Rally falls short for Notre Dame baseball as Poplar Bluff prevails in conference tourney final

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Facing an eight-run deficit and down to its final six outs against one of the best teams in the state, Notre Dame nearly found a way Friday night.

The third-seeded Bulldogs pulled within two runs in the final frame, loaded the bases with two outs but couldn’t get the last big hit in a 12-10 loss to the top-seeded Poplar Bluff Mules in the SEMO Conference Tournament championship at Bobby Strenfel Field.

“I’m not really a rah-rah type of guy but once it gets closer to districts we start talking about taking pride in all the time and effort we put in all year in big games,” Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. “That’s the time of the game today where we said let’s start fighting and scrapping, which is definitely what you saw at the end. It was just too late.”

Poplar Bluff third baseman Dalton Cooper, left, tags out Notre Dame's Nick Lindsay during the fifth inning of the SEMO Conference Tournament championship Friday night at Bobby Strenfel Field in Poplar Bluff, Mo.Ben Striker ~ Daily American Republic

The win marked the second straight SEMO Conference tournament championship for Poplar Bluff (23-4), the 10th-ranked team in Class 5.

“I’m still a little speechless after that one,” Poplar Bluff coach Steven Edwards said. “It’s one of them classic games where you’re up big, they start scoring and we found out pretty quick that sometimes pitcher’s don’t throw strikes when you need them to. We held our breathe and had to hang on.”

It was the second straight loss for Notre Dame (15-10), which entered the game as the ninth-ranked team in Class 4. But it didn’t come without controversy.

The Bulldogs’ rally started in the top of the sixth inning when Tyler Essner tripled off Poplar Bluff relief pitcher Ronin Rice to score Sam Dirnberger. Essner trotted home during the next at-bat on a single by Ross Essner to cut the Mules’ lead to 12-6.

Rice was pulled from the game after issuing back-to-back walks to begin the seventh. His replacement, Matthew Lambert, wasn’t much better and gave up a two-run double to Nick Lindsay three pitches into the at-bat make it a four-run game.

Dirnberger was hit by a pitch a batter later and moved to second on an RBI single by Tyler Essner, which trimmed the deficit to 12-9.

Both runners tried to move up a base during Ross Essner’s at-bat on a passed ball that skipped to the right of Poplar Bluff catcher Mason Libla. But the senior backstop recovered, made the throw to third baseman Dalton Cooper, who made a great catch, appeared to put the tag on Dirnberger and rode it all they way through the bag.

The umpire initially called Dirnberger out at third, then changed it to safe, initiating a reaction from Edwards, who darted up from his seat near the dugout to argue the call. After an appeal to the home plate umpire the call was reversed a second time much to the dismay of Graviett, who tried to plead his case.

“That’s probably the most frustrating thing. (Edwards) comes out there dead sprint with no time limit or nothing and they let him say his peace,” said Graviett, who had little time to argue the reversal before being thrown out of the game. “All you ask is for those guys to go with their gut instinct, right or wrong. I think he wanted to make the call and once his mind started playing tricks on him he listened to coach Edwards.”

Notre Dame shortstop Ross Essner throws to first base in the first inning of the SEMO Conference Tournament championship Friday at Bobby Strenfel Field in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Ben Striker ~ Daily American Republic

The Bulldogs tagged the Mules for their final run on a base hit by Trevor Haas before Joe Darlin entered the game to get the final out on a strikeout in the dirt.

“We talked about a collective effort and that’s what it took in the end,” Edwards said. “Joe makes a great pitch and Mason does a great job directing him where to put it.”

Poplar Bluff starter Kameron Misner wasn’t at his best on the mound but made up for it with his bat.

The senior and Missouri commit hit a pair of two-run home runs over the right-field wall — one to keep it close and another to give the Mules the lead for good.

“It’s awesome. It’s a big game, the stakes are a little bit higher in this one so I knew I had to come out here and be at my best,” said Misner, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in the conference prior to the game.

Notre Dame jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a walk and three hits, but Misner’s quick answer in the bottom half of the first was a no-doubter that trimmed it to 3-2. Cooper’s only RBI of the day scored Libla, who walked, and tied the game.

After intentionally walking Misner in the second, the lefty made the Bulldogs pay with another towering blast in the third to give the Mules a 5-3 advantage.

“A special, special player. I got the opportunity to help coach him on a summer team when he was 14 so I’ve been around Kameron a long time, and there’s nobody I respect more,” Graviett said. “His work ethic, his talent — he’s one of the best players we’ve had in the SEMO Conference in a long time.”

Poplar Bluff scored three more runs in the third and added two more in the fifth. Trevor Fredwell finished with a game-high five RBIs on three singles and helped chase Notre Dame starter Will Ferrell. The right-handed sophomore gave up five earned runs on eight hits in four innings.

“As a sophomore he came out and competed and that’s all you can ask of him,” Graviett said. “Talking about highs and trying to match that later is tough, especially for a young kid. It just wasn’t there for him tonight.

“We’ll try to get him going and everybody else going again this next week.”

[Editor's note: Will Ferrell's statistics changed to accurately reflect five earned runs allowed, not 10.]