Crown Point beats Hanover 4-0 behind Kozlowski's 2 HRs and Negele's no-hitter

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-8-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
CROWN POINT (4-0)	0	1	2	0	0	2	-	5	7	0

WP- Josh Negele (1-0) CG, 12 Ks, 3 walks, HBP
LP - Dale Sjoerdsma (1-1) CG, 4K, 3 walks

HANOVER (2-1)
Andrew DeYoung (SS) Walk, 2 stolen bases

CROWN POINT (4-0)
Mike Kozlowski (SS) 2 HRs , 3 RBIs
Jordan Lindeman (LF) Single, stolen base
Josh Negele (P) Single, walk

CROWN POINT (4-07-2008) - Hanover Central knew they were going to see a powerhouse team when the Wildcats' bus rolled into Crown Point on a sunny, but chilly Monday afternoon. They were not disappointed.

Star shortstop Mike Kozlowski hit two home runs and highly-regarded left-handed prospect Josh Negele pitched a no-hit game as Class 4A No. 4 Crown Point handed Hanover its first loss, 5-0, in a game that continued an early-season Bulldog highlight show. Kozlowski, a powerfully built right-handed hitter, who missed the first two games of the season, hit a ball over the left field scoreboard at the CP field, a drive of at least 400 feet. Negele, a slim left-handed pitcher who was undefeated (7-0) on CP's freshman team last year, excelled in his first start, striking out half of the 24 batters he faced.

Hanover coach Jim Nohos, who is the pitching coach for the Senior Babe Ruth (age 19 and under) Hammond Chiefs summer team, knew Kozlowski because the CP infielder plays for the Seminoles, the 17-and-under version of the Chiefs.

"I know him real well," said Nohos. "He hit two bombs. And, the third time we walked him and he scores. I thought Dale (HC pitcher Dale Sjoerdsma) did a good job. He's filled the role of being our No. 1 guy. But how many times did we strike out? 12? How many times did we strike out Saturday? 11? We've got to be able to put the ball in play. We've got to be able to lay down a bunt. We're beyond the point where we say, 'We were happy to be in the ball game.' We're just not swinging the bats."

Kozlowski's homers shared the spotlight with Negele's no-hit effort. No records are kept on things like this, but the 16-year-old lefty, who was 7-0 on CP's freshman team and 5-1 on CP's age 15-and-under state championship Babe Ruth team in 2007, may be the first Crown Point player ever to pitch a seven-inning no-hitter in his varsity debut.

"My curve was working," said Negele, who is also a center fielder. "The wind helped, too. I was hoping I'd play on the varsity this year, but I didn't know."

"Josh had sequences where he wasn't that sharp and then he had sequences when he was really sharp," said CP coach Steve Strayer. "He's learning and this was a perfect game for him to keep learning. He's got some work to do defensively, but he obviously has a lot of talent. Hanover's got some good athletes at the top of their lineup and he did a nice job against them. We've just go to get to the point where he's more consistent. Although he may have been effectively wild tonight, I think him being inconsistent might have worked for him tonight."

Nobody should be fooled that just because the Bulldogs shut down four nonconference foes, they will roll up the same won-loss record they had in 2007. Understandably, the players aren't convinced of that.

"These younger kids are hitting the ball," said Kozlowski, who is one of the most experienced players on the squad, "and our pitching could be stronger. He (Negele) shut them down. It was a great performance."

Kozlowski's line drive homer leading off the second inning opened the scoring and one inning later he made it 3-0 after a leadoff single by senior Jordan Lindeman. The scoreboard in left field at the six-year old Crown Point high school is about 370 feet from home plate on a rise area leading up towards the school lawn. Unless the IHSAA rules that corked bats are legal, nobody's ever going to hit the CP school building, which is over 500 feet from home plate. But to hit one high enough to clear the scoreboard, which rises about 15 feet above the left field fence, on a cold afternoon in a crosswind, is something only the big boys can do.

The Wildcats didn't hit well for the third straight game. It should be noted that Hanover is without one of the their best right-handed hitters (Brian Jager) and the Wildcats, who have now scored eight runs in three games, are not an offensive machine.

"We're not even a good 'small ball' team right now," said Nohos. "He (Negele) was good, but you've got to be able to get a bunt down. They executed. They did the job. But you have to put the ball in play."

