Bulldogs rally from 3-0 deficit to beat Wolves 5-3 in 2nd Annual "County Line Classic"

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

5-12-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
BOONE GROVE (13-3)	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	2
CROWN POINT (19-2-2)	0	0	1	0	0	4	-	5	7	0

Friday, 5-09-2008 - 48-degrees, non-conference game (County Line Classic) at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Mike Hernandez (4-0) 4K, 0 walks (1.3 innings)
SP - Josh Negele (CP) 7K, 1 walk (4.3 innings)
Mike Kozlowski (Save) 2K, 0 walks (1 inn.)
LP - Josh Ferber (3-2) CG, 2K, 7 walks

2A No. 7 BOONE GROVE (13-3)
Drew Kidd (2B) 2-for-4, triple, single, 2 RBIs
Nick DiMarco (CF) 0-for-2, walk
Josh Cobb (C) 0-for-3
Zak Ursitti (SS) 0-for-3
Wayland Roach (RF) 0-for-3
Blake Klisurcih (3B) 1-for-3
Kyle Ferber (P) 1-for-2, double, HBP
John Sawa (DH) 0-for-3
Ben Vasquez (LF) 1-for-3, RBI

4A No. 1 CROWN POINT (19-2-2)
Eric Clayton (SS) 0-for-1, 3 walks
Scott Donley (2B) 1-for-4
Nick Hladek (C) 3-for-3, double, 4 RBIs, walk
Mike Kozlwoski (3B) 2-for-2, double, RBI, 2 walks
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 0-for-3, walk
Jim Donley (RF) 0-for-3
Josh Negele (P) 0-for-3
Blake Mascarello (1B) 1-for-3, double
Jordan Lindeman (DH) 0-for-3

Click Here for 2008 CP Baseball Schedule

CROWN POINT, IN (5-09-2008) - Eventually, even Boone Grove will see Friday night's 5-3 loss at 4A No.2 Crown Point as an uplifting positive experience. In the second annual County Line Classic, full or more twists and turns than an Obama-Clinton primary, both teams showed why they are rated among the state's elite on a cold spring night in front of 150-200 friends of the programs.

Back-to-back extra base hits by Crown Point core hitters Nick Hladek and Mike Kozlowski off Boone right-hander Kyle Ferber turned a 3-1 Boone lead into a 5-3 CP advantage as the Bulldogs won the game that evened the latest re-incarnation of the neighborhood series at one game apiece. On the other side of the field, Boone Grove played so well for five innings on the road against their big neighbor that it's hard to imagine they'll see a 2A foe the rest of the year that can intimidate them.

But Crown Point (19-2-2), which lost to Michigan City on Monday, rebounded with wins over Valparaiso Tuesday, Chesterton Thursday and then Boone Grove.

"It was a good week," said coach Steve Strayer. "There's no shame in losing to Michigan City. Dave Ortiz is doing a great job with them. I thought we were flat. Not overly flat. But we tried to get started about the third inning and you can't do that against a good team."

Hladek, the CP catcher who has watched his team lose only five times in two seasons, tried to wrap his mind around an occasional loss, but he sounded like he didn't really want to.

"You've got to take the good with the bad," said Hladek. "When you come in undefeated, there is a target on your back. I think we learned a lot from a loss. We learned we're not invincible."

Boone score three times in the second inning, invoking memories of the Wolves' 7-1 win in Crown Point last May. Drew Kidd's two-run triple to right center created the three-run lead. But CP rookie lefty Josh Negele struck out five of the next seven batters while the 4A No. 2 Bulldogs rallied. Hladek's two-out RBI single off Boone senior Kyle Ferber cut the lead to 3-1 in the third and Hladek's three-run double to deep left center gave his side the lead in the seventh.

"I thought he pitched well," said Boone coach Rollie Thill, who didn't think his pitcher tired in the late going. "We gave them an extra out in the inning (a one-out error). You can't do that with a good team. I didn't think we played that well."

