ND PICKS UP SEVENTHS STRAIGHT VICTORY

Notre Dame has been inconsistent the last couple of weeks.

The defense has been so-so at times and poor at others.

The pitching has been anywhere from very good to horrible.

But one thing, the most important thing, has remained consistent: wins.

The Bulldogs won their seventh straight game Thursday, a 7-5 home victory over Dexter (6-6).

And like most of their wins the last couple of weeks, this one was a bittersweet squeaker.

Notre Dame played exceptional defense and hit the ball well. However, Dexter was struggling, coming off a 10-0 loss to Jackson and a 22-0 loss to Sikeston.

The Bulldogs had plenty of opportunities to blow the game open, but failed to do so and Dexter had the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh.

But Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett will take the win.

"We've won seven in a row and I don't think any of them have been real pretty," Graviett said. "We're swinging decent bats and playing good enough to win. But our defense was much better today."

Notre Dame did turn in two very nice plays, one a diving catch in foul territory by catcher Matt Pobst and the other a backhanded stop and long throw by shortstop John O'Rourke. Notre Dame had no errors.

Pobst, usually not a starter, came through at the plate as well, providing the biggest hit of the day -- a two-run triple in the first inning. His line drive to left field bounced over the head of Dexter's left fielder and drove home Timmy Wencewicz and Lance Dohogne. The triple was part of a four-run first. All four runs were scored with two outs.

John O'Rourke, Andrew DePeder and Wencewicz all drew walks, then Lance Dohogne hit an infield bloop single. He reached safely when the second baseman, trying to cover first, couldn't find the base.

"What hurt us in the first inning was not so much the walks," Dexter coach Brian Becker said. "We made a good pitch, sawed a kid off and the kid got to first base. We didn't make the play and that was the difference in the ballgame, I think."

Pobst's double gave Notre Dame a 4-1 lead. Dexter had scored in the top of the first on a wind-aided homer to left field by Matt Burnett.

Dexter, even after two recent blowouts, seemed unfazed by Notre Dame's early lead. The Bearcats cut their deficit to 4-2 in the third on an RBI double by Derek Burnett.

Notre Dame answered that run with one of its own in the third. O'Rourke, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, singled and came home on an RBI single by Wencewicz. Wencewicz and DePeder, who earlier walked, were at second and third with no outs, but the Bulldogs failed to score when their next three batters struck out.

Dexter scored two runs in the top of the fourth to make the score 5-4. Nic Smith and Matt Burnett provided RBI singles.

Notre Dame got a solo homer by Todd Friend -- his third of the year -- in the bottom of the fourth to put the Bulldogs ahead 6-4, but Notre Dame missed out on another opportunity as it stranded the bases loaded.

In the top of the fifth, Dexter scored another run on a solo homer by Chase Kennedy. It was the Bearcats' final tally, although they got a runner in scoring position in each of the last two innings.

"We scored in about every inning," Becker said. "It was real encouraging to see us scoring some runs."

Notre Dame got an insurance run in the fifth when Wayne Essner chased home Scott Wittenborn on a double to right-center.

Scott Wittenborn, pitching in relief of Scott Eftink who had a sore arm, picked up the win. In three innings, he gave up one run and three hits. He didn't walk or strike out any batters.

Brent Montgomery suffered the loss in 3 2/3 innings. He allowed six runs on six hits and six walks while striking out three.

O'Rourke was the only Notre Dame player with more than one hit, but DePeder walked three times and Wencewicz was 1-for-2 with two walks.

For Dexter, Matt Burnett went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.