Crown Point 15s fall 5-3 in Babe Ruth 1st round play-offs, Lowell advances to state, CP to host Ohio Valley Regional

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 

(7-17-2016)

Lowell pitcher Hayden Ingram fires away against Crown Point at the district finals on July 2. Lowell placed third overall but won their first game at the state finals in New Castle. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Crown Point's Conner Miller (64) holds Lowell's Mike Langen (30) on base during Lowell's four run fifth inning in the district finals. Lowell tied the game but the CP 15s won 8-4.

CP's Colton DeJong (22) rounds third after his seventh inning home run against Lowell on July 2 at the district Babe Ruth age-15 finals.

Highland's Jordan Siska accepts his championship award after the Highland all-stars swept the age-15 district playoffs in Lowell. Highland got a bye at the state final in New Castle (July 7-18).

Highland all-stars include Ryan Bradtke (24), Jordan Siska (23) and Nate Matthews (28). Bradtke was a starting pitcher for Bishop Noll high school by the end of his freshman season. (All photos by Mark Smith)

The game is over at Veterans' Park in Lowell and the scoreboard looks down on the playing surface where Highland defeated Crown Point 5-3. Veterans Park is the old 'Creek Side Little League, the 'sunken' field behind the Lowell VFW where Lowell boys have played baseball for decades.

 

Copyright © 2016 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: July 17, 2016.

Team (Record) / Inning

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R H E

HIGHLAND (3-0)

0

4

0

0

1

0

0

5

7

0

CROWN POINT (2-2)

0

0

1

1

1

0

0

3

5

2

Saturday, July 2, 2016 - 70-degrees, dry at Babe Ruth 15s championship @ Veterans Park (VFW) Lowell, IN

WP (Noll) Regan Bradtke (Highland) 2K, 2 walks (4 inn.)
(starter) Dmitri Ivetic (Highland) 4K, 3 walks
LP (Hebron) Logan Ryan (CP) 2K, 6 walks (1 inn.)

CROWN POINT (2-2)
(CP) Luke Berrier (2B) 1-for-3, HR, walk
(Hebron) Logan Ryan (P-3B) 0-for-2, walk
(CP) Zach Human (CF) 0-for-3
(Illiana Christian) Colton DeJong (3B-P) 0-for-3
(CP) Colin Flavin (RF) 2-for-3, 2 doubles
(CP) Jacob Monachino (1B) 0-for-3
(CP) Kyle Rettig (2B) 1-for-2, double, walk
(CP) Mason Boyd (SS) 1-for-2, walk
(Hebron) Jake Wheeler (CF) 0-for-2, walk
(Andrean) River Walsh (LF) 0-for-1

HIGHLAND (3-0)
(Highland) Nate Matthews (2B) 0-for-2, 2 walks
(Highland) Jordan Siska (1B) 0-for-2, Sac. Fly, walk
(Noll) Ryan Bradtke (RF) 1-for-4
(Highland ) Lee Smith (3B) 1-for-3, walk, RBI
(Highland) Mark DeLeon (SS) 1-for-3, HBP
(Highland) Matt Domagalski (C) 1-for-4
(Highland) Zack Pizer (DH) 1-for-3, walk
(Highland) Gavin Holder (LF) 1-for-3 RBI
(Highland) Rafa Rios (CF) 1-for-3
(Highland) Dmitri Ivetic (P) 1-for-1, walk, RBI

Team (Record) / Inning

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

CROWN POINT (2-1)

3

0

1

0

0

3

1

8

8

4

LOWELL (2-2)

0

0

0

0

4

0

0

4

4

3

Saturday, July 2, 2016 - 70-degrees, dry at Babe Ruth 15s consolation bracket final @ Veterans Park (VFW) Lowell, IN

WP - Jacob Monachino (CP) 5Ks 1 walk (3 inn.)
(starter) Kenny Michaels (CP) 5K, 2 walks (4 inn.)
LP - Hayden Ingram (L) 3K, 3 walks (5.3 inn.)

CROWN POINT (2-1)
(CP) Kenny Michaels (P) 0-for-4
(Hebron) Logan Ryan (SS) 1-for-3, HR, walk
(CP) Mason Boyd (CF) 1-for-3, double
(Illiana Christian) Colton DeJong (3B) 2-for-3, HR, RBI
(CP) Zach Human (CF) 1-for-4, double, RBI
(CP) Colin Flavin (RF) 0-for-2
(CP) Jacob Monachino (DH) 1-for-2, sac bunt
(CP) Kyle Rettig (2B) 0-for-2
(Hebron) Jake Wheeler (CF) 1-for-2
(CP) Holton Bock (PH) 1-for-1, triple, 2 RBIs
(CP) Conner Miller (P) 0-for-2, walk, RBI

