Crown Point drops first game of season 3-2 to LaPorte in 8-innings
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 5-02-2008

Wednesday, 4-30-2008  -  64 degrees in LaPORTE, IN

WP - Ian Nielsen (5-1) CG, 9K, 2 walks, 109 pitches
LP - Mike Kozlowski (3-1) 1K, 1 walk (1 inning)

CROWN POINT (14-1-2, 8-1 DAC) starters
Miles Atherton (3B) 1-for-4
Scott Donley (2B) 0-for-4
Nick Hladek (C) 1-for-3, walk
Mike Kozlowski (SS-P) HR, single, 2 RBIs
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 1-for-4
Josh Negele  (DH) 0-for-4
Jim Donley (RF) 1-for-3
Blake Mascarello (LF) 0-for-2, walk
Mike Hernandez (OF) 0-for-1

LaPORTE (11-6, 5-3 DAC) starters
Kyle Rosenbaum (CF) 1-for-4, run scored
Dustin DeMuth (SS) 2-for-4, 2 runs scored
Ian Nielsen (P) 0-for-2, 2 walks
Tyler Overmeyer (C) 3-for-4, RBI
Adam McIntrye (RF) 0-for-3
John Gakle (2B) 0-for-2 walk
Bret Wade (LF) 0-for-3
Neal Hackett (DH) 1-for-3
Kevin Upp (3B) 0-for-2, walk

Tuesday, 4-29-2008  -  at MERRILLVILLE, IN

WP - Blake Mascarello (4-0), CG, 12Ks, 1 walk
LP - Pat Nawracaj (1-4) 0K, 6 walks (6 innings)

CROWN POINT (14-0-2)
Miles Atherton (3B) 2 dobles, 2 RBIs
Nick Hladek (C) HR, RBI
Jim Donley (RF) 2 singles, 2 RBIs

Click Here for 2008 CP Baseball Schedule

LaPORTE (4-30-2008) - When Crown Point and Lake Central played two complete tie games last week, everybody thought those two baseball teams were evenly matched.  What about Crown Point and LaPorte?

On April 15, Crown Point rallied to beat the Slicers 5-4 in eight innings.  On Wednesday night, Crown Point rallied to tie LaPorte 2-2 in LaPorte before the Slicers won on an eighth-inning single by junior Tyler Overmeyer, 3-2.

It was the first loss for the Bulldogs (14-1-2, 7-1 DAC) after 14 wins and the two ties and it reinstated some conventional thinking, which stated in the pre-season that LaPorte was the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) favorite.

LaPorte (11-6, 5-3) probably cannot win the DAC after Tuesday's 3-2 loss at Michigan City, but when Slicer sophomore Dustin DeMuth barely scored from second base on Overmeyer's single off CP right-hander Mike Kozlowski, it wasn't so much that they ended CP's undefeated streak, it was that they regained some pride.

"If we take pride in anything, we take pride in playing Slicer baseball the right way," said coach Scott Upp.  "It wasn't about Crown Point.  Tonight we saw that if we play the game the right way -- the way we have for 40 years, that we have success."

Crown Point wont be devastated by losing to a school that has won at least 20 games (in a 28 game regular season) for 41 years in a row, much less an extra-inning loss on the road.  Even so, nobody was calling this a 'good loss'.

"We battled", said coach Steve Strayer, after his boys had headed for the bus.  "We came up on the short end and we realize we're vulnerable.  It's the first time we've been vulnerable this year.  The kids are really down right now.  But we'll be fine by tomorrow."

If the CP-LaPorte series is what the new 8-team LaPorte sectional is gong to be like, we should all buy a ticket.

Wednesday, both Ian Nielsen and Mike Hernandez pitched six strong innings.  Two throwing errors by Kozlowski at shortstop allowed two third inning LaPorte runs to score in conjunction with singles by DeMuth and Kyle Rosenbaum.

In the sixth, CP's Nick Hladek blooped a single to center with one out.  On a 2-0 pitch, Kozlowski drove his sixth homer of the season over the right-center field fence.  LaPorte's Neal Hackett led of the seventh inning against Kozlowski with a single to left.  But after Kevin Upp struck out, Kyle Rosenbaum hit a ground ball to the pitcher who started a double play.

Crown Point was not patient at the plate.  They put the first pitch in play 10 times in 33 at bats.  But some of the quick hacks were caused by Nielsen, LaPorte's top pitcher, who uses a sharp breaking curve ball.  The Bulldogs jumped on the first pitch fastball from Nielsen so they wouldn't fall behind in the count.  Of the 10 who hit the first pitch, three reached base with singles.

"He's a good pitcher," said Strayer, who reminded that he had players who were seeing Nielsen, a three-year varsity player, for the first time.  "It's easy to sit here and talk about those things.  He's got some good stuff up there and we've got some young kids who are trying to earn him.  We came in and battled.  We came up on the short end.  But we learned.  I'm sure if we play them in the sectional, we'll see him again."

CP did not do everything they could to win this particular game.  LaPorte has five left-handed hitters in the batting order, but the Bulldogs did not change their rotation and lefty Blake Mascarello (4-0) pitched Tuesday, striking out 12 in a three-hit shutout at Merrillville.

CP did not lose due to pitching Wednesday, but there is little doubt that Mascarello will  be available if CP meets LaPorte at the LaPorte Sectional in four weeks.

LaPorte pushed the issue on the bases.  Rosenbaum scored from second base in the third when Kozlowski's low two-out throw got away from CP first baseman Jeff Limbaugh.  DeMuth never hesitated on Overmeyer's game-winning single, scoring from second base just ahead of Jim Donley's' strong, but slightly off line throw from right field.  Upp also could have had Overmeyer bunt with runners at first and second and nobody out.

