Red Devils split opening two games while falling 12-2 to KV Kougars |
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A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 4-10-2007 |
Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
Kankakee Valley (1-1) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | - | - | 12 | 12 | 2 |
LOWELL (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 6 | 5 |
Saturday, 4-09-2007 - 41 degrees, partly sunny & snow flurries in LOWELL, IN
WP -
Sean Nanannga
(1-0) 5K, 4
walks (4
inn.) 87
pitches
LP -
Derek Brandenberg
(1-1)
5K, 2
walks (3
inn.) 72
pitches
Kankakee
Valley
(1-1)
Cory
Bifoss
(2B)
Triple,
double,
walk, 4
RBIs, 2
runs
scored
Derek
Kuzman
(3B) 2
singles,
walk, 2
RBIs
Alex
Byers
(CF) 2
singles,
2 RBIs
Matt
Oliver (RF)
2 walks,
RBI
Wes
Clifton
(1B) 2
singles
Cody
Jansma
(SS) 2
singles,
RBI
Micah
Raebel
(C) HR,
RBI
LOWELL
(1-1)
Jon
Stoner
(2B) 2
singes,
stolen
base
Josh
Kuiper
(CP)
Double,
walk,
run
scored
Brian
Gerlach
(P)
Walk,
RBI
Nate
Korth
(SS)
Single,
HBP,
walk
Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
Kankakee Valley (1-1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
7 |
3 |
LOWELL (1-0) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 11 | 2 |
Saturday, 4-05-2007 - 38 degrees & sunny in LOWELL, IN
WP -
Derek Brandenberg
(1-0) 2K
2 walks
(3
innings)
Brian
Gerlach
(L) 3K,
2 walks
(3
innings)
LP -
Kyle Rodibaugh
(0-1) CG,
5K, 4
walks
Renssealer
(1-1)
Travis
Brandenberg
(OF) 2
singles,
2 runs
scored
Steven
Graf
(IF)
Double,
single,
RBI
LOWELL
(1-1)
Zak
Hoffman
(1B) HR,
single,
2 RBIs
Nate
Korth
(SS)
Double,
single,
Jon
Stoner
(2B) 2
singles
LOWELL (4-05-2007) I know Lowell is better than this and I'm surprised that Kankakee Valley was this good. With their best hitter on the sidelines and one of their starting pitchers now catchng, KV ran all over Lowell 12-2 Monday in between the snow flurries out behind Lowell high school.
The Kougars, who were shut out 5-0 by Boone Grove to start the year, got a leadoff home run from Micah Raebel in the first inning and jumped to a 6-0 lead on Lowell after three innings. The Devils left nine runners on base while KV scored in almost every inning.
"They're playing without Matt (Dobin) and they know they're playing without him for some time," said Lowell manager Tom Stoner. "But they said 'We don't care. We're ready to play.' We were complacent. We weren't ready for them. We were going through the motions."
KV took advantage of back-to-back errors by Lowell third baseman Ricky Dotson to score four times in the second inning after Raebel led off the game with an opposite field homer against Lowell right-hander Derek Brandenburg. Cory Bifoss smacked a two-run double to the center field fence with two out in the second to put his side ahead 4-0. Bifoss bombed a long triple over the head of Red Devil right fielder Jon Cap to make the score 9-1 in the fifth inning. The six run fifth invoked the10-run rule and sent everybody home early.
"Is this a better team than we showed tonight?" asked Stoner. "I definitely think so. This performance hasn't changed my mind about that. We're definitely capable of playing better than we did today. We were very lazy today. We were not on our toes."
KV, which has top hitter Matt Dobin on the sidelines for the first few weeks due to an undisclosed team rule violation, laid down three successful bunts that ended up with the batter reaching base. That doesn't include a swinging bunt by KV's Alex Byers in the Kougars' five-run fifth which saw Lowell catcher Josh Kuiper scoop up the ball near the third base line and fire it over the head of first baseman Zak Hoffman.
"I thought we did get the jump on them with some bunts," said veteran KV coach Doug Greenlee.
The Kougars switched Raebel from pitcher to catcher this season and he had a strong game blocking pitches.
"I think catching is so important," explained Greenlee. "He's got a great arm. Chris Cooper (a sophomore pitcher) is also a catcher and he'll catch when Micah is pitching."
"We hadn't scored yet this year and then Micah leads off with a home run," observed the KV coach. That's the kind of player he is. He played for Lowell's American Legion team last summer and he was a catcher for them. He's No.1 in his class and he's just very smart. I don't call many pitches anymore."
With nine seniors, Lowell has a pretty smart team, too. They know that one baseball game is not the barometer than one game is in other sports. But to lose by 10 runs is the universal prep baseball sign that you lost big.
"It should have been a good game," said Stoner. "I don't know what happened tonight. Things will be different from this point on out."
DEVIL NOTES: Senior Kyle O'Keefe, the Red Devils' regular right fielder, has been cleared by doctors to play (knee injury) and may return off the injury list next week.
Lowell junior Kevin Donovan is not close to returning to the Lowell lineup. The soccer standout, who was arguably the best player on Lowell's senior Little League team last summer, has a soccer injury that has been slow to heal.
Lowell second baseman Jon Stoner had four hits in his first two games while shortstop Nate Korth has reached base five times in two games.
2007 LOWELL (1-1, 0-1 LAC)
Coach Tom Stoner (3rd year) 9-20 in 2006
LAC games in CAPS - all
games 4:45 unless indicated
3-30 (F) Lake Central (Rain)
not yet rescheduled
4-5 (W) 6-4 Rensselaer (1-2)
4-9 (L) 2-12 (5 innings) KANKAKEE VALLEY
(1-1)
4-11 (W) at HIGHLAND (3-1)
4-12 (Th) at South Newton (cancelled)
4-13 (F) ANDREAN (3-0)
4-16 (M) BISHOP NOLL (1-4)
4-17 (Tu) vs. Hanover Central at US
Steelyard - Gary - 7 p.m.
4-18 (W) at HOBART
4-20 (F) at MUNSTER
4-23 (M) GRIFFITH
4-25 (W) at Kankakee Valley
4-27 (F) HIGHLAND
Boone Grove Invitational
4-28 (S) semifinals - 9 a.m.
4-28 (S) 3rd place or championship (TBA)
4-30 (M) at ANDREAN
5-1 (Tu) Merrillville - 4:30 p.m.
5-2 (W) at BISHOP NOLL
5-3 (Th) HOBART - 4:30 p.m.
5-7 (M) MUNSTER
5-9 (W) at GRIFFITH
5-10 (Th) Hebron
5-11 (M) at Wheeler - 4:30 p.m.
LAC Tournament
5-14 (M) first round games
5-16 (W) quarterfinals and consolation games
- 4:30p.m.
5-18 (F) Semifinal and comsolation games -
4:30 p.m.
5-19 (S) 7th, 5th, 3rd and 1st place games
5-22 (Tu) at Crown Point - 4:30 p.m.
5-24 (Th) North Newton - 4:30 p.m.
5-25 (F) at LaPorte - 4:45 p.m.
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2007 USA-365.com and Meyer
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Revised: April 12, 2007.