Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - 71 degrees & sunny - Lake Athletic Conference at Hammond, IN

WP - Nicole Derezinski (2-0) 6Ks, 0 walks (4 innings)
(Save) Allysa Mosely (3 innings) 4K, 0 walks
LP - Ramona DelGado (0-2) CG, 4K, 9 walks

ANDREAN (2-0)
Audrey Bickel (1B) Triple, 2 singles, 2 RBIs

LOWELL (4-5-2007)  For Andrean vs. Lowell, it wasn't a particularly good game, offensively or defensively.  The truth is both these teams can do better than this.  Andrean went ahead on a late home run.  Lowell tied it on a two-out base hit.  Andrean threw out the lead run at the plate.  Lowell won when their clean up hitter doubled in the winning run with two out in extra innings.  I left out all the messy parts.

Lots of drama.  Lots of cold weather.  With a big finish, Lowell sophomore Katherine Allert's two-out double to left scored Becca Nida with the winning run as the Red Devils defeated Andrean 2-1 in eight innings in a Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) match up of front runners.

Allert, who had reached base on an error to start Lowell's game-tying rally in the sixth inning, drove a long extra base hit down the left field line with two out in the eighth after Nida had reached base on another Andrean error.

"That's the second time she's done that," said Lowell coach Pete Iussig.  "She hit a home run (in the seventh inning of a scoreless tie) at Highland Tuesday.  She was pressing a little bit before that.  She plays for the Orland Park (Illinois) Sparks in the summer and that's pretty big time.  So when she comes back here she expects to hit one off the fence about every time up.  She gets frustrated when she doesn't."

"I do put my expectations up high," Allert admitted.  "That is true I like to hit.  If I think I'm in a slump, I may not actually be in one.  That is true."

Andrean has high expectations, too, and after scoring just seven runs in three games, coach Frank Podkul is a little worried about where his offense is going to come from.

"I know that some of these girls are 16, and 16 years olds (are) playing against 19 year olds," he admitted.  "But with all the ball they've played, with everything I've been told about some of them, I'm not seeing it.  You don't take the first pitch right down the middle and swing at the next one in the dirt."

Game time temperatures in the 30s and a 15-mile-an-hour wind is pitchers' weather and this was a very quick and scoreless game for five innings.  The tip this pitching duel was breaking up came when Lowell pitcher Alyssa Reed lined a two out double to right center field in the fifth inning.

In the sixth with two out, Caldwell hit a long line drive well over the fence in right center field to give the 59ers a 1-0- edge.  Freshman Alyssa Mosely, an impressive right-handed pitching prospect, got the first two outs in the sixth inning before Allert reached base when third baseman Kiley Temple threw low on her potential inning-ending ground ball.  Lowell's Michelle Johnson then rolled a slow ball towards a charging second baseman Carrie Sims, who fumbled it, allowing Johnson to reach base.  Then, Kristina Kuzma hit a high fastball into left field, scoring pinch runner Kelly Koza.  When Johnson also tried to score, left fielder Sammy Seratto's throw beat her by so much, Johnson stopped and started a rundown.  Temple tagged her for the third out.

In the top of the seventh, Reed, who pitched a very strong game, walked Audrey Bickel on a 3-2 pitch.  Iussig, on advice from Allert, the catcher, then replaced Reed with junior right-hander Kaitlyn Bolanowski.

"Alyssa seemed to be getting tired," said Allert.  "And it was just time to switch up.  Andrean had seen her a couple of times and it was time to switch.  Both pitchers were awesome today."

Bolanowski was eventually confronted with runners at second and third and one out, but she got two pinch hitters to hit soft infield ground balls to end the inning.  Bolanowski retired Andrean in order in the eighth inning and Mosely retired the Jacki Fletcher to begin the bottom of the eighth.  Nida rolled another slow hopper to second base that was again fumbled by Sims and Lowell's Kelly Johnson flied to right field.  Then, on a 1-0 pitch, Allert hit the ball to the left field fence and Nida scored with the emptying Lowell bench cheering her on down the third base line in the bright setting sun.

"We were in good shape," said Podkul.  "Just catch the ball.  In defense of our second baseman (Carrie Sims), it's her first year playing infield and those little soft 'tweeners' are sometimes the toughest plays, especially in the late innings.  She was trying.  It's unfortunate that's what it boils down to.  She said, 'If this is what you need, that's what I'll try.'  We just have to work with her.  It's certainly not for lack of trying."

"Our pitcher gave up the last hit, but she shouldn't be facing that batter.  It's that simple."

No one made any excuses about the weather, but the conditions were hard core with brisk wind and stinging cold making it tough on anyone who had to stand still for any length of time.  When these two teams meet again on May 1 at Andrean, both teams will be better offensively and in the field.

On a day that favored pitchers, both starters, Lowell's Alyssa Reed and Andrean freshman Alyssa Mosely struck out seven and walked one.  Reed pitched a no hitter in 2006, but this might have been her best game as a varsity pitcher.  Mosely is a very promising freshman.  After 12 2/3 innings of her rookie seasons, the tall right-hander still had not allowed an earned run.

