PLYMOUTH (8-4-2007) - In a four team, double-elimination tournament with nine inning games, its very hard for a team that does not win its first two games, to win the title.  You run out of pitching.  Unless you get divine intervention.  That's why Crown Point Post 20 just won't let go of this 2007 Plymouth Regional.

After losing Saturday 9-4 to Mishawaka (21-14), CP came back and edged arch-rival Hammond 6-5 to stay alive in the Plymouth American Legion Regional finals at Bill Nixon Field.  CP Post 20 (19-12) then got some help.  Light rain persuaded tourney operators to postpone Sunday's championship round.  Nothing was posted at the field or announced, but it is assumed the final will be played Monday night.

Since Post 20 had to beat Mishawaka Post 161 twice to win the regional and a berth in the Aug. 9 state finals, Monday was a whole lot better than Sunday.  The postponement allows CP to come back with ace right-hander Chris Saroff, probably against Mishawaka star Jason Buck, in a Monday night championship round game.

"We didn't play that well," said CP manager Larry Samano, after his boys survived five errors to beat Hammond late Saturday.  "We're not in the position we want to be in, but we are in the finals and we do have a chance.  If we beat them twice, we win and if we don't, for this team, we still made it a great year."

'Great' might be stretching it, but Post 20 had reason to be very pleased with two wins over Hammond Post 168, their Lake County neighbors and rivals.  Saturday's game was tense and it showed as both sides booted some routine plays.  Crown Point, which has little home run offense, used bunts and bloops to take out the more powerful Hammond team in the small Bill Nixon Field.  CP scored four times in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead, including a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Kouts star Marty Rasala in front of a two-run single from Saroff.  Those two plays in quick succession turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 edge.

Caleb Douglas, who had rested arm problems almost all summer, pitched eight strong innings, allowing no earned runs and walking no one.  Douglas, a tall right-hander, had good velocity and even better control.

"They shouldn't have scored any against him," said Samano.  "That home run came after another error."

Hammond rallied in the fourth inning.  Trailing 4-1 with two out, Post 168 got a break when CP third baseman RJ Zambrano, fired wide of first base after making an outstanding diving stop.  Danny Manick then hit a 1-1 pitch almost 400 feet, to the right of the large left center field scoreboard at Bill Nixon field.

But with the score 4-3, Saroff, the CPHS star, hit a line drive homer to left with two out in the sixth to expand the Post 20 lead.  Munster's Brett Keeler slapped an RBI single to left with nobody out in the eighth inning to make it 5-4.  But CP second basemnan Alex Ponce started a double play to end the eighth inning.  Post 20 loaded the bases in the ninth, but  Hammond's Kyle Kaluza, a Lake Central junior, leaped in medium deep center to grab Kyle Bacon's hard hit liner, which could have been a bases-clearing triple.

Samano brought in Saroff, who was undefeated during the high school season, to close the game even though the CP right-hander had thrown five innings the day before.

"I wasn't going to do it but he told Schultzie (pitching coach Mike Schultz) that he was okay and he could go an inning," said Samano.  "This is his time.  What he did today, he's got to do.  Everybody here knows how good he is.  They know all about him.  He's got to come out and prove it at a time like this."

The win was surprising because Post 20's top relief pitcher Andrew Higgins, who had closed both Post 20 wins at the sectional, was not in Plymouth.

"He took a shot off the finger pretty good (Friday) night," explained Samano.  "His finger had swollen up the point where he couldn't grip a baseball so I told him to stay home.  I think he'll be better by Sunday."

The Plymouth ballpark is a home run-friendly field.  The listed distance to center field is 359 feet, it's 344 to left center and 342 to right center.  The foul poles are listed at 315 feet to left and 314 to right.

"We're at a disadvantage here," said Samano.  "Some of the balls hit here would not even be close to home runs at our park.  That's why we can't make the mistakes we made tonight."

Crown Point might have won by 10 runs had it not been for Hammond center fielder Kyle Kaluza, who caught four well hit flyballs or line drives in the final two innings, helping CP leave 12 runners on base.  Kaluza's leaping catch of Kyle Bacon's bases-loaded line drive with two out in the ninth inning saved three runs for battling complete game starting pitcher Nick Eggebrecht.

"He's been making diving catches all season," said LC catcher Devin DeYoung.  "If the ball's hit anywhere near center field, I just walk off the field because I know he's got it.

Manager Mark DeRolf added, "He' not even a senior at Lake Central yet.  He's got two more years."

