Notre Dame's playoff magic runs dry in quarterfinals

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. -- The opportunity was there.

The Notre Dame baseball team -- the same team that had come from behind to win seven times this season, that won a district championship after being down to its final out -- had the game-tying runs in scoring position in Thursday's Class 4 state quarterfinal against Westminster Christian.

Except this time, there was no magic remaining.

Westminster's Brennan Hehner struck out Luke Haines on three pitches to end the game and sent the host Wildcats on to the final four with a heart-stopping 7-5 victory.

"We battled with them 'til the very end," Bulldogs coach Jeff Graviett said.

Notre Dame players embrace after the Bulldogs’ 7-5 loss to Westminster in the Class 4 quarterfinals Thursday in Town and Country, Mo. A photo gallery from the game can be viewed at semboall.com. (ADAM VOGLER)

That they did. Notre Dame (25-7) proved it belonged in the same class as the two-time defending Class 3 state champion Wildcats (31-3), who moved up to Class 4 this season and came into the game as the state's top-ranked team in Class 4 in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association poll.

Notre Dame entered the game ranked No. 3, and played like it, jumping to a 4-0 lead after two innings in a contest marred by a dreary, chilly drizzle that fell through the first five innings.

But the Wildcats roared back with a five-run fourth followed by a two-run fifth.

"We jumped on them early," Graviett said. "We wanted to make a statement, and we did. We had all the momentum in the world. But they're a good team, and they got it back."

Notre Dame starter Josh Haggerty, who breezed through the first three innings, quickly ran into trouble in the fourth. With one out and a runner on second, Westminster's Caleb Hicks doubled to deep center, driving in the Wildcats' first run. Then Bulldogs shortstop Justin Landewee couldn't handle Jordan Smith's grounder, the error putting runners at the corners. A sacrifice fly to right followed, and what should have been the inning's third out instead plated a second run. Consecutive base hits knotted the score, and when Notre Dame second baseman Griffin Siebert let Kyle Kinner's grounder roll between his legs for another error, Westminster claimed the lead at 5-4.

Notre Dame shortstop Justin Landewee, left, cuts in front of second baseman Griffin Siebert to field a ground ball and retire a Westminster batter during the first inning of their Class 4 quarterfinal game.

"The plan was to pitch [Haggerty] three innings," Graviett said. "But he played so well, we tried to push through another inning. There were a couple of tough plays [errors] in that inning. If we make either one of those plays, we control the damage to one or two runs."

"Everything started falling apart," Haggerty said. "I left some of my pitches up, and they're a good hitting team. They started hitting them."

Ever resilient, the Bulldogs scored once in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score when Siebert, who had walked and took second when Landewee was hit by a pitch, scored on Chase Urhahn's single to center.

But any thoughts the Bulldogs had of taking the lead were thwarted when Westminster catcher Brett Bond picked Landewee off second for the inning's third out.

Westminster's Shane Benes -- the son of Wildcats assistant coach and former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes -- led off the top of the fifth with a towering home run over the fence in left off Notre Dame reliever Graham Ruopp for what proved to be the game-winning run. The Wildcats added an insurance run when Bond doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Hicks' single.

Shane Benes noted the Wildcats had to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat St. Francis 4-3 in their district championship back on May 15. Playing from behind was nothing new to this team.

"We didn't get down on ourselves," he said, even after falling behind 4-0. "We knew there were still five innings left. We struggled early, but we pick each other up. We did that tonight, and that was big."

Nobody was bigger for the Wildcats than Hehner, who relieved Westminster starter Davis Vanderslice to start the third and allowed just one run on four hits the rest of the way to earn the win. Wildcats coach Rich Van Gilst sidled over to Hehner before the game and reminded his 6-foot-4 junior righty to be ready just in case.

"I just pitched like I was starting [the game] in the third inning," Hehner said. "Everything was working well, and my defense behind me made some great plays."

The Wildcats needed that as Notre Dame began the game looking intent on booking rooms in O'Fallon, Mo., the site of next week's final four. With one out in the bottom of the first, Urhahn drew a walk and went to second when Kinner slipped trying to field Haggerty's grounder. One out later, Cody DeBrock's single to center scored Urhahn, and Haines followed with a single to right that plated both Haggerty and DeBrock and gave the Bulldogs an early 3-0 lead.

Notre Dame tacked on another run in the second when Landewee singled and scored on Urhahn's double over Tyler Cutlett's head in center field to make it 4-0.

Then came Westminster's rally, and the score remained close until the final inning, which produced its own bit of drama.

Hehner got two outs on two pitches to start the bottom of the seventh before Bulldogs catcher Chase Simmons drew a walk. DeBrock -- who had a grand slam home run in Wednesday's 10-0 sectional victory over Ste. Genevieve -- then lifted a lazy fly ball to right center for what looked to be the final out. But Cutlett collided with right fielder Jordan Smith, and the ball fell between them for an error, Simmons reaching third and DeBrock scampering to second to put the tying runs in scoring position.

After a chat with Andy Benes, Hehner settled down and quickly retired Haines on three pitches, sending the disappointed Bulldogs home.

"We played hard," Haggerty said. "They're a great team. We battled to the end. That's why it hurts so much right now."

"We can't be disappointed," DeBrock said. "We gave it everything we had. You can't ask for any more from this team."

Notre Dame 310 100 0 -- 5 8 2

Westminster 000 520 x -- 7 9 3

WP -- Brennan Hehner. LP -- Graham Ruopp. 2B -- Chase Urhahn (ND), Caleb Hicks (W), Andrew Colgrave (W), Brett Bond (W). HR -- Shane Benes (W). Multiple hits -- ND: Urhahn 2-3, Cody DeBrock 2-4; W: Shane Benes 2-4, Caleb Hicks 2-4, Tyler Catlett 2-3. Records: Notre Dame 25-7, Westminster 31-3.