Andrean won two out of three from Lowell in 2006 and they could meet again in May's Twin Lakes Invitational.  Andrean beat Lowell 4-2 for the Twin Lakes title last May.  It's a rivalry you don't hear much about because Lowell is 4A and Andrean is 3A and they can't meet in the post-season, where good rivalries become great ones.

"I was so excited to beat Andrean," said Allert.  "I always thought of them as being up there as a good team.  I think it'll lift our confidence."

Podkul, a 400-game winner as a varsity softball coach, hopes his team will be worthy of the reputation.

"This is going to be a from scratch, full blown softball laboratory," he said.  "There's some basic elements of this game that you think would be part of their makeup as ballplayers that we do not have yet.  You would think after playing for years, they'd have that.  That's what we're looking at.  We've got to build a couple of players and some attitudes."

DEVIL NOTES:  Andrean didn't drop out of the eight-team LaVille tournament voluntarily.  After playing at LaVille for two seasons, they weren't asked back.

"We were uninvited," says coach Frank Podkul.  "It had nothing to do with it being Easter weekend.  We wouldn't practice on Friday anyway.  I don't really know why, but we did not drop out."

It didn't matter this year.  Due to 30-degree temperatures and snow flurries forecast for Saturday, the entire 8-team tournament was canceled this year.

Andrean had the two games they would have played at the Center Grove Classic canceled because of rain so they have two extra games they can schedule if they can find opponents.  One fun match up might be natural rivals Andrean and Crown Point, which is now coached by former 59er assistant coach Brett Crutchfield.  CP has only 27 (you are allowed 28 single games) on their schedule.

Lowell has used only two pitchers, alternating junior Alyssa Reed and Kaitlyn Bolanowski as starters and using the other in relief.  After six games, Bolanowski and Reed had both pitched in five of them.

LOWELL (4-2, 3-0 LAC)
All games at 4:30 unless otherwise indicated...
LAC games in CAPS

3-22-7  (W) 9-3 Kankakee Valley  (1-3)
3-29-7  (L)  4-8 Chesterton (4-0)
3-31 (W) 5-0 at Valparaiso (0-3)
4-2 (L) 2-4 at Portage (2-1)
4-3-7 (W) 2-0 at HIGHLAND (2-2)
4-5-7 (W) 2-1 (8 innings) ANDREAN  (2-1)

4-10-7 (Tu) BISHOP NOLL
4-11-7 (W) Boone Grove
4-12-7 (Th) at HOBART
4-14-7 (S)  at Crown Point - 12 noon
4-16-7 (M) at MUNSTER
4-18-7 (W) Hanover Central
4-19-7 (Th) GRIFFITH
4-24-7 (Tu) at KANKAKEE VALLEY
4-26-7 (Th) HIGHLAND

4-28-7 (S)  at Pioneer  - 9 a.m.
4-28-7 (S) vs. West Lafayette at Pioneer (TBA)

5-1-7 (Tu) at ANDREAN
5-3-7 (Th) BISHOP NOLL

Twin Lakes Invitational  (3-5 games)
5-4-7 (F)  pool play game (5 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.)
5-5-7 (S) pool play game (9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m.)
5-5-7 (S) pool play game (12 noon or 1:30 p.m.)

5-7-7 (M) Merrillville
5-8-7 (Tu) HOBART
5-9-7 (W) Wheeler
5-10-7 (Th) MUNSTER
5-14-7 (M) MORTON
5-1-5-7 (Tu) at GRIFFITH - 7 p.m.
5-16-7 (W) Lake Central

Lake Central (4A) Sectional
5-21-7 (M) quarterfinals - TBA
5-23-7 (W) semifinals - TBA
5-25-7 (F) championship - TBA

ANDREAN (2-1, 2-1 LAC)
All games at 4:30 unless otherwise indicated... LAC games in CAPS

(W) 2-0 HIGHLAND (3-2)
(W) 4-0 at BISHOP NOLL (1-3)
(L) 1-2 at LOWELL (4-2)
4-10 (Tu) MUNSTER (2-0)
4-12 (Th) at GRIFFITH
4-14 (S) Chieftain Invitational at Dowagiac, Michigan (3 games)
4-16 (M) KANKAKEE VALLEY
4-19 (Th) HOBART
4-24 (Tu) at HIGHLAND
4-26 (Th) BISHOP NOLL

Highland Invitational
4-27 (F) pool play (night)
4-27 (S) pool play (2 games)

5-1 (Tu) LOWELL
5-3 (TH) at MUNSTER

Twin Lakes Invitational
5-4 (F) pool play (night)
5-5 (S) pool play (2 games)

5-8 (Tu) GRIFFITH
5-10 (Th) at Kankakee Valley - 4:45 p.m.
5-15 (Tu) at HOBART

Bishop's Cup (at Miahawaka Marian)
5-19 (S) 2 games  -TBA

ANDREAN (3A) Sectional
5-21 (M) quarterfianls
5-23 (W) semifinals
5-25 (F) championship

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Revised: April 07, 2007.