Bulldogs blast LaPorte 12-5 in Sectional opener

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

5-27-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LaPORTE (21-9)	0	1	0	0	1	1	2	5	7	1
CROWN POINT (25-5-2)	0	0	5	2	0	5	-	12	15	2

Monday, 5-26-2008 - 84 degrees, Class 4A, Sectional 2 Quarterfinal at LaPORTE, IN

WP - Blake Mascarello (7-0) 9K, 3 walks (6-2/3 innings)
LP - Neal Hackett (6-3) 1K, 0 walks (2 innings)

LaPorte (21-9) starters
Kyle Rosenbaum (CF) 0-for-3, walk
Dustin DeMuth (SS) 1-for-3, walk, double, stolen base, RBI
Ian Nielsen (1B-P) 0-for-3, walk
Tyler Overmeyer (C) 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs
Adam McIntyre (RF) 2-for-4, double
Tommy Gakle (2B) 0-for-4
Bret Wade (LF) 2-for-3, RBI
Evan Jurjevic (DH) 0-for-3
Jacob McMahan (3B) 0-for-2

CROWN POINT (25-5-2) starters
Nick Hladek (C) 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs
Eric Clayton (SS) 1-for-4, walk
Mike Kozlowski (3B) 4-for-4 HR, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 2-for-4, walk
Scott Donley (2B) 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs
Blake Mascarello (P) 1-for-4
Jim Donley (RF) 1-for-3, walk, stolen base
Josh Negele (LF) 0-for-2, 2 walks
Jim Lindeman (DH) 1-for-3, double, walk

Click Here for 2008 CP Baseball Schedule

LaPORTE, IN (5-26-2008) - If there was doubt that Crown Point was ready for the post-season (and there was), it's gone now. In the biggest game of the season, the Bulldogs played like it was the biggest game of the season, burying powerful LaPorte in a matchup of the two teams that tied for the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) championship.

The Bulldogs smoked out six consecutive hits in the third inning and posted five insurance runs in the sixth to prevail in the premier matchup of the opening day of the 42nd Indiana High School Baseball tournament.

"They hit everybody we put out there," said LaPorte coach Scott Upp, who used all four of his starting pitchers, including seniors Neal Hackett and Ian Nielsen.

LaPorte took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a single by Bret Wade, but Jim Lindeman's RBI double started a string of six consecutive base hits that gave the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead and started an unexpected rout in the third game this season between these two league rivals.

"We were ready to play," said CP coach Steve Strayer. "We came out swinging the bats today. We were ready to get after it. We need to have the effort to close out games. We tend to relax when we have a lead and it gets us in trouble. I saw a little of that today, but not much. When we let up freaky things seem to happen."

In the first of the season's winner-take-all games, the Bulldogs left no room for late-inning 'freakiness' in front of a summer weather crowd of about 300 at LaPorte's Schreiber Field. Nick Hladek, recently installed as the leadoff hitter, drove a long two-run homer to left center after Jim Lindeman's fifth-inning leadoff double. Crown Point, which split one-run extra inning games with LaPorte (21-9) during the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) season, extended the lead to 5-1 on singles by Mike Kozlowski, Jeff Limbaugh and Scott Donley and a ground out by Blake Mascarello.

Hackett (6-3), LaPorte's top left-hander, left during this hit parade, replaced by right-hander Ian Nielsen (7-2), who fared no better, allowing four more runs and six more hits in three innings.

Kozlowski, who was 4-for-4 including his eighth homerun of the year, doubled to begin a two-run fourth. In the sixth, Kozlowski and sophomore second baseman Scott Donley both homered off two different LaPorte pitchers. It was just CP's day and Mascarello was the beneficiary on the mound. Crown Point's senior lefthander threw 120 pitches in 80-85 degree heat and he gave up just five hits before getting final inning relief help from Mike Hernandez.

"Blake threw 120 pitches," said Strayer, "and he could easily have finished. But he did his job. He threw a lot of pitches and I wanted Mike Hernandez to come on in relief in case we need him to do that."

As it became obvious who would win, there was some sadness that CP and LaPorte, both state contenders, were paired up on the opening day of the tournament in an eight team sectional while far less formidable teams got quarterfinal byes all over the state in four and five team sectionals.

"That's the draw," said Upp. "You can't do anything about it. We were going to have to play them (CP) sometime, and in some ways, if you have to face a team like Crown Point, it's good to play them right away when all your pitching is available."

"Although," the losing coach smiled, "that didn't help us today."

Kozlowski helped CP. The powerful right-handed third baseman had four hits and a bases-loaded walk. The 215-pound football fullback, like Hladek, a football varsity player and a Senior Babe Ruth World Series veteran (with the Hammond Chiefs), adds a ton of confidence and experience to a CP batting order that can lack both.

