Notre Dame holds off Scott City

Notre Dame senior Jeremy Essner feared the worst when he rolled a grounder to the right side with the bases loaded Tuesday.

"I was really worried," he said. "I was scared. I was hoping that it would find a hole because I'm not the fastest person. I would probably get doubled off."

But Essner rolled a single between first and second base to plate a pair and help the Bulldogs escape with an 8-6 victory.

"I was just trying to put the ball in the outfield," Essner said. "Most of the time, I hit fly balls. I hit a ground ball today and got lucky and found a hole."

Notre Dame jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one inning, but the Rams rallied to tie it at 6-6 in the top of the sixth. That set the stage for Essner's game-winning hit.

"We were getting a little nervous," Notre Dame catcher Mark Hagedorn said. "Sometimes we get up on people and not finish them. That was our goal at the beginning of the season. We had a little trouble doing that today."

The Bulldogs looked in control after Hagedorn belted a three-run homer and Essner followed with a solo shot in the first inning. Notre Dame also had ace Colton Young on the mound, so the Rams appeared in trouble. The Bulldogs even tacked on a run in the second when Trenton St. Cin lofted a sacrifice fly to center for a 5-0 lead.

But the Rams refused to be intimidated by Young and the Bulldogs. Landon Robert tripled home a run and Skylar Cobb hit a sacrifice fly to score Robert as Scott City cut its deficit to 5-2.

"I felt good about the swings we got on him today," Scott City coach Lance Amick said of Young. "I didn't see passive guys up there looking for walks. We went up with the aggression that we try to teach, that when you step in the box, you're up there to swing the bat."

Scott City scored three more in the fourth to even the score at 5-5, but Notre Dame answered with a run in the fifth.

Justin Modglin delivered the clutch hit for the Rams in the sixth when he ripped a single to left field to score Heath Pobst. Wyatt Martin tried to score from second on the hit, but the Bulldogs gunned him down at the plate to keep the score even at 6-6.

"I was looking to put the ball in play and find a gap," Modglin said. "That's what ended up happening."

Jamie Scholz started for the Rams and went five innings. Cobb, the Rams' ace, was well-rested, but Amick decided to go with Corey Speakman in the sixth because the Rams play East Prairie today.

"The thought crossed my mind, but unfortunately East Prairie is undefeated in the conference and we've got to beat them [today]," Amick said of pitching Cobb in the sixth. "It's not realistic to come in throw him and have him start tomorrow."

The Bulldogs sandwiched an error between a pair of walks to load the bases with one out in the sixth. That's when Essner delivered his two-run single.

"We've got guys who have a lot of pressure on them and if you can put it on them throughout the season, that's what the season games are for," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said.

The loss dropped the Rams to 8-3, but Amick pointed out the losses have been to quality opponents -- Valle Catholic, Notre Dame and Sikeston.

"We lost to the No. 1 team in Class 2, the No. 1 team in Class 3 and Class 4 Sikeston," Amick said. "We'll take where we're at right now and we'll keep plugging away. ... I haven't lost any excitement for this group."

Scott City 002 301 0 -- 6 9 1

Notre Dame 410 012 x -- 8 8 2

WP -- Trenton St. Cin. LP -- Corey Speakman. HR -- Mark Hagedorn (ND), Jeremy Essner (ND). 3B -- Landon Robert (SC). 2B -- Skylar Cobb (SC), Jake Pewitt (ND), Colton Young (ND). Multiple hits -- Scott City: Cobb 2-3, Ryan Fortner 2-3, Justin Modglin 2-4; Notre Dame: Essner 2-4. Records -- Scott City 8-3, Notre Dame 11-1.