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COLUMBIA -- The Class 2A semifinals Wednesday ended up being mere warmups for today's state championship game which will be at 5 p.m. at Simmons Field.

Neither Notre Dame nor St. Pius X were tested as they combined for 26 runs and 26 hits.

After the Bulldogs knocked off Valley Park 11-5, the Warriors -- the defending state champs -- whipped Eugene 15-3 in six innings.

Notre Dame coach Chris Neff is familiar with St. Pius' program as it is in the general area of where he went to high school.

"I'm from St. Joseph so I've had the opportunity to talk to some of my coaching friends. They've all said nothing but good things about this team.

"It's going to be a great game. Both teams are fundamentally sound in the field and it's pretty obvious today that both teams can hit the ball. They're the defending state champs and they're not going to give that up very easily."

Neff said St. Pius X will likely start Nick Presko after throwing Clint Longwell against Eugene.

Presko is one of nine hurlers who has seen action this year for the Warriors. He's 4-1 with a 2.15 earned run average and has fanned 32 batters in 26 innings.

St. Pius could also send Mike Murphy to the hill. He has a 2.96 ERA over 26 innings and has fanned 42.

Notre Dame will go with Mark Ostendorf. Ostendorf enters today's state championship game with a 7-2 record with one of those wins coming in the state quarterfinals last Saturday..

Neff is hoping that Ostendorf brings his best game.

"I think he'll be alright," Neff said. "But I sure hope he gets ahead in the count. Just recently, he's fallen behind hitters and gotten himself into trouble."

St. Pius' leading hitters is Longwell who is hitting .414 with three homers and 24 runs batted in. Presko is hitting .407 with a team-high six homers and 28 RBIs.