This series has blossomed from a fan standpoint. The attendance was a shock, considering temperatures in the high 40s. Fans even waited through a 20-minute power outage that occurred with Boone leading 3-1 in the fifth inning. Stadium lights went dark even though lights in the press box, the dugout and an adjoining soccer field remained on. When the lights came back on, CP coach Steeve Strayer replaced Negele with right-hander Mike Hernandez (4-0) who struck out four of the next five batters.

DOG NOTES: Crown Point has filled one of the two openings remaining in the schedule with a night game at home on Wednesday, May 21 against Griffith. The Bulldogs beat Griffith 10-4 in the first week of the season on April 5. Sophomore Jeff Limbaugh, who was hit on the arm with a pitch on May 5 against Michigan City, was 2-for-4 three days later in a 4-3 win at Chesterton. Lefty Blake Mascarello (4-0) pitched into the seventh-inning before Mike Kozlowski came on to get the final two out. The win keeps CP one game ahead of LaPorte (16-6, 8-4) in the Duneland Athletic Conference.

Although I cannot explain why, Crown Point has fallen from the top of the state high school baseball rankings. Despite a 3-1 week and victories over 4A No. 12 Chesterton on the road and 2A No. 6 Boone Grove at home, CP fell behind Penn (20-2) in the rankings. Penn lost to Carroll, a team CP later defeated at the Plymouth Invitational. To be fair to Penn, The Kingsmen are the only school to defeat 3A No.1 Andrean this season and Penn also holds wins over Elkhart Memorial and LaPorte.

Boone Grove left immediately from Crown Point and drove to Kokomo where they won the Northwestern tournament with a 6-2 win over Delphi and an 8-2 win over host Northwestern (13-3). Boone tied Munster 5-5 Tuesday (May 20) in a game halted by rain that will probably not be completed.

2008 (4A) Crown Point Bulldogs (20-3-2, 11-3 DAC)
Coach Steve Strayer - (112-45-1, 5 years) 29-3 in 2007
DAC games in CAPS - weekday games - 4:30 -unless otherwise indicated

Northwest Indiana Challenge

4-3 (W) 10-0 at Highland (15-7)
4-4 (W) 9-2 Munster (13-8)
4-5 (W) 10-4 at Griffith (14-10)

4-7 (W) 5-0 Hanover Central (14-5)
4-8 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (4-14)
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 (18-6)
4-16 (W) 19-3 VALPARAISO (9-12)
4-18 (W) 8-6 CHESTERTON (14-5)
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 (18-4-2)
4-26 (W) 14-7 Morton (13-8)
4-28 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (4-14)
4-30 (L) 2-3 (8 innings) LaPORTE (18-6)

Plymouth Tournament - with Penn, Carroll and CP
5-3 (W) 13-0 at Plymouth (9-13) semifinals
5-3 (W) 8-6 (Allen Co.) Carroll (17-6) title

5-2 (L) 5-7 MICHIGAN CITY (10-11)
5-5 (Mon) (Lansing, Illinois) Illiana Christian (24-4) postponed
5-6 (W) 12-1 at VALPARAISO (7-11)
5-8 (W) 4-3 at CHESTERTON (12-5)
5-9 (W) 5-3 Boone Grove (16-3-1)
5-13 (L) 5-6 LAKE CENTRAL (18-4-2)
5-15 (W) 7-4 PORTAGE (10-13)

Crown Point Classic Tournament
5-17 (S) Kankakee Valley (9-13-1) 10 a.m. semifinals
5-17 (S) Northridge or St. Jospeh's (3 or 6 p.m.) finals

5-20 (Tu) at Lowell (12-14)
5-23 (F) Elkhart Memorial (19-6) 6:30 p.m.

4A Sectional 2 (at LaPorte)
5-29 (Tu) quarterfinals at LaPorte (18-6) 1 p.m.
5-31 (Th) semifinals (TBA)
6-2 (S) championship (TBA)