Notre Dame delivers more bad news for defending 1A champs

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Notre Dame made sure that the tough times would continue for the defending Class 1A state champions.

The Bulldogs (11-2), ranked third in Class 2A, blanked St. Vincent 6-0 behind Wayne Essner's complete-game one hitter Tuesday at Perryville Park.

Essner allowed St. Vincent (3-13) only two baserunners, none beyond first base. One reached on his only walk and the other on a debated call at first base on a slow grounder off the bat of Joey Guilliams in the fifth inning which accounted for the only St. Vincent hit.

"Wayne did a great job," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "He should have thrown a no-hitter. That was really a bad call. We had the kid by a half step and its disappointing now because that was the difference in missing the no-hitter."

Essner (3-0) took the call in stride.

"I can't be mad about that," he said. "I threw a good game and that's really all that mattered."

Notre Dame's Shane Kistner scored what proved to be the winning run in the first inning. After taking a base on balls, Kistner advanced to second base, then to third on consecutive wild pitches, before crossing the plate on Matt Wulfers' groundout.

Kistner also added to a four-run fourth with a bases-loaded single to drive home two runs. Scott Wittenborn and Blake Urhahn added RBI doubles in the inning.

Essner's quality performance, his first start in a few weeks according to Graviett, emphasized the solid depth of the Notre Dame pitching staff.

"We're five or six deep," Graviett said. "Our biggest problem this year has been getting all of them enough work. We've got a lot of guys competing for a few spots in the rotation at playoff time, but it's a nice problem to have."

St. Vincent continued to have trouble, particularly at the plate.

"We just haven't been able to get the bats going," Indians coach Rick Wibbenmeyer said. "Our offense has been inconsistent all year."

St. Vincent starter Adam Bockman took the loss and allowed six hits and six runs, three earned, in six innings. Dusty Cissel relieved in the seventh.

Wulfers and Wittenborn led the eight-hit Bulldog offense with two hits each.

Notre Dame, leading the SEMO Conference at 6-1, is back on the road today for a key conference game against second-place Sikeston (6-2).

llewis@semissourian.com

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