Crown Point (20) defeats Highland (180) 17-9, wins CP Sectional Title in American Legion Baseball
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 7-18-2010

Saturday, 7-17-2010  -  Sectional Championship Game Two, 93-degrees at Teagle Field at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - (CP) Josh Negele (5-0) CG, 8K, 1 walk
(Post 20) Brian Holloway (starter) 4K, 3 walks
LP - (Marian Catholic) Jordan Polito - 1K, 1 walk (1.7 inn.)
(Post 180) Johnny Cristo (starter) 0K, 3 walks (3.3 inn.)

HIGHLAND Post 180 (17-6)
(Highland) Mike Bremer (C) 1-for-4, walk
(Highland) Rich Fowler (2B) 1-for-4, HBP
(Highland) John Livingston (1B) 3