Hanover Central opens season 2-1, including 4-3 win over Lowell at US Steelyard

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-9-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LOWELL (1-1)	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	9	1
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-0)	0	2	0	0	1	1	-	4	4	0

WP - Andy Wellwerts (1-0) 0K, 0 walks (1/3 inning)
SP - Jesse Hernandez (HC) 4K, 2 walks (5 innings)
LP - Keith Greer (0-1) 4K, 2 walks (3 2/3 innings)
SP - Kevin Donovan (L) 7K, 1 walk, 1 hit (3 innings)

LOWELL (1-1)
Derek Brandenburg (SS) Triple, single, RBI
David Lang (DH) 2 singles, RBI
John Black (RF) Single, RBI
Kevin Donovan (P) Double, run scored

HANOVER CENTRAL (2-0)
Adam Warn (RF) Single, RBI
Eric Leinbengood (P) Single, RBI

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

GARY, IN (4-05-2008) - When you get to play these early-season games in the US Steelyard, the pro baseball stadium, you hope that something good comes out of it for both teams. That was certainly the outcome Saturday when South County rivals Hanover Central and Lowell went head-to-head in bright sunshine and rare, 60-degree April weather.

It's fair to say that Lowell out-hit and out-pitched Hanover Central, but the Wildcats knew enough tricks to take the game away 4-3 in front of a tiny crowd down near 5th street in Gary. But there would be rainy days ahead for both teams. For Hanover, it was big to beat their 4A neighbor in a season that will see the Wildcats playing a more intense schedule.

For Lowell, with a largely all-new roster, it was more important to pitch and hit well than it actually was to beat Hanover Central (2-0), the Devils' northern neighbor, in early April.

"Late in the game, it was now or never," said Lowell coach Tom Stoner. "But we came through. I was very pleased with our pitching and I thought we won the hitting game. We're young. When you graduate 13, that will affect the team. Those are all excuses. We didn't get the job done today. That's why you play 30 before you play the sectional."

For HC (2-0), they skillfully used bunts and stolen bases to 'steal' the win. Coach Jim Nohos says that you win any way you can, especially when you're shorthanded.

"We are not a very good offensive team right now," said Nohos, who was happy with the game only because the Wildcats won. "We have a very good offensive player who is also an outstanding defensive player (catcher Brian Jager) out of the lineup. But we made some plays and we got a win."

Hanover led 3-1 after six innings even though they had only three base hits. Adam Warn's squeeze bunt in the sixth appeared to ice the game for HC, which had submarine-style right-hander Erik Leibengood on in relief of starter Jesse Hernandez on the US Steelyard mound. But Lowell scored two in the seventh when Kevin Donovan doubled and Derek Brandenburg tripled with one out. David Lang's single tied the game and Lang stole second before Clark-transfer Miguel Frausto singled to right. Stoner held the slow-footed Lang at third and freshman relief picther Andy Wellwerts got James Perrin to bounce out to end the inning.

"I don't think he would have made it," said Stoner. "We had the same situation against Rensselaer (a 6-3 win on April 2) and David was thrown out."

In the seventh the game appeared headed for extra innings after Lowell junior right-hander Keith Greer retired the first two batters. But Cody Howarth and Zak Burns walked on 3-1 pitches and a wild pitch sent Howard to third. Leibengood then sliced a bloop single to right field to win for the Wildcats.

"We're a small ball team," said Nohos. "There's no doubt about that. I thought Jesse was OK. We really expect him to dominate every time he's out there. Erik? He can only go through the lineup once. But we made some plays to get him out of it."

The key play of the game came before Lowell tied the game in the sixth. With the bases loaded and two out, Lowell's Craig Austgen sliced what looked like a two-run single to right center before Adam Warn ran it down to retire the side.

"A 4-3 game when we were down 3-1 in the sixth," said Stoner. "I'm not going to complain about that too much."

DEVIL-CAT NOTES: Rain moved in again this week, postponing Hanover games with Clark (April 8) and Whiting (April 10). Lowell's Thursday (April 10) game at Kankakee Valley was postponed by rain.

Hanover Central's rained out March 29 game with Bishop Noll has been moved to Hammond on Saturday night, May 3.

"We're going to play at Riverside Park," said HC coach Jim Nohos. "It will give out guys a chance to play on the site of the sectional (Sectional 33) and at night."

That turned out to be two pieces of news as it was not widely known that the 2A Bishop Noll Sectional site this year will not be Bishop Noll's home field but Riverside Park, the home of the Senior Babe Ruth state champ Hammond Chiefs.

Both HC coach Jim Nohos and former Chiefs player and Noll coach Paul Wirtz are on the coaching staff of the Hammond Chiefs. The winner of Sectional 33 will host the regional. Class 4A, Sectional One will be held at Munster and the winner of that sectional also hosts the regional in the final year of the Tuesday one-game regional. Class 4A, Sectional 2 will be played in LaPorte.

Class 2A Sectional 34 with Boone and Hebron will be held in faraway (for them) Culver.

Lowell coach Tom Stoner again enjoyed the experience of the US Steelyard, one made much more enjoyable by temperatures in the 60s.

"This is the best weather we've had since I've been coming here," Stoner said. "We've had temperatures in the 30s."

Lowell's pitching may be a surprise.

"Keith pitched 16 innings all last year," said Stoner, "and Kevin didn't pitch any. I've got a real inexperienced pitching staff. But they were both good today."

Lowell (2-2) lost 14-1 to Andrean Tuesday (4-08-2008) after defeating Wheeler Monday 5-1. Soph Brandon Grubbe struck out 12 against Wheeler, giving him 25 strikeouts in his first 14 varsity innings. Grubbe (5-10, 175) rushed for 1,675 yards as a football halfback last fall.

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