Webb City improves to 31-0, ends Bulldogs' title dreams

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Notre Dame wasn't intimidated Friday in its first appearance at the Class 3 state tournament.

But Webb City still hasn't tasted defeat this year.

Webb City posted a 2-1 victory against Notre Dame in a state semifinal game at the Rainbow Sports Complex.

"This is our first trip ever up here, and we didn't know what to expect from Webb City," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "We came up here just wanting to compete."

With Bulldogs pitcher Miranda Schlosser limiting Webb City to eight hits over six innings and one earned run, Notre Dame (22-7) nearly pinned a first loss in 31 games on Webb City.

"Our bats, I don't know, we just left them in Webb City," Cardinals coach Walter Rosa said. "We hit over at Rock Bridge before the game and we hit over here, I'm not sure what happened."

Graviett was wondering the same thing.

The Bulldogs managed just one hit until the fifth inning, when Schlosser led off with a single. Three batters later, Cortney Ostendorf doubled down the left-field line to score courtesy runner Allison Peters.

But Webb City had already scored a single run in the first and another in the fourth, both on RBI hits by Stephanie Ray.

"It's a game of inches," Graviett said. "If we have a few inches here and there and get a few more baserunners, who knows what happens."

Notre Dame will try to get a few more runs today in a 5 p.m. meeting with St. Charles West for third place.

"There aren't too many times the seniors can go out knowing it's their last game," Graviett said, "so we're going to try and win for them."

Notre Dame, however, has just three seniors on the roster, which means this year's first trip to state may not be the school's last.

"I told my kids, get a taste of all this and come back wanting to put in the work and wanting to come back next year," Graviett said.