Sikeston enacts run rule on ND

DEXTER, Mo. -- Pitching against a team as dangerous as Sikeston, Notre Dame starting pitcher Lee Essner had little room for error.

Unfortunately for Essner, he made a few too many mistakes against top-seeded Sikeston on Thursday in the Class 3 District 1 tournament final at East City Park. Sikeston, the No. 1 team in the state in Class 3, routed second-seeded Notre Dame 10-0 in six innings.

"I think Lee threw a few pitches he'd like to have back," Notre Dame center fielder Matt Wulfers said. "When you do that to Sikeston, you're probably not going to come out on top."

After sending shockwaves across the state last season with its upset of Sikeston in the district final, Notre Dame could not find a way to pull off the upset again. Sikeston improved to 24-1, with its one loss coming to Notre Dame earlier in the season.

"Our kids have worked all year to get back to this point," Sikeston coach Kevin Self said. "It is a sweet win for us."

Coming back from three innings of work on Tuesday, Essner allowed eight runs on nine hits and six walks in 5 2/3 innings as he suffered his first loss of the season. It was back-to-back pitches in the bottom of the fifth inning which really did the damage.

Lance Rhodes, who hit a solo home run in the first to start the scoring, led off with a walk. Blake DeWitt followed with a monstrous blast over the left-field fence to push the score to 3-0. On the very next pitch, Jacob Priday hit a line drive over the center-field fence to make it 4-0.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said Essner got a little frustrated after DeWitt's home run.

"He let his guard down after Blake's hit," Graviett said.

While Notre Dame had its share of trouble on the mound, Sikeston starter DeWitt was on cruise control. DeWitt only allowed two hits through the first five innings.

It wasn't until the sixth inning where Notre Dame's offense showed signs of life. Essner started the inning with a single, and with one out Wulfers picked up his third hit to put runners on first and third. But, DeWitt struck out the next two hitters, including Blake Urhahn after a lengthy battle.

"All day long he made the pitches when he needed to," Wulfers said.

DeWitt's two strikeouts proved to be key, as Sikeston (24-1) plated six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game. Essner left the game with two outs after allowing a run, with Jeremy Brinkmeyer coming on in relief. Brinkmeyer walked three, allowed one hit and ended the game with a bases-loaded balk.

The win moved DeWitt's high school pitching record to 26-0. Wasting no time between pitches, DeWitt allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven.

"Blake was zoned in," Self said.

Of course, DeWitt did more than just hurt Notre Dame on the mound. DeWitt led Sikeston with a 4-for-4 hitting performance, including a double and a home run. Priday's home run was his only official at bat, with three walks to go along with his solo shot.

"This is one of the most focused high school baseball team's I've ever seen," Graviett said of Sikeston.

The loss ended Notre Dame's season at 18-7. Essner finished the season with a 10-1 pitching record, and finished his career 19-3. Wulfers led Notre Dame's offense with a 3-for-3 performance.

"We got them one out of two years," Wulfers said. "Of course we wanted to get them both years, but we got them once and that's nothing to hang your head for."

Sikeston 10, Notre Dame 0

Notre Dame 000 000 -- 0 4 0

Sikeston 100 036 -- 10 10 0

WP -- Blake DeWitt, 6-0. LP -- Lee Essner, 10-1. HR -- Lance Rhodes (S), DeWitt (S), Jacob Priday (S). 2B -- DeWitt (S), Ross Meredith (S), J.R. Bizzell (S), Matt Wulfers (N). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame, Wulfers 3-3; Sikeston, DeWitt 4-4; Bizzell 2-3. Records -- Notre Dame 18-7, Sikeston 24-1.