Friday, 7-25-2008  -  80 degrees, American Legion Loser's bracket championship at Teagle Field, CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Jack Standley (1-0)  4K, 0 walks (8.3 innings) 111 pitches
LP -  Micah Raebel (2-2)  0K, 3 walks (7 innings)

CROWN POINT (19-12) starters
Paul Aulwurm (CF) 0-for-5
Larry Spore (1B) 2-for-5, double
Jack Standley (P) 2-for-5, double, 2 RBIs
Mike Hernandez (RF) 3-for-4, walk, 2 RBIs
Jeremy Kooi (LF) 1-for-4, single, RBI, stolen base
Morgan Drazer (3B)- 1-for-5, double
Matt Zurbriggen (SS) 1-for-3, double, walk
Bobby Anderson (C) 0-for-4, DP
Chris Samano (2B) 0-for-3, walk

LOWELL (9-14) starters
Micah Raebel (P) 0-for-4
James Frasure (CF) 1-for-4
Tony Celebucki (LF) 1-for-4, RBI
Chris Cooper (RF) 1-for-4, double
Craig Austgen (SS) 0-for-3, walk
Derek Brandenburg (3B) 0-for-2, HBP, walk
Evan Ensweiler (C) 0-for-4
Nick Bolda (2B) 1-for-4, HR, RBI
Matt Milcarek (1B) 0-for-4
 

Click Here for 2008 Crown Point Post 20 Playoff Schedule

CROWN POINT (7-25-2008) - It wasn't a foregone conclusion that Crown Point Post 20 would defeat Lowell Post 101 Friday in the loser's bracket championship of the 2008 Crown Point American Legion Sectional.  But it was accepted that Lowell wasn't going to win the sectional title.

"Even if we won," admitted manager Steve Harker, after his team's season-ending 7-4 loss to CP last Friday night, "we wouldn't have had any pitching for tomorrow.  I'd have been shaking his (CP manager Larry Samano's) hand and asking, 'Hey you got a couple of pitchers we can use?' at the same time."

In double-elimination American Legion post season play where each game is nine innings, teams don't have as much pitching as they think they have.  If you fall into the loser's bracket, you have to start hoping that hurlers who have struggled to finish seven innings all spring and summer, can suddenly go nine.  It's not realistic.

CP infielder Jack Standley tried to dispel that notion.  The recent Munster graduate, who didn't start any games in high school, pitched 8-1/3 innings against Lowell, saving CP ace Mike Hernandez for Saturday's championship round against favored Hammond Post 168.

Standley threw 111 pitches, allowing four base hits without walking a batter, leaving the game only after consecutive hits by Post 101's James Frasure, Tony Celebucki and Chris Cooper.  The right hander allowed only one hit, Nick Bolda's third inning home run in the third inning.

"Standley makes everybody better," said Samano.  "He pitched at Munster.  He didn't pitch a lot, but he did pitch.  He can hit and he can run.  He's just a great ballplayer.  All our guys play better when he's here because they think they've got a much better chance to win."

Crown Point scored three times in the top of the third inning after an error by Lowell third baseman Derek Brandenburg.  Standley, Hernandez and Jeremy Kooi had run scoring hits off Kankakee Valley graduate Micah Raebel.

The score was 4-1 through the middle innings as both teams showed some strong defense in center field.  CP's Paul Aulwurm, an infielder at CPHS, and Post 101's James Frasure, raced all over the large center field area at Teagle Field, diving for spectacular catches or close misses.

Lowell lost a run in the fifth inning when Brandenburg walked, stole second and moved to third on a fly ball by catcher Evan Ensweiler.  When the throw toward third got past CP third baseman Morgan Drazer, Brandenburg tried to score and was thrown out when Drazer recovered the ball near the CP dugout.

Lowell got three consecutive hits in the ninth inning and Drazer replaced Standley on the mound.  Craig Austgen walked on a 3-1 pitch to fill the base and Brandenburg walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run, making the score 7-3.  Drazer struck out Ensweiler but Nick Bolda, who had homered earlier, walked on five pitches to cut the lead to 7-4.

Drazer, CP's 6-foot-4 right-hander, then got Matt Milcarek to pop to short to end the game and the season for Post 101.

Post 20 had the better team, but the skill and experience gap may narrow in the next 12 months.

"We've got everybody eligible to come back next year except Nick (Bolda) and Bucky (Tony Celebucki)," said Harker.  "I'd have to check birth dates but I think everybody else can come back.  We only had 11 players most of the time, but that was always a bad thing.  If this had been high school, there would have been some things I could not do with just 11 players.  But here, the idea is that you come because you want to play and everybody played.  We didn't have anybody sitting around and that's what you want in the summer.  I'd almost rather have just 11 or 12 players.  There's no complaints about playing time."

Lowell may need a new American Legion manager in 2009, though.

"I'm working on my master's degree," Harker said, "and I'd really like to find someone to take this over.  The boys who want to play need a place to play in the summer.  We're going to have a pretty good team coming back."

SECTIONAL NOTES:  The heart of CP's 2008 American Legion squad is also eligible to return in 2009, including pitcher Mike Hernandez, catchers Matt Zurbriggen and Bobby Anderson plus infielder Jack Standley, Post 20's top position player.

A question arises over Crown Point 'B' team star Mike Schroeder, who batted .420 with six homers and struck out 78 in 66 innings for North Newton high last spring.  Schroeder was free to play for CP's 'B' team because Lowell does not have one.  But, to play on CP's 19-and-under squad, Schroeder will need a release from Post 101, which lists North Newton as one of its feeder schools.

James Frasure, a CPHS graduate, plays for Lowell Post 101 because of such a 'release' and North Newton's catcher Bobby Anderson was 'released' to play for Post 20.

Post 101 would like speedy football star Brandon Grubbe to play American Legion ball (Grubbe batted over .350 as a sophomore this year), but Harker understands why he probably won't.

"He's going to be a big time football player," said Harker.  "That's pretty obvious.  Now, he could be a big-time baseball player, too, if he went at it 12 months a year.  But, with him being the football player he is, it would be hard for him to ever play for us.  We might try to get him on the roster and have him show up once in awhile."

"I'm hoping Keith Greer can play next summer," said Harker.  "He can be a really good pitcher if he can ever stay healthy."

Greer, a 6-foot-5 senior right-hander, suffered separate and totally unrelated season-ending injuries in basketball and baseball this year.

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
7-24 (Wed) Hammond (168) 13, LOWELL (101) 3
7-24 (Thu) CROWN POINT (20) 14,  Hobart (54) 6
7-25 (F) CROWN POINT (20) 7, LOWELL (101) 4
7-26 (Sat) Hammond (168) vs. CROWN POINT (20) 3:00 p.m.
7-26 (Sat) Hammond (168) vs. CROWN POINT (20) 6:00 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