance to avenge the loss at 3 p.m. Monday in the third-place game.

"We have to [bounce back] Monday," Graviett said. "Going in, we have a district opponent. One of the best parts of this tournament is you get to play a team who may have beaten you, and both those teams [Sikeston and Kennett] have. It has to fuel you as an athlete."

Central 9, Notre Dame 1

Notre Dame 100 000 0 -- 1 2 0

Central 240 003 X -- 9 11 1

WP -- Brad LaBruyere, 9-1. LP -- Anthony Wulfers, 4-2. 2B -- Matt Hester (C), Ty Craft (C), Blake Slattery (C), LaBruyere (C). 3B -- Hester (C). Multiple hits -- Central, Craft 3-3; Hester 3-4; LaBruyere 3-4. Records -- Central 16-4, Notre Dame 14-6.