"Oh, no," he said.  "Tyler was swinging the bat well.  I wanted him to drive in the run.  Tyler could be a very dangerous hitter.  He hasn't shown any home run prowess yet, but he's a tough kid."

LaPorte also could have held DeMuth at third on Overmeyer's single, creating a situation where the bases were loaded with nobody out for fifth-place hitter Adam McIntyre.

"No," said Upp.  "We were going for the win, baby.  There's no sense in waiting for something else to happen.  Rosenbaum scored from second base in the third inning and he was coming all the way."

This was CP's seventh game in nine days and it's just the nature of the game that eventually they were going to lose.

"I think that things have gone our way," observed Strayer.  "One bounce here, one call there and we could have lost at Lake Central.  We've had a little luck go our way.  You have to throw the kids some accolades, because they came out this year and I was telling them that we're going to struggle early.  I said their mental toughness was not really good.  But they kinda proved me wrong.  Even tonight, it wasn't that we were lackadaisical.  I think LaPorte just beat us."

DOG NOTES:  Crown Point was 15-0 last season when they lost 3-2 at Chesterton on May 4, 2007.  The Bulldogs lost to Boone Grove and Penn, finishing with a program-best 29-3 record.  Monday's rescheduled home game with Lansing, Illinois' Illiana Christian (16-2) will begin at 5:00 p.m.  This was the game that was bumped because Crown Point had to play Lake Central a third time on April 25, after two games earlier that week ended in a tie.

LaPorte's 3-2 loss to Michigan City Tuesday was the first time that Michigan City had beaten their eastern neighbor in five years and only the third time that Michigan City had defeated LaPorte in 32 tries since Elston and Rogers consolidated into Michigan City high in 1995.

Mike Kozlowski's home run in the sixth inning was his sixth homer in 17 games.

"He's just a big, strong boy," said LaPorte coach Scott Upp.  "He hit a line drive that was never more than 2 feet off the ground and it went over the fence in right center field."

Nick Hladek hit his fourth homer of the season in Tuesday's 9-0 win at Merrillville.  Lefty Blake Mascarello allowed just three hits and one walk in seven innings.

The weather for Saturday's four-team Plymouth Invitational is shaky.  Significant rain is forecast for Friday night and there's a 30% chance of rain with temperatures in the upper 50s Saturday.  CP is schedule to play Plymouth at 3:30 p.m., EST in the semifinals with the finals set for 8:30 p.m., EST.  The tournament does not begin until 1:00 p.m., EST, so Plymouth's Bill Nixon Field can survive Friday night rains and still be playable.

Crown Point's Mike Hernandez has committed to attend Butler University in Indianapolis.  Hernandez (2-0) has struck out 37 batters in 29 innings in his rookie season with the Bulldogs varsity.  Hernandez was the top pitcher for American Legion Post 20 last summer.  Butler is also recruiting CP's catcher Nick Hladek.

2008 (4A) Crown Point Bulldogs  (14-1-2, 8-1 DAC)
Coach Steve Strayer - (112-45-1, 5 years) 29-3 in 2007
DAC games in CAPS - weekday games - 4:30 -unless otherwise indicated

Northwest Indiana Challenge
4-3 (W)  10-0 at Highland  (7-7)
4-4 (W) 9-2 Munster  (11-5)
4-5 (W) 10-4 at Griffith (8-5)

4-7 (W) 5-0 Hanover Central  (11-3)
4-8 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (3-12)
4-12 (S) at (SB) Clay - rain -canceled
4-12 (S) at (SB) Washington - rain -canceled
4-14 (W) 12-2 Michigan City (7-8) in Gary
4-15 (W) 5-4 (8 innings) LaPORTE  (11-6)
4-16 (W) 19-3 VALPARAISO (6-6)
4-18 (W) 8-6 CHESTERTON  (10-3)
4-19 (W) 6-1 Huntington North (7-5)

4-22 (T) 5-5 (8 innings) at LAKE CENTRAL  (11-3-2)
4-23 (T) 10-10 at LAKE CENTRAL (11-3-2)
4-24 (W) 5-3 PORTAGE (7-8)

4-26 (W) 14-7 Morton (11-8)
4-28 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (3-12)
4-30 (L) 2-3 (8 innings) LaPORTE  (11-6)
5-2 (F) MICHIGAN CITY (7-8)

Plymouth Tournament - with Penn, Carroll and CP
5-3 (S) at Plymouth (4-7) 2:30 (CST)
5-3 (S) probably 4A No. 3 Penn (13-1) 7:30 p.m. (CST)

5-5 (Mon) (Lansing, Illinois) Illiana Christian (15-2) 5 p.m.
5-6 (Tu) at VALPARAISO (6-6)
5-8 (Th) at CHESTERTON (10-3)
5-9 (F) Boone Grove  (10-2) 7:30 p.m.
5-13 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL
5-15 (Th) PORTAGE  (7-8)

Crown Point Classic Tournament
with Northridge, Kankakee Valley and St. Joseph's
5-17 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-17 (S) finals (p.m.).

5-20 (Tu) at Lowell (7-9)
5-23 (F) Elkhart Memorial (14-3) 6:30 p.m.

4A Sectional 2 (at LaPorte)
with LaPorte, Michigan City, Hobart, Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso and Merrillville
5-29 (Tu) quarterfinals (TBA)
5-31 (Th) semifinals (TBA)
6-2 (S) championship (TBA)

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