LOWELL (2-2)
(LOWELL) John Alessia (2b) 0-for-2, HBP, walk
(LOWELL) Hayden Ingram (O) 0-for-2, 2 walks
(LOWELL) Mike Langen (1B) 0-for-4, RBI
(LOWELL) Ethan Ingras (SS) 2-for-4, double
(LOWELL) Zach Cory (3B) 0-for-3, walk
(LOWELL) Brendan Lamping (CF) 1-for-4
(LOWELL) Sam Porch (LF) 0-for-3, HBP
(LOWELL) Ray Bales (C) 0-for-3
(LOWELL) Steven Fadke (RF) 1-for-3

Babe Ruth District II
age 15 all-stars at Lowell
LOWELL 9, (Hammond) Hermits 3
Highland 1, Hessville 0
CROWN POINT 7, LOWELL 0
Hermits 8, Hessville 4
Highland 3, CROWN POINT 1
LOWELL 3, Hermits 0
CROWN POINT 8, LOWELL 4
Highland 5, CROWN POINT 3 (title)


LOWELL (07-02-2016) The best thing about early round Babe Ruth all-star playoffs is: One team wins. But other teams advance. And they're okay with it.

Highland topped Crown Point 5-3 Saturday, July 2 in the final game of the first round age-15 all-star playoffs at the old Creekside Little League (Now Veterans Park Babe Ruth) in Lowell.

On the final day, the CP 15s topped Lowell 8-4 before Highland won the title. Two teams were scheduled to advance out of each site (the other 15s site was Munster), but Lowell got a break, so to speak.

Since Crown Point hosts the Ohio Valley regional later this month, they will automatically play in that tournament. CP, which finished second, declined the bid to the Northern state finals in New Castle. That allowed Lowell, which finished third, to take the bid and travel to the finals.

Highland won 1-0, 3-1 and 5-3 and they were very solid defensively in the final game behind relief pitcher Ryan Bradtke, a Bishop Noll freshman, who pitched the final four innings.

"We played well," said manager Juan Maldonado. Crown Point kept coming back, but we were able to hold on. Ryan pitched for Bsihop Noll this spring. We have a lot of confidence in him."

Bradtke, who pitched a complete game 8-2 win over Lake Station in the Class 2A high school baseball sectional semifinals on May 27, limited Crown Point to three hits and two runs in Lowell's small (for 15 year olds) Babe Ruth field.

Highland jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second when CP starter Logan Ryan, a Hebron freshman, walked four batters, three of whom scored. CP scored on a bases-loaded walk to Ryan in the third and an RBI double by Kyle Rettig in the fourth.

Gavin Holder's RBI single upped the Highland lead to 4-2 in the forth before CP's Lucas Berrier hit a home run leading off the fifth.

Highland's all-star squad was comprised of all Highland high freshmen except for Bradtke. Hebron's Logan Ryan and Jake Wheeler have always played in the CP Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth Leagues and cleanup batter Colton DeJong is on the frosh-soph team (Illinois high school's version of the junior varsity) at Illiana Christian high in Lansing. The other CP 15s are Crown Point high school freshmen.

"We played pretty well," said CP 15s manger Shawn Ryan. "But they did, too. We just had a couple of bad innings. If we could have gotten out of the second inning the game might have gone differently."

"We'll clean up some things before the Ohio Valley tournament and we'll be ready to go. We might be better off not going to the finals."

BABE RUTH NOTES: Lowell advanced to the state finals after the 8-4 loss to Crown Point as the third place team at the Lowell site.

Ethan Ingras' RBI double highlighted a four-run, fifth-inning Lowell rally that tied the game. Lowell won their opening game in New Castle 4-1 on July 7. With one more victory, the Lowell 15s would advance to the final eight (it's a 12-team tourney this (July 14-17) weekend.

The Crown Point Babe Ruth age-15 all-stars declined the berth in the Northern State championships largely for two reasons. First, the CP 15s are the host team in the Ohio Valley Regional on July 20-24. As hosts, they get an automatic bid to that tournament.

The fact that the state finals were a 16-team double-elimination tourney in New Castle also moved CP's thoughts.
It would be very expensive for CP (or anyone else) to play in New Castle because they'd have to pay for hotel rooms for at least three nights in each of two weekends as long as they advanced. Parents and coaches would have had to stay in New Castle to supervise.

Had the tourney been closer, and the CP 15s been able to commute to play each day, CP probably would have attended. If the CP 15s were not guaranteed a slot in the Ohio Valley playoffs, CP would have gone to New Castle.

The Ohio Valley tourney will be held at two sites in Crown Point. The new CP Babe Ruth facility on Indiana Avenue and Teagle Field, the American Legion Post 20 ball park.