CROWN POINT (6-27-2007)  You don't want to accept the theory that Crown Point Post 20 just isn't a good hitting team.  Not just yet.  They haven't even played 20 games yet.  But after leaving 11 runners on base in a 3-1, 12-inning loss to Plymouth Post 27 last Wednesday, there seemed to be more lineup shifting on tap.

Crown Point high school senior Mike Hernandez (3-2) pitched 11 innings and had two out in the 12th before Plymouth high graduate and Ancilla College sophomore Michael Brown hit a 400-foot, two-run homer to left center to break a 1-1 tie and give Post 27 (9-5) the game at Teagle Field.

"Our top two hitters aren't getting on base," said Post 20 manager Larry Samano.  "Who ever we put at cleanup isn't getting the ball in play with runners in scoring position.  And we're not getting a lot from the bottom of the order.  We're just going to have to put different people in different places."

Right now, there aren't a lot of positions to switch.  Post 20 is still trying to find an offense.  They have been strong against weaker teams, but good pitching has stopped them so far.  CP has a lot of American Legion rookies, boys who have never played Legion ball before now, and they simply aren't producing a lot of runs against quality foes.

But they were close against Plymouth.  Alex Ponce grounded out with two out and the bases loaded and the score tied in the sixth inning.  Adam Kennedy took a called third strike with the lead run at third base in the bottom of the eighth.  Chris Saroff struck out swinging with the bases loaded to end the game.  Post 20 may simply be in a collective batting slump.  They wouldn't be the first team to go through that.

"We had our chances," said Samano.  "We had the people at the plate we wanted with the bases loaded and we didn't score.  Our defense was excellent.  We didn't make an error.  And I can't say enough about Mike (starting CP pitcher Mike Hernandez).  He had only thrown 106 pitches when he went out for the 12th inning."

"I told him that I was going to take him out if the first man got on base, but he got the first two out.  I guess I left him out there an inning too long.  But we've got to score eventually."

Plymouth manager Tony Plothow welcomed Brown's long ball, if only to get rid of Hernandez as a pitching foe.

"I'm glad we finally got him," said the Plymouth manager.  "I didn't know if we were ever going to hit him.  I didn't think that ball was going to get out there (in left center), but he hit it hard.  We've been playing well.  We just got back from Ohio and we won a tournament there over the weekend.  Good pitching.  Good defense.  Low-scoring games."

It was a game played at a high level.  On a damp field after some early rain, CP was errorless behind the 6-foot-1 right-hander Hernandez, who retired 13 batters in a row twice in the game.  Plymouth, which was coming off a weekend tournament victory in Zanesville Ohio, got strong pitching from right-handers Jake Berger (Plymouth), Danny Conrad (Warsaw) and Chuck Bowen (Glenn), who allowed eight hits and walked three.

Post 20 may not have known this, but Brown, a powerful right-handed clean-up hitter, was the last player they wanted to face with runners on base.  Brown had a game wining RBI double Sunday in a victory at Zanesville, Ohio Post 29.  The Ancilla College (which is two miles from Plymouth) player also had a home run Sunday in 5-2 win over Washington Whitehouse North.

Plymouth scored in the top of the sixth when Brian Bogard, a state finalist wrestler at John Glenn, doubled down the left field line, just the second hit off Hernandez.  Glenn's JT Podell bunted Bogard to third base where he scored on a ground out by Joe Scott to second baseman Alex Ponce, who had a play at the plate but chose to throw to first base.  CP tied the game in the sixth when Post 20's Chris Samano walked and RJ Zambrano's single to left got past left fielder Brent Corbett for a run scoring error.

LEGION NOTES:  Plymouth Post 27, the 2004 Indiana state American Legion champion, defeated Zanesville, Ohio Post 29 (21-6) by a 1-0 score in the semifinals of the Southeast Ohio Legion Classic Saturday.  Plymouth then won the multi-state Zanesville tourney with a 5-2 win over Washington Post 25, another Ohio team.
 

Crown Point Post 20 plays the final road game of the regular season at Plymouth's Bill Nixon Field on Friday night, July 20.  If Post 20 wins the Crown Point Sectional, they would advance to the Plymouth American Legion Regional regional beginning Friday night, Aug. 3.

Merrillville grad Caleb Douglas probably will not be used as a pitcher again until the post-season, according to manager Larry Samano.  The Post 20 veteran has been unable to go deep into the game in any of his last two starts.

The Post 20 pitching staff is down to Chris Saroff, who pitched a 4-0 shutout victory over Whiting Post 80 Tuesday, his CPHS teammate Michael Hernandez, Merrillville's Alex Ponce and Kouts right-hander Marty Rasala.  CPHS senior Eric Clayton (4-0 at CPHS In 2007), did not return to Post 20 after the high school baseball summer season.  Samano said the pitcher/shortstop had played a lot and simply needed to take time off from baseball.

