NOTRE DAME TEES OFF AT CHAFFEE 11-1

CHAFFEE -- Notre Dame's baseball team strolled onto Harmon Field Thursday with an ambition to prove that it is deserving of a No. 1 seed in the upcoming district tournament.

The Bulldogs took a step in the right direction, spanking Chaffee -- a team generally regarded as one of the three best in the district -- 11-1 in six innings.

Whether or not Notre Dame (4-0-1) is the best team 2A team in the area is still debatable since the Bulldogs played Kelly to a 6-6 tie in eight innings on Monday.

But Chaffee fans, who watched Notre Dame score one run in the second, three in the third and seven in sixth, would likely argue that there is no debate.

Notre Dame teed off on the Red Devils (2-1), clubbing 11 hits. Three of those hits were homers; one was a triple and four were doubles.

Bulldog junior shortstop Josh Eftink belted two long balls for the first multi-homer game of his high school career. The first was an opposite-field solo job to rightcenter in the third. The second -- a three-run rocket in the sixth -- landed in the tennis courts in leftcenter. Eftink also walked and stole a base.

"Today I was more patient," said Eftink, who is from Chaffee. "Instead of guessing, I was sitting back and driving the ball. I felt the second one. It felt good from the time it left the bat."

Notre Dame's six through nine batters -- Matt Bollinger, Adam Seuer, Todd Friend and Nathan Essner -- were especially productive, going a combined 7-for-13 with four doubles, a triple, a homer and seven RBIs.

Essner, the No. 9 hitter and the smallest player on the field, hit the homer, a two-run, wind-aided high fly to right.

Friend was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs.

"We've got good hitters up and down the lineup," Notre Dame coach Chris Neff said. "There's no weakness.

"This is a big win. They beat Cape Central. They came in 2-0 and they're probably the second-best team in the district. We're always thinking we're the best, but I think they're as good as Kelly. They're a good team."

Bulldog starting pitcher Mark Ostendorf baffled Chaffee.

Ostendorf (3-0) tossed a five-hitter and struck out seven. He walked three and threw two double-play balls. All that without his best stuff and a stout wind blowing out.

"I wasn't really throwing that well, but well enough to get people out I guess," Ostendorf said. "I tried to keep the ball on the ground. If the ball gets up in the air, you don't know how far it's going to go."

The game was still within reach until the sixth. But after Essner's homer made the score 6-1, the Red Devils lost their confidence.

"We hung our heads big time and then it got out of hand," Chaffee coach Bruce Qualls said. "We didn't play very well at all. We didn't make the routine plays. We're not swinging the bats real well right now."

The Red Devils committed five errors.

Chaffee scored its lone run in the first. Tommy Stidham -- after escaping a run-down between third and home -- later scored on a groundout by Dusty Leggett.

In Notre Dame's seven-run sixth, the Bulldogs sent 12 batters to the plate. In the third, Notre Dame scored three runs on three hits and two errors.

Chaffee starter Matt Stroup (0-1) suffered the loss. He went five-plus innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks. He struck out six.

Stidham pitched in relief and gave up five runs (three earned) and five hits. He hit a batter and struck out one.