"I'm glad he's just a junior and I've got him another year," said Strayer. "He'd been having some problems with his swing and he worked on them and I think he's worked them out. I'm glad he's on our side."

The present IHSAA format, which thankfully is in its final season, requires teams like CP to win four playoff games on the road in nine days to reach the semistate level. There's just four practice days in that span, so eliminating LaPorte is a prize that can't be opened yet.

"I just said we have to work our problems out," Strayer commented on what he told his players about the final 10 days of the season when they lost three times. "We needed to play good teams. That's why we scheduled Andrean (26-1) and Elkhart Memorial (20-8) in the final week. I don't think those games turned us around, but you have to play well against good teams. It doesn't help you to beat somebody 10-0."

CP NOTES: CP's three sophomores: Scott Donley, Josh Negele and Jeff Limbaugh combined to go 5-for-10 with three walks.

Ian Nielsen, LaPorte's all time homerun leader (he's hit 27), was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. CP now faces Hobart, which beat Michigan City 8-3 in the days' first quarterfinal. CP and Hobart did not meet during the regular season.

CP has lost to Andrean (27-1), Northridge (24-4), Lake Central (20-10-2), LaPorte (21-9) and Michigan City.

This is only the third time (1974 and 2002 were the others) in the 42 years of the Indiana state tournament that LaPorte has been eliminated in their first playoff game.

The Bulldogs have moved former No. 3 hitter Nick Hladek into the leadoff spot in the batting order and CP coach Steve Strayer likes the way it looks.

"He makes good decisions at the plate," said Strayer. "He gets a lot of walks. He's got good speed and it get us off to a good start. He's an enthusiastic player and when he does something it seems to lift us."

The new CP order, installed in the final week of the season, has Eric Clayton batting second, Mike Kozlowski third and sophomores Jeff Limbaugh and Scott Donley batting fourth and fifth.

The lineup guarantees that Hladek and Kozlowski, CP's top two power hitters, bat in the first inning, but Strayer discounts that somewhat.

2008 (4A) Crown Point Bulldogs (25-5-2, 11-3 DAC)
Coach Steve Strayer - (112-45-1, 5 years) 29-3 in 2007
DAC games in CAPS

Northwest Indiana Challenge
4-3 (W) 10-0 at Highland (17-10)
4-4 (W) 9-2 Munster (19-10)
4-5 (W) 10-4 at Griffith (17-12)

4-7 (W) 5-0 Hanover Central (18-8)
4-8 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (5-20)
4-12 (S) at (SB) Clay - rain -canceled
4-12 (S) at (SB) Washington - rain -canceled
4-14 (W) 12-2 Michigan City (10-11) in Gary
4-15 (W) 5-4 (8 innings) LaPORTE (21-9)
4-16 (W) 19-3 VALPARAISO (9-12)
4-18 (W) 8-6 CHESTERTON (16-9)
4-19 (W) 6-1 Huntington North (18-3)
4-22 (T) 5-5 (8 innings) at LAKE CENTRAL (18-4-2)
4-23 (T) 10-10 at LAKE CENTRAL (18-4-2)
4-24 (W) 5-3 PORTAGE (10-13)
4-25 (W) 22-8 at LAKE CENTRAL (20-7-2)
4-26 (W) 14-7 Morton (15-12)
4-28 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (5-20)
4-30 (L) 2-3 (8 innings) LaPORTE (21-9)

Plymouth Tournament
5-3 (W) 13-0 at Plymouth (12-13) semifinals
5-3 (W) 8-6 (Allen Co.) Carroll (21-9) title

5-2 (L) 5-7 MICHIGAN CITY (10-14)
5-5 (Lansing, Illinois) Illiana Christian (30-4) postponed
5-6 (W) 12-1 at VALPARAISO (7-11)
5-8 (W) 4-3 at CHESTERTON (16-9)
5-9 (W) 5-3 Boone Grove (22-3-1)
5-13 (L) 5-6 LAKE CENTRAL (20-7-2)
5-15 (W) 7-4 PORTAGE (10-13)

Crown Point Classic Tournament
5-17 (W) 17-16 (8 innings) Kankakee Valley (10-17-1)
5-17 (L) 4-9 Northridge (24-3)

5-20 (W) 11-1 (5 innings) at Lowell (13-15)
5-21 (W) 15-5 Griffith (17-12)
5-22 (L) 1-2 at Andrean (26-1)
5-23 (W) 3-2 Elkhart Memorial (20-8)

4A Sectional 2 (at LaPorte)
5-26 (W) 12-5 at LaPorte (21-9)
5-28 (Wed) Hobart (12-17) - 5:00 p.m.
5-30 (Fri) Chesterton (17-9) - 7:00 p.m.

4A Regional Championship
6-3 (Tues) at Sectional One champ (probably LC)