Notre Dame softball team blanks Perryville in district semis

With his team on the cusp of postseason aspirations, Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett couldn't have been more pleased with his pitcher's performance.

Nikki Peters' no-hitter was broken up in the final inning, but the senior finished her complete-game shutout game with nine strikeouts and two walks as the top-seeded Bulldogs defeated the fourth-seeded Perryville Pirates 7-0 on Thursday to advance to their fifth consecutive Class 3 District 1 softball championship game at Notre Dame Regional High School.

"That was the Nikki we had last year, so it's good that we can carry that over," Graviett said. "Hopefully she's found what she was missing the last few weeks, and hopefully she's ready to move forward with us in this postseason.

"Perryville's got four tremendous hitters at the top of the lineup, so for her to come in here and put up a zero is huge for us. We got her some runs, and then she got to relax up there a little bit. That was a great job by her in the circle. She's been struggling a little bit lately, but she came up big today for us."

Notre Dame (19-7) will take on third-seeded Sikeston in the title game. Sikeston upset second-seeded Ste. Genevieve 4-0 before a thunderstorm rolled through the area Thursday evening.

Despite the victory, Notre Dame's offense was limited through the first four innings.

In the bottom of the second inning, Perryville pitcher Macey Hall gave up her first walk to Maddie Urhahn, who advanced to third on a wild pitch and a groundout. After Payton Friga reached base on an error, an illegal pitch sent Urhahn across home plate and Friga to second, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.

Notre Dame's Christina Scherer is tagged out by Perryville's Emma Nelson after trying to steal second in the Class 3 District 1 semifinal Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at Notre Dame. (GLENN LANDBERG)

Friga hit a one-out single into left field in the bottom of the fourth inning, and two batters later, a double from Anne Ziegler sent Friga home to push Notre Dame's lead to 2-0.

Graviett said struggles early in the game have become common for his team this season.

"It's kind of like that pressure defense in basketball, where sooner or later somebody's going to get to you a little bit," he said. "We tried to keep putting pressure on them, and we finally did it. We just couldn't get that big hit early. We had a couple opportunities but just couldn't get it done."

The offense wasn't all that necessary for the Bulldogs. After giving up a walk in the top of the third, Peters retired 11 straight Perryville batters into the final frame.

Notre Dame's defense also made several impressive plays, including a diving catch from Peters along the first-base line on a bunt attempt in the top of the third inning.

"That's the first time I've seen her leave her feet and make a play like that," Graviett said about Peters' catch. "Defense is really our bread and butter. Whatever we're going to do, we're going to go through them. [Peters] needs them, and that's the strength of our team. They played well today, and obviously that showed up on the scoreboard."

Peters struggled with a shoulder injury last month but bounced back with her first career perfect game in an 11-0 win over Central. She showed her value again on Thursday.

Notre Dame's Taylor Hess throws to the infield during the seventh inning against Perryville in the Class 3 District 1 semifinal Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at Notre Dame. (GLENN LANDBERG)

"I just kind of went with what the catcher was giving me and tried to hit my spots as best as I could," she said. "The defense has been there for me the whole year. I really have faith in all those girls, and I knew our bats would come around eventually."

The Bulldogs' bats found new life with five runs on seven hits in the fifth and sixth innings combined.

"Notre Dame put the pressure on us, and the game kind of got away from us in that one inning. But they're learning," Perryville coach Jeff Steffens said. "They're getting better, and like I told them, I said, 'That's where we want to be.' We want to be the team putting the pressure on instead of the pressure being put on us."

Taylor Hess, who went 3 for 4 to lead Notre Dame at the plate, hit a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth inning before Urhahn added an RBI double and Madison Landeros contributed an RBI single. Friga got her second hit of the game on a two-out double as Landeros advanced home on an error to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead after five innings.

Ziegler got aboard in the bottom of the sixth inning on a walk, and Carson Freeman moved Ziegler to third on a double into right field. Christina Scherer reached first on a fielder's choice as pinch-runner Mallory Pobst was tagged out on a play at the plate, but Notre Dame added to its lead on a double steal that scored Freeman but gave up Scherer for the second out.

Hess followed with a single and stole second to move into scoring position for Morgan Duschell, who laced an RBI single into right field and gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead heading into the final frame.

"We just needed to find a way to put some runs up, and once we did, we just relaxed and just kind of took over that speed game," Graviett said.

Down to its final two outs, Perryville (7-17) got its first hit on a double from Hall, but two strikeouts brought an end to the Pirates' season.

"We knew coming in that Notre Dame was going to put the pressure on. They bunt. They put the ball in play, and we felt like we could hit their pitcher. Obviously she was on her game today," Steffens said about Peters. "She was hitting her spots, and we especially had trouble with that outside pitch. We battled, had some good at-bats and put the ball into play. That's all you can ask for as a coach is to just try to have good at-bats. ... Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the pitcher."

Steffens said there were times when several of his batters got caught swinging at bad pitches instead of working the count and producing better at-bats.

"We popped up a few times, dropped those shoulders and kind of got away from the things that we work on every day, and that happens. Pressure does that to you," Steffens said.

Hall sustained the loss in the circle for Perryville. She went six innings and gave up seven runs on 10 hits. She walked three batters and struck out none.

Steffens was pleased with the performance from Hall, who battled through injuries this season. She suffered a broken finger at the Notre Dame SoftballFest and was also involved in a car accident. Thursday marked her second full game pitching since returning from injury.

"She pitched her tail off. That's a very good lineup. They put the ball in play. I think she only gave up three or four hard-hit balls all night," Steffens said. "She didn't know she was going to be pitching until this summer, and she really stepped up and threw well when she was in there."

The Pirates will lose senior left-fielder Catrina More to graduation, but Steffens said he's excited about several pitchers who will rise the ranks from junior high.

"We battled through a tough couple of injuries, but they're learning how to win. That's the first step," Steffens said. "It was an enjoyable year. I told them this was one of the more enjoyable years I've had coaching any sport."

Notre Dame will now turn its attention to the championship game against Sikeston. The game is tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. today, but rain is expected throughout the day.

Notre Dame defeated Sikeston 13-6 earlier this season.

"They jumped out on us early at their place and put us in a hole. They've got some nice sticks and had a big come-from-behind win yesterday," Graviett said about Sikeston. "We just need to play our game."

Perryville 000 000 0 -- 0 1 3

Notre Dame 010 132 x -- 7 10 0

WP -- Nikki Peters, 15-6. LP -- Macey Hall, 4-2. 2B -- Hall (P), Maddie Urhahn (ND), Peyton Friga (ND), Anne Ziegler (ND), Carson Freeman (ND). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame: Taylor Hess 3-4, Friga 2-3.