ND silences Kelly in 2A showdown

Notre Dame proved true the age-old baseball axiom: pitching and defense win games.

The Lady Bulldogs played the fundamentals to perfection to edge nemesis Kelly 2-0 in a SEMO Conference showdown Thursday at the Notre Dame Sports Complex.

"It was a great fastpitch softball game," said Notre Dame coach Chris Janet, whose Lady Bulldogs had not beaten the perennial Class 2A district champion in recent memory. "When you have a good pitching duel and great defenses behind it, that's how the game is supposed to be played."

Notre Dame improved to 16-2, while Kelly fell to 11-3.

Both Notre Dame's Lindsay Reinagel and Kelly's Natalie Lewer pitched brilliantly, but Notre Dame's flawless defense spelled the difference.

Reinagel, the winning hurler, allowed four hits in the complete-game shutout. Working ahead in the count, hitting spots and throwing strikes was the key for Reinagel as she struck out six and walked none.

Said Reinagel, "I just tried to focus and give it all I've got."

Hard-luck loser Lewer allowed only three hits, but committed a couple of errors that led to the two unearned runs scored by the Lady Bulldogs. Lewer went the distance, also, striking out seven, walking none and hitting a batter.

"The errors hurt us," said Kelly coach Melanie Heuring. "You can't play like that in a tight ballgame like this."

The Lady Bulldogs used aggressive base running and sacrificed runners into scoring position to capitalize on their limited scoring chances.

Said Janet, "You've got to be aggressive on the basepaths. They're a good team and they've got good pitching, as well, so runs are at a premium when you play a good team like Kelly."

In the third inning, with two outs, Laura Weissmueller was hit by a pitch, then stole second. Katlyn Kelley laid a bunt down the third-base line, which Kelly third baseman Monica Senciboy missed on a diving catch effort. Lewer fielded the ball, but her hurried throw to first base sailed high, allowing Weissmueller to plate what proved to be the winning run.

In the fifth frame, Notre Dame added an insurance run when leadoff hitter Stacy Seyer reached when her bunt attempt was bobbled by Lewer. Seyer was sacrificed to second by Sarah Gosche and advanced to third on a groundout. She later scored on a bunt single by Kelley.

Notre Dame will only have a few days to savor the victory. The two teams meet again at Kelly on Monday.