Wednesday, 7-23-2008  -  76 degrees & sunny, American Legion Sectional at Teagle Field, CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Kevin Heinrich (4-2) 0K, 3 walsk (6 innings)
LP - Nick Bolda (2-4) 2K, 6 walks,4 earned runs (5 innings)

HAMMOND (16-11)
AJ Doyle (SS) 0-for-6
Anthony Olund (2B) 1-for-4, 3 walks, 3 runs scored
Brett Keeler (3B) 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 3 runs scored
Eric Summers (DH) 1-for-3, RBI, walk
Shane Colvin (C) 1-for-5, double, walk
Matt Skura (1B) 2-for-3, 3 walks
Kevin Waterson (RF) 1-for-5, walk, 2 RBIs
Steve Traficante (LF) 1-for-3, walks, HBP
Tim Shanks (CF) 1-for-6, RBI

LOWELL (8-12)
Micah Raebel (2B) 2-for-4, walk
James Frasure (CF) 0-for-3, walk, HBP
Tony Celebucki (LF) 1-for-4, double, walk, 2 RBIs
Chris Cooper (RF) 1-for-5, HBP, RBI
Craig Austgen (SS) 0-for-4
Derek Brandeburg (3B) 1-for-2, 2 walks
Evan Ensweiler (C) 0-for-4
Nick Bolda (P) 0-for-4
Matt Milcarek (1B) 0-for-2, HBP, walk

Click Here for 2008 Crown Point Post 20 Playoff Schedule

CROWN POINT (7-22-2008) - The better team won, but not by a whole lot on the second night of the Crown Point American Legion baseball sectional.

Conventional logic was that only Crown Point Post 20 could stop Hammond at the CP Sectional and Post 168 didn't let that happen on an unusually cool July night Tuesday as Hammond edged Crown Point 6-5 in an opening round game of the 2008 CP sectional.  Hammond had already defeated Post 20 twice this season, but they didn't face Crown Point high school star Mike Hernandez either time.

Hernandez (6-2), who is headed for Butler University, ran into trouble early against the hard-hitting Post 168 lineup, falling behind 2-0 and 6-2 before leaving after seven innings.  If Hammond Post 168 is to reach the American Legion state finals next month, it will be this victory over their rival and neighbor that was the launching pad.

"They should win this now," said Crown Point manager Larry Samano.  "I hate to say that, but we'd have to come back and beat them twice.  Mike didn't have a good night and they hit the ball on him.  We had our chance tonight.  How many (12) did we leave on base?"

Post 168's Neil Koricanic was a magician on the mound, slipping in and out of trouble in most of the nine innings.  The Lake Central senior, a Dyer Little League and Babe Ruth all-star who had been facing Crown Point players half his life, gave up nine hits and three walks but struck out 13 of the 40 batters he faced.

"Nine innings is interesting," Koricanic agreed after the game.  "If it had been seven I wouldn't have run out of gas.  We have a pretty good history with them.  All spring, LC struggled with them.  We just couldn't win.  It's nice to win.  But this doesn't make up for the high school season."

The Lake Central-dominated Hammond team scored two runs on three hits and Hernandez' throwing error in the first inning, and after Drazer hit a home run for Post 20 in the second, Post 168 scored twice more on two hits and an error by Crown Point shortstop Jack Standley to make it 4-1.

Crown Point didn't really get started until the eighth inning when singles by Standley, Paul Aulwurm and Mike Hernandez cut the lead to 6-3 and Koricanic hit Andrew Schrum with a pitch to fill the bases.  But Chris Samano, who had doubled to the center field fence in the seventh, was called out on strikes to end the eighth inning.

In the ninth, Matt Zurbriggen walked with one out and Standley pulled a long home run over the left field foul pole.  When Jeremy Kooi hit the first pitch for a two base hit, Hammond manager Mark DeRolf replaced Koricanic with Munster's Kevin Watterson, who struck out Aulwurm for the second out.

Hernandez grounded a 2-0 pitch into left field but CP manager Larry Samano held Kooi, who is not fast, at third base.  Watterson struck out CP's Morgan Drazer on three pitches to end the game.

The loss is a crusher because it means that CP will have to win four nine inning games in 72 hours starting Thursday night.  Right-hander Morgan Drazer, left-handers Jeremy Kooi and Larry Spore and Mike Hernandez could be the four starters.  But two of them would have to defeat Post 168 and CP is already 0-3 against Post 168 this season.  That's why Samano was pessimistic.

