SIKESTON -- The Notre Dame Bulldogs sent a message to the Sikeston Bulldogs: This is a new week.
Sikeston, which went 6-0 last week, including a tournament championship, suffered a 7-3 loss to Notre Dame Tuesday at VFW Stadium. The loss also snapped a nine-game Sikeston winning streak.
Notre Dame (11-3) overcame a 3-2 deficit in the top of the third inning when slugger Josh Eftink hit a three-run home run over the right-center fence to take a 5-3 lead.
That's all that reliever Mark Ostendorf would need. He inherited two base runners in the bottom of the third inning from starter Brian Obermann with nobody out and managed to pitch out of it.
Ostendorf went five innings and allowed just two hits while striking out six and walking one to get the win.
"That's the way Mark's been throwing all year," said Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett. "He's been giving us some good games. He keeps the ball down, he throws a lot of strikes and he's been real effective for us so far this year."
The story for Sikeston (13-3) was wasted opportunities. The Bulldogs stranded nine runners, many after reaching base with nobody out.
"When you waste that many opportunities, it's going to come back to haunt you, and it did," said Sikeston coach Kevin Self, who has seen two of his team's losses come to Notre Dame. "We just didn't hit the ball when we needed to."
Notre Dame manufactured a run in the first inning when John O'Rourke scored on a double steal. This was after he walked, stole a base and reached third on a wild pitch.
Sikeston took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first. Billy Puckett drove in Adam Garrett on a double and, after a Heath Self sacrifice bunt, Jason Davis plated Puckett on a ground out.
Notre Dame tied the game in the second on Adam Seyer's RBI single that scored Timmy Wencewicz.
Sikeston regained the lead in the bottom of the second on Puckett's sacrifice fly that scored Craig Jobe.
That's all Sikeston could muster as Eftink's homer in the third gave his team the lead for good.
"Eftink's our igniter," said Graviett. "He had the big hit today and it gave us the lead. We hit well for about an inning after that until they made the pitching change. The first four innings I thought we played real well offensively, and then we pitched well and played well defensively for the last few."
Notre Dame tacked on two more runs in the fourth on Tommy Wencewicz's two-run single.
Chris Cota, who relieved starter Rickey Fodge, pitched four scoreless innings and didn't allow a hit, facing one batter over the minimum. Fodge took the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) on five hits and six walks in three innings.
Obermann lasted only two innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks.
Both teams had just five hits. Tommy Wencewicz was the only player for either side with two.
Notre Dame returns to action today, hosting Perryville.
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