Title showdown all Sikeston's

The Sikeston Bulldogs have it all.

Bats, arms, defense.

Add SEMO Conference regular-season championship to the list.

Behind a career-high 14-strikeout, five-hit performance by Blake DeWitt, Sikeston clinched the title Tuesday at the expense of the Notre Dame Bulldogs.

Sikeston cleared its final hurdle with ease, winning 8-1 at Notre Dame.

DeWitt also added a home run and a first-inning double that sparked a three-run inning.

"You have to tip your hat to Blake: He's a full-package player," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "No doubt in this area who's the best player is -- in the conference anyway."

Sikeston backed up its pitcher with errorless defense and 10 hits, four for extra bases.

Notre Dame pitchers weren't quite as fortunate as their defense committed five errors and the bats provided just five singles. Notre Dame entered the day as Sikeston's closest pursuer with a 6-1 conference record, but the Bulldogs fell flat and to 10-4 overall.

"I think we kind of stressed too much," said Notre Dame starter Lee Essner. "The strikeouts and the errors, I think it was trying too hard rather than a lack of concentration."

Essner (4-1) pitched a one-hitter against Scott City in his previous outing, but the right-hander ran into an entirely different beast on Tuesday.

Sikeston (16-1, 8-0 conference) entered as the top-ranked team in Class 3 with the batting averages among the first eight hitters in its lineup hovering between the .371 of No. 8 hitter Richard Landers and the .556 of cleanup batter Jacob Priday. All eight had at least one hit against Essner and reliever Blake Urhahn.

"They had a lot of very good at-bats today and that was very impressive," Essner said. "They had quality at-bats, fouling off some good pitches.

"Good things happen whenever you keep battling like that, and that's what happened for them. They battled hard and it paid off for them. They just played a better game."

Nine of Sikeston's hits came in the first four innings off Essner. Urhahn finished with three innings of one-hit pitching.

DeWitt provided one of the quality at-bats in the first inning when he fouled off several two-strike pitches from Essner before doubling into right-center field with two outs. DeWitt scored when a wild throw on a Priday grounder -- the first of two Bulldog errors in the frame -- extended the inning. Nathan Eaves followed with a walk and scored with Priday when Scott Keenan's single to left field was misplayed.

"They're such a great ballclub, and you give them an extra out like we did in the first and they're going to take advantage," Graviett said.

DeWitt struck out the side in the bottom of the first and then led off the Sikeston second with a home run for a 4-0 lead. It established a routine of Sikeston scoring in each of the first five innings.

"We came out and wanted to jump on them early and get our momentum going and keep it up throughout the game, and we did that," DeWitt said.

Sikeston added two runs in the third and one apiece in the fourth and fifth innings for an 8-0 lead.

Meanwhile DeWitt, who entered with a 1.27 ERA, was cruising. He walked just one batter and didn't allow a run until Dustin Tatum's leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh. Tatum was the only player to have much luck, finishing 2-for-3.

"When you get a kid like Blake DeWitt on the mound and he's able to relax, he goes almost from a great pitcher to unhittable," Graviett said. "He had great command."

Every batter in Notre Dame's lineup struck out at least once, including catcher Kyle Diveley, who came in with a team-leading .425 average. Diveley had a single but also struck out twice.

"He did an excellent job," Diveley said. "The first time I thought I struck myself out. The second time I thought it was one of my best at-bats of the year, and he just shut me down. He just outpitched my batting. That's the second time in two years he's come up here and just shut us down."

Notre Dame could get another crack at Sikeston in the SEMO Conference tournament that begins Thursday. If not then, they could meet in the district tournament.

"They're a solid ballclub, and it'll take a great game by any club to beat them," Graviett said. "I think there's no doubt the district goes through Sikeston."

jbreer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 132