"We just don't have the team we had last year.  We got ourselves out a lot tonight.  He (Koricanic) was good, but we've faced tougher pitchers this year.  We got the first two guys on base in the first inning and we didn't score.  We had the bases loaded in the eighth and we get one.  We had the tying run on base in the ninth and we couldn't get him in.  That's the way it's been all year."

LEGION NOTES:  In the winner's bracket championship, half the box score told the story.  When your entire lineup bats six times each in a nine-inning game, that game probably went your way.  Hammond Post 168 collected 13 hits and 11 walks in a 13-3 win over Lowell Wednesday night to take control of the Crown Point sectional.

Post 168 woud have to lose twice Saturday to not be crowned sectional champs.

Munster gradaute Brett Keeler, who hit nine homers during the high school season, lifted a long two-run homer to center field in the third inning, giving his side a 4-1 lead.  Hammond lefty Kevin Heinrich allowed just three hits in six innings before Tim Shanks pitched three shutout innings down the stretch.

"Lowell played very well," said Hammond manager Mark DeRolf.  "They made some good plays against us to keep it close for awhile.  Steve Harker (Lowell's manager) has done a good job with them.  They play hard.  We've got a lot of pitching left.  We're in good shape."

Crown Point center fielder Kyle Bacon, shortstop Eric Clayton and outfielder Evan Nikrin all missed the pivotal match with Hammond for reasons that were not explained.  Obviously, they were missed.

"If they couldn't make it tonight," said manager Larry Samano, who never had his full roster for any game all season, "I really don't want to see them again.  We could have sued them, but we'll go with what we have."

Hammond Post 168 defeated Crown Point Post 20 for the third time this summer, a reversal of what happened in the spring.  Crown Point high school faced Lake Central five times with CP going 3-0-2.  Hammond Post 168 had seven starters from Lake Central high school.  Post 20 started only Mike Hernandez and Matt Zurbriggen off the CPHS varsity.

While CP has not been able to get a large amount of good players off the Crown Point high school varsity, Hammond Post 168 has 12 Lake Central players on the 19-and-under squad.  But they may be penalized because of it.  The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) rule which states that any players playing together in a group larger than five after the start of high school fall sports practice will be suspended from that high school sport, is still in effect.

"Have there been any waivers?" asked Hammond manager Mark DeRolf.  "I know they had a problem here (in Crown Point) two years ago.  We're good through the regional, but right now, that's it.  We'd just like a chance to play for the state title.  We've got a lot of high school boys and we probably wouldn't go any further than that anyway."

Hammond Post 168 defeated Crown Point Post 20 by a score of 7-4 Tuesday for the 'B' team (age 17-and-under) regional title.  Post 168's 'B' team, largely the junior varsity from Lake Central high school, advances to the 'B' team state finals, which begin Thursday, Aug. 24 at Terre Haute South high school.

Hammond Post 168 pitcher Neil Koricanic says that American Legion baseball is very much different from the high school season.

"Its much more relaxed," he said.  "I like it.  I like just going out there and doing my job.  It's a lot easier to just play."

Koricanic also likes the fact that there isn't as much concern about 'pitch count', the number of pitches a player throws in one game, a staple of major league baseball.

"I see that," he said.  "It's no problem here.  It's really up to the pitcher."

Crown Point (20) American Legion Sectional
double-elimination at Teagle Field

7-21 (Mon) LOWELL (101) 12, Hobart (54) 7
7-22 (Tues) Hammond (168) 6, CROWN POINT (20)  5
7-23 (Wed) Hammond (168) 13, LOWELL (101) 3
7-24 (Thu) CROWN POINT (20) vs. Hobart (54) 5:30 p.m.
7-25 (F) LOWELL (101) vs. CROWN POINT (20)/Hobart (54)  5:30 p.m.
7-26 (Sat) Hammond (168) vs. TBA  (championship game one) 3 p.m.
7-26 (Sat) Hammond (168) vs. TBA (championship game one) 6 p.m.

Plymouth (27) Regional
4 teams - double-elimination at Bill Nixon Field - Plymouth
8-1 (F) 1st round games (TBA)
8-2 (Sat) three 2nd round games (TBA)
8-3 (Sun) Championship round

American Legion state finals
5 teams - double-elimination at Bill Nixon Field - Plymouth
7-31 (Th) 1st round games (TBA)
8-1 (F) 2nd round games (TBA)
8-2 (Sat) bracket finals (TBA)
8-3 (Sun) Championship round