DeRolf was reminded that on Friday, Hammond fell behind CP 6-0 and lost 9-5.  Saturday, they fell behind 5-0 and lost 6-5.

"I wouldn't say we dominated them after the first two innings in both games, but we did come back," said DeRolf.  "But they did what they had to do early.  They got three bunts down in that second inning and we didn't handle them well.  These games here are going to be close and you can give that up."

Crown Point attacked the strength of the Hammond defense in third baseman Brett Keeler, an all-area player who batted .466 with 32 RBIs for Munster high school.  CP's Saroff bunted for a single in the first inning and Marty Rasala's suicide squeeze was perfect in the second.  Keeler made a couple of good defensive plays later in the game, but damage had been done.

Crown Point's third baseman, RJ Zambrano made four errors, three of them on wild throws after making spectacular diving stops.  Post 20's Matt Dobin, who is not a natural first baseman, had trouble coming off the bag to grab wild throws.  But when it appeared Post 20 would fold in the late going, CP turned ground ball double plays to end the eight and ninth.  It was a very entertaining game featuring ugly errors one moment and spectacular glove work the next.

DeRolf was not dismayed with the loss, considering the rallies his team made in the night game after eliminating Highland 11-8.  Pitcher Nick Eggebrecht threw 145 pitches and refused to come out.

"He kept telling us, 'I'm good. I'm good'," said DeRolf.  "He was on fumes at the end.  He had nothing left.  They made some great plays behind him.  But this was his last game with us (he's a 2006 graduate) and he would not come out.  I'd like to think that's what Post 168 baseball is about."

CP catcher Adam Kennedy was in good spirits after CP stayed alive.  It's Kennedy's last season in American Legion ball, and since CP has no backup catcher, Kennedy isn't coming out of the game either.

"It's his birthday today," said Kennedy of Samano.  "He wanted to beat Hammond on his birthday so we had to get that done for him."

That's another reason the rain day off boosts CP's chances.  Post 20 was tired and in no condition to face Mishawaka at 12 noon Sunday.  But the tarp was on the field Sunday afternoon.  If the championship round is rescheduled for Monday night, CP will have fresh players and every pitcher but Douglas available and able to pitch.

REGIONAL NOTES:  Lafayette Post 11 (27-15) beat Kokomo 12-6 Saturday to advance to the finals of the Kokomo regional, which was scheduled for Sunday.  Lafayette had to lose twice Sunday to be denied a berth in the state finals which begin Friday, Aug. 9 in Madison.

Favored Terre Haute Post 346 bombed Madison 20-9 to open the Terre Haute regional.  Terre Haute (38-9), which has the best record in the state, led 20-4 after 7 1/2 innings.  Madison (24-10) qualifies for the state finals as the host team.

Crown Point manager Larry Samano had good words for his son Chris, who, like teammates Alex Ponce and Chris Saroff, had five hits in the first three games.

"For a kid who did not play at the high school," he has taken advantage of his opportunities out here.  He works the count and he'll take a walk.  He can't get down in the count or he's dead meat, but he had two hits Friday and he got another one tonight.  He's patient and he knows what to do."

Crown Point beat Hammond 9-5 in first round play as RJ Zambrano had two of CP's seven first inning hits.  Andew Higgins pitched four innings in relief to save the win.  Kyle Kaluza had three hits for Hammond.  Matt Murphy pitched all nine innings for Hammond.

Mishawaka raced to a 6-0 third inning lead and beat CP 9-4 in second round play.  CPHS senior Mike Hernandez gave up eight hits to Mishawaka, who improved to 5-0 in post-season play.  Mishawaka high's Mike Hulina, a 2006 graduate, had two singles and a home run.  Post 161 has nine Penn high players and five Mishawaka Marian boys.  They have scored seven or more runs in every playoff game so far.  Mishawaka dominated Highland 7-1 in the first round.

Hammond did not have top Munster right-handed pitcher Chris Winterhaler because the US Army's got him.

"He left us the day after the sectional," said manager Mark DeRolf.  "He's in the Army Reserve.  We've also got guys we had to leave home because of that IHSAA rule that says you can only have five guys from the same school.  We've got a couple of guys who wanted to play but they can't after last Monday."

CP will go the rest of the way without outfielder Russell Chick, a backup outfielder, who will tentatively start for CPHS at halfback this season.  CPHS had an intra-squad football scrimmage Saturday and they had a scrimmage at Highland next Friday.
 

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Revised: August 11, 2007.