ND TUMBLES IN 2A FINAL; ST. PIUS REPEATS AS STATE CHAMP

COLUMBIA -- Until the fifth inning Thursday, Notre Dame seemed destined to win a state championship.

From Wes Steele's bottom-of-the-seventh, game-winning double in the sectionals, to Todd Friend's bizarre catch in the state semifinal, to Adam Seyer's clutch pinch hit in the district title game -- everything seemed to be going Notre Dame's way.

But suddenly, Presko! The magic disappeared.

St. Pius X pitcher Nick Presko hit two homers and had four runs batted in and Notre Dame (26-4) suffered from a disastrous four-error, six-run inning as the Bulldogs bowed to the defending state champs 13-7 and failed to win their first state title since 1993.

After the two teams traded leads throughout the first four innings, the Bulldogs found themselves trailing 7-5 going into the bottom of the fifth.

Then Notre Dame's previously sharp, even spectacular, defense evaporated.

St. Pius (17-5) scored six unearned runs on just two hits in the inning. Notre Dame, which rarely made more than two errors in a game this season, made four in that one inning.

"One bad thing happens then another bad thing happens," said shortstop Josh Eftink. "We couldn't get everything back together. When it rains on you it pours sometimes."

"I don't know if it was nerves, so much, as poor execution," said Notre Dame coach Chris Neff. "They weren't dumb plays, we just didn't execute. It got contagious."

Perhaps the Bulldogs caught the error disease from St. Pius. The Warriors committed five errors of their own which led to five unearned runs.

Until the fifth, though, Notre Dame's defense was sensational. Steele made identical diving plays for outs in the first and third innings and made another superb play on a swinging bunt.

But the most important defensive play of the game came in the top of the fifth. Notre Dame was trailing 7-4, but had the bases loaded and nobody out with hot-hitting Scott Reinagel stepping to the plate.

Reinagel hit the ball hard right at the second baseman for an easy double play. One run scored, but Notre Dame looked certain to get more in the inning.

"This just wasn't our game," Neff said. "Reinagel hit a laser right at the second baseman and they turn two. That was huge. I think that play might have won the state championship."

"That's what I told them when I went out to the mound `We need a double play right here,'" said St. Pius coach Rick Ringel. "That was just beautiful."

Speaking of beautiful, Ringel must have enjoyed the aesthetics of Presko's home runs. Presko's first was a bomb which ricocheted high off the left-field foul pole and the other barely cleared the wall in straight-away left.

"That Presko kid -- he's a state champion in football, in wrestling and baseball," Neff said. "He's hogging all the state championships. I think I'm going to have a talk with him."

"He's just that type of (clutch) kid in all sports -- football, wrestling and baseball," Ringel said. "We all hit the ball well. It made up for the (five) errors."

Notre Dame quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Tommy Wencewicz walked and later scored on a single by John O'Rourke.

In the second, the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead when Matt Bollinger scored on a single by Brian Obermann.

St. Pius scored three in the second on a solo homer by Presko, an RBI double by Mike Herr and an RBI single by Nick Zicarelli.

The Bulldogs quickly regained the lead, 4-3, in the top of the third on RBI singles by Reinagel and Wes Steele.

Notre Dame starter Mark Ostendorf ran into serious trouble in the fourth when he gave up four runs -- two on Presko's second homer -- and two more on RBI singles. St. Pius then led 7-4.

Ostendorf went 4 1-3 innings, surrendering 11 runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits. He walked four and struck out four. Josh Eftink pitched the final 1 2-3 innings.

The Bulldogs added another in the fifth on Reinagel's double play ball and one in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

The loss was obviously a disappointing one for the Bulldogs, but one which will provide motivation for next year's squad which returns all but one of its starters.

"This group of guys is a really good group of guys," Essner said. "I guarantee they'll be back here next year.

"We had a really great year," Essner said. "But knowing that you don't have any more games left is tough. The only thing more that I could have asked for from this season was one more -- one more win."

Eftink, who finished the year with 12 home runs, is already hungry for more.

"I'm already ready to come back. It's great being up here."

Final Four results

Class 1A

Championship

Marion C. Early x, Bevier x

Third Place

Oran 11, Hughesville Northwest 1

Class 2A

Championship

St. Pius X 13, Notre Dame 7

Third Place

Eugene 5, Valley Park 4