While this matchup of undefeated teams ended in a decisive victory, it doesn't necessarily show exactly where both teams are. Hanover is getting good pitching and playing good defense. Teams never look worse than when they don't hit.

"I like playing teams that get it done the right way," Strayer said of Hanover. "They carried themselves well. They didn't have a bunch of guys moping and pouting. I like what Jim (Nohos) is doing at Hanover. They're disciplined. They seem to have character. Yeah, we'll play teams like that. Plus, they're right next door, too."

CP was 29-3 in 2007 and they come off the starting line this year with four straight wins. It doesn't seem possible that CP can replace a half dozen starters off last years DAC and regional championship team and not miss a beat.

"We'll see," said Strayer. "You know what can happen when you start to play conference game. Especially with a younger group like this."

DOG-CAT NOTES: Hanover Central coach Jim Nohos said that he definitely wants to continue playing Crown Point every year.

"They called us," he said with some amazement. "I've got nothing but good things to say about coach (Steve) Strayer. "He's a great guy. Hopefully we can model our program after his. For him to call a 2A school, that's nice."

"He asked me about what day I wanted to play on next year? Please. You tell us what day you want to play and we'll work around your schedule. We'll play them whatever day they want to play."

CP coach Steve Strayer didn't want Mike Kozlowski's 400-foot home run to hit the left field scoreboard.

"Thank God that ball went over the scoreboard," joked Strayer. "We'd have had a huge dent in the scoreboard and I told him if he hit the scoreboard, I'd have had to suspend him."

Kozlowski, who was about 175 pounds as a varsity freshman, is now listed at 220. This will not be his last two home run game as a Bulldog.

"He's gotten much bigger," says Strayer. "The one thing we said about him was that, 'Yeah, you can get big and strong, but you've got to stay flexible'. He's getting his 60 time down to 7.1 or 7.0. He's keeping flexibility and he isn't losing any velocity."

Lowell graduate Ryan Basham, the schools' all-time leading hitter, is a coach for Hanover along with former Hammond stars Matt Mammula and Michael Coles.

"It was fun coaching against Lowell," said Basham Monday. "Especially coaching against Harker. He was in school when I was in school."

Basham, a four-year all-area player at Lowell (2000-2003) and a Big-10 batting champ at Michigan State, has recovered from a shoulder injury that originally cost him a shot at pro baseball. The Lowell grad, who hit a school-record 15 home runs for the Devils in 2003, played for Florence, Kentucky in the independent Frontier League last year batting .298 with 17 homers and 74 RBIs in 93 games last summer.

"I'll be back with them this year," Basham said of the team that begins play on May 21. "Since I've been in college, this is the best shape I've been in."

Crown Point hosts LaPorte Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. The Slicers (3-3) have had a roller-coaster opening few weeks. They have lost 5-0 to New Prairie, but the Slicers have also defeated 4A No.1 Noblesville.

2008 (4A) Crown Point Bulldogs (5-0, 1-0 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
4-4 (W) 9-2 Munster
4-5 (W) 10-4 at Griffith

4-7 (W) 5-0 Hanover Central
4-8 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE

4-12 (S) at (SB) Clay - cancelled
4-12 (S) at (SB) Washington - cancelled

4-14 (M) vs. Michigan City - 5 p.m. -at Railcats Stadium (Gary)
4-15 (Tu) LaPORTE (5-3)
4-16 (W) VALPARAISO
4-18 (F) CHESTERTON
4-22 (Tu) at LAKE CENTRAL
4-24 (Th) PORTAGE
4-25 (F) Illiana Christian - (Lansing, Ill.) 6:30 p.m.
4-26 (S) Morton - 6:30 p.m.
4-28 (M) MERRILLVILLE
4-30 (W) LaPORTE
5-2 (F) MICHIGAN CITY

Plymouth Tournament - with Penn, Carroll and CP
5-3 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-3 (S) finals (p.m.)
5-6 (Tu) at VALPARAISO
5-8 (Th) at CHESTERTON
5-9 (F) Boone Grove- 7:30 p.m.
5-13 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL
5-15 (Th) PORTAGE

Plymouth Tournament - with Northridge, Kankakee Valley and St. Joseph’s
5-17 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-17 (S) finals (p.m).

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

4A Sectional 2
with LaPorte, Michigan City, Hobart, Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso and Merrillville
5-29 (Tu) quarterfinals (TBA)
5-31 (Th) semifinals (TBA)
6-2 (S) champinship (TBA)