Local flavor at final four

Notre Dame dumps Affton 5-2

By Bill Hester

Special to the Southeast Missourian

BALLWIN, Mo. — The dream still is alive for an undefeated season and a first state championship for the Notre Dame softball team.

The Bulldogs get to make the long drive to St. Joseph next weekend after defeating Affton 5-2 on Saturday in a Class 3 quarterfinal game at Ballwin Athletic Association.

Notre Dame will meet Kirksville on Friday in the semifinals. Kirksville needed 12 innings to defeat Winfield 3-2 in a game also at Ballwin.

"St. Joseph is a long way, but I don't care where they play the game," said Bulldogs senior Paris Burger, who did not get to play in last year's final four because of a torn ACL. "We have two games left now and that is what matters."

CHUCK WU ~ cwu@semissourian.com Notre Dame baserunner Brianne Sanders slides safely into second base during Saturday's Class 3 state quarterfinal game against Affton.

Notre Dame scored three runs in typical Bulldogs fashion, although the way the runs eventually scored were not typical in any way.

Notre Dame pitcher Lauren Reinagel retired the Cougars in order in the top of the first inning. Speedy leadoff hitter Erika Reinagel bunted for a hit to open the bottom of the first. Burger did her job, moving Reinagel to second with a sacrifice bunt. Jane Morrill singled with Erika Reinagel moving to third.

Then things got very interesting. Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett had his cleanup hitter, Alexis Ralls, bunt. She got the bunt down, or in this case up. It was popped up toward the second base position. But Affton second baseman Taylor Mosier was heading to cover first, and the ball dropped. Then chaos ensued with runners all over the place and Affton throwing the ball around the field. Before the dust settled, Affton had committed three errors on the play and the Bulldogs had scored two runs.

"It was supposed to be a simple squeeze," Graviett said. "It was the first inning and I wanted to get that first run across, which is important, especially when you are going up against a good pitcher. It was a riseball and a tough one to bunt. But it found a hole and our runners hesitated enough to have chaos ensue."

Notre Dame's Lauren Reinagel delievers a pitch Saturday.

Ralls made it all the way to third on the play, and scored on a bunt by Alecia Glaus.

Those three runs would be enough for Lauren Reinagel, although it was never comfortable until the last out.

Affton came back after the wild first to score a run in the second on a double by Secca Roettenbacher and a single by Rachael Klebot.

Cougars pitcher Kourtney VonBehren settled down after her defense let her down in the first inning. She held the Bulldogs scoreless for the next three innings, and in the process had a stretch where she struck out six straight.

"She was on today," Graviett said of VonBehren. "She had our batters baffled at times."

Notre Dame used its vaunted running game to score a pair of valuable insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Erika Reinagel bunted for a hit and stole second and third in the fifth. She scored on a bunt single by Burger, who also had a stolen base in the inning.

The Bulldogs had two more steals in the sixth, which helped set up a big two-out RBI single by Britney Schott.

"That hit by Schott was huge," Graviett said. "Affton has been a big comeback team in the playoffs and that extra run made things a little more comfortable."

The cardiac Cougars won their district championship game against Lutheran South with a run in the seventh to tie it and a walk-off homer by Sami Deen in the ninth to end it.

The dramatics continued in Thursday's sectional game as Katy McAllister hit a home run with two outs, two strikes and her team down 1-0 against Westminster Christian Academy. The Cougars would add a run later in the inning and won 2-1.

But Lauren Reinagel prevented another magical comeback as she retired the side in order in the seventh, striking out Tabby McKnight to end the game.

Erika Reinagel can't wait to get to St. Joseph to see if the Bulldogs can finish the memorable season in fashion.

"We finished second in state when I was a freshman and third last year," she said. "All I want as a senior is to be a state champion."

Notre Dame improved to 27-0, while Affton finished its season at 21-8.

The Bulldogs will face a very good pitcher in Jackie Bishop when they play Kirksville. Bishop, who is averaging almost two strikeouts an inning, fanned 22 in the win over Winfield and retired the final 29 batters in a row.