ND powers past Ste. Genevieve 10-0

Cody DeBrock was sitting on a fastball, hoping he'd get one.

Did he ever.

Notre Dame's senior right fielder deposited the first pitch he saw from Ste. Genevieve's Andrew Suiter in the top of the fifth inning over the right field fence, putting an exclamation point on the host Bulldogs' six-run inning and sparking a 10-0 victory over the Dragons in a Class 4 sectional.

The win moved Notre Dame (25-6) into today's Class 4 quarterfinal against Westminster Christian (30-3). Game time is 4:30 p.m. in Chesterfield, Mo.

"He's been a kid the last few weeks who has really swung the bat well," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said of DeBrock. "Today, he got one."

For awhile it looked like neither team would break through with any runs at all, let alone a big inning. Notre Dame senior right hander Justin Landewee matched Suiter goose egg for goose egg through the first four innings.

In fact, it was Suiter who was getting the best of the pitcher's duel to that point, allowing just one hit, while Landewee gave up four singles and allowed base runners in three of the first four innings.

But Landewee (10-1) proved equal to the task, battling his way out of trouble and keeping the Dragons scoreless until his teammates' bats warmed up.

"That's how Justin pitches," Graviett said. "He's not a dominating strikeout guy. He's going to allow base runners. But he knows how to pitch in those situations.

Notre Dame batter Cody DeBrock watches his ball sail over the outfield wall for a grand slam in the fifth inning of the Bulldogs' Class 4 sectional game against Ste. Genevieve Wednesday, May 22, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. Notre Dame won 10-0. (Laura Simon)

"I felt like it was just a matter of time before we put some runs on the board."

Notre Dame's Josh Haggerty takes a hack at the ball in the fifth inning of the Bulldogs' Class 4 sectional game against Ste. Genevieve Wednesday, May 22, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. Notre Dame won 10-0. (Laura Simon)

Landewee said he didn't feel any extra pressure in the early innings.

"I've been in that kind of situation before," he said. "I knew what to do. Just make good pitches and get outs."

And when the Bulldogs' offense broke through, there was no stopping it. In the top of the fifth [Notre Dame was listed as the visiting team despite hosting the game], pinch-hitter Matt Westrich drew a one-out walk before being lifted for pinch-runner Thomas Siebert, who took second on Griffin Siebert's subsequent single to right. Chase Urhahn reached on a fielder's choice, and Thomas Siebert moved to third. With Josh Haggerty up and runners at the corners and two out, Graviett rolled the dice and sent Urhahn breaking for second with the pitch. The Dragons' second baseman moved to cover the bag, and Haggerty sent a roller through the vacated spot in the infield for a single that plated Thomas Siebert for the game's first run.

"We had the green light on," Graviett said. "We wanted to get the runners moving. That's the neat part about this game, sometimes you need to catch the breaks to score runs. We caught a break there."

Then Suiter plunked Landewee with a pitch to load the bases, and Chase Simmons drew a walk to force in Urhahn, bringing up DeBrock.

Ste. Genevieve coach Mike McDaniel paid Suiter a visit on the mound.

"I think more than anything else, just try and settle him down," McDaniel said on his decision to leave his senior righthander in the game. "Andrew has done a great job for us this year, pitching through a number of different situations. I didn't doubt his ability to get through the inning."

DeBrock was looking for a first-pitch strike, knowing Suiter had hit a batter and walked in a run.

"I knew he had to come in with a strike," he said. "I was sitting on the fastball."

That fastball soon left the park and the Bulldogs quickly had a 6-0 cushion.

Notre Dame’s Justin Landewee improved to 10-1 on the season, allowing just five hits and pitching shutout ball through six innings.

"Once we score one run, we feel like we can score five runs every inning," DeBrock said.

After that, it was up to Landewee to make the lead stand.

"Cody really stepped up and came through with a major hit," Landewee said. "That really helped me on the mound. I was able to settle down and just throw strikes."

For good measure, the Bulldogs tacked on two runs in the sixth, on a run-scoring double by Griffin Siebert and an RBI single by Haggerty and two more in the seventh via Josh Jansen's run-scoring single and a wild pitch that plated Stephen Brennan with a game's final run.

Landewee's effort left Graviett with most of his pitching staff intact for today's game against the two-time defending Class 3 state champion.

"I think they're a beatable team," Graveitt said, noting he had scouted a few of Westminster Christian's games throughout the season. "We have to play like we did today, but I like our chances."

Notre Dame 000 062 2 -- 10 8 0

Ste. Genevieve 000 000 0 -- 0 5 1

WP -- Justin Landewee. LP -- Andrew Suiter. 2B: Griffin Siebert (ND). HR -- Cody DeBrock (ND). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame: Josh Haggerty 2-4, Griffin Siebert 2-3. Records: Notre Dame 25-6, Ste. Genevieve 21-7.