Post 20's offensive problems may simply be the absence of their top left-handed hitter.  Matt Dobin (.553, 8 HRs, 37 RBIs), who batted over .400 the last three seasons at Kankakee Valley was unavailable this week, but he will be back with Post 20 after the 4th of July.  Kouts clean up hitter Andrew Duncan (.400, 8 HRs, 30 RBIs), who was 7-2 as a pitcher his senior year, won't be available in July and can't join Post 20.

Plymouth was to play in South Bend Post 50's four-team tournament this weekend.  The post is honoring the 30th anniversary of Post 50's American Legion national championship.  Post 50 is still the only Indiana American Legion team ever to win the national championship.

2007 American Legion
CROWN POINT Post 20 (7-9)

"A" TEAM (19 and under) SCHEDULE
Manager Larry Samano (ages 19-and-under)

6/5 - @ HAMMOND 168B   (postponed)
6/7  -  HAMMOND 168A   (postponed)
6/9 (W) 4-2  LOWELL 101 (3-6)
6/10 (L) 0-2  BRISTOL 143 (11-5)
6/10 (W) 5-4  Bristol Post 143 (11-5)

6/12 (W) 0-0 @ EAST CHICAGO 369     
6/14 (L) 7-8 @ HIGHLAND 180 (6-2)
6/15 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) ILLINOIS. LIGHTNING   
6/16 (L) 1-2 CEDAR LAKE 261
6/19 (W) 8-0 HOBART (54)
6/20 (W) 10-0 (5 inn.) HOBART (54)

Terre Haute Invitational
6/21 (L) 1-11 Terre Haute 346 (13-2)
6/22 (W) 7-2  Evansville 246 (6-6)
6/23 (L) 0-4 Madison 9 (9-3)
6/24 (L) 1-7 Bristol 143 (11-5)
6/25 (L) 8-9 Bristol 143 (11-5) Third Place

6/26 (W) 4-0 WHITING 80 (3-5)
6/27 (L) 1-3 (12 innings) PLYMOUTH 27 (9-5)   
6/28 THUR @ LOWELL 101   6 PM
6/29 SAT HAMMOND 168B   6:30 PM
7/3 TUE @ HAMMOND 168A   6 PM
7/6 FRI EAST CHICAGO 369   6 PM
7/7 SAT @ CEDAR LAKE 261   3 PM at HC
7/8 SUN ANDERSON 127   NOON DH 

7/10 TUES HIGHLAND 180   6 PM
7/14 SAT KOKOMO 6   1 PM  DH  
7/15 SUN LAFAYETTE 11 - NOON  20A @ 20B   6 PM - TEAM-PICNIC

7/19 THUR WHITING 80   7 PM
7/20 FRI  PLYMOUTH 27   7 PM 
7/21 SAT @ VALPARAISO 94   --   1 PM at Washington Township

7/22 MON CROWN POINT SECTIONAL  (with Lowell, Cedar Lake and Hobart)

 

CROWN POINT Post 20 (6-3)
 "B" TEAM (17 and under) SCHEDULE

MANAGER: Marty Zubriggen
6/5  (W)   9-6  LOWELL (101)
6/6   (L)   2-3  Hammond (168) B
6/11 (L)   5-11 HOBART(54)
6/13 (L)   9-10 @ HIGHLAND (180)

6/15 (W) 12-6  ILLINOIS LIGHTNING
6/20 (W) 17-3  @ WHITING 80 
6/21 (W) 14-13 (8 innings) CEDAR LAKE (261)
 
6/25 (W) 8-2  EAST CHICAGO 369
6/25 (W)  16-6 EAST CHICAGO  369

6/27 (L) 10-12 @ CEDAR LAKE 261 (6-6)
6/30 SAT  20B @ LOWELL 101  3 PM

7/1 SUN  BRISTOL 143B @ 20B  1 PM     DH   
7/3 TUE  HIGHLAND 180 @ 20B  6 PM
7/5 THUR  WHITING 80 @ 20B  7 PM
7/7 SAT  VALPO 94 @ 20B   3 PM
7/12 THUR  20B @ HAMMOND 168A  6 PM
7/13 FRI  HOBART 54  @ 20B   6 PM
7/13 FRI  HOBART 54 @ 20B   8 PM
7/14 SAT  20B @ TERRE HAUTE 346 1PM EST     DH
7/16 MON  20B @ HAMMOND 168B  6 PM

7/17 TUE  20B @ 20A   6 PM - CROWN POINT - TEAM PICNIC
7/18 WED  HAMMOND 168B @ 20B   6 PM
7/19 THUR  20B @ EAST CHICAGO 369   6 PM
7/21 SAT  CEDAR LAKE 261 @ 20B     3 PM

*  all home games played at Post 20's Teagle Field
*  admission is free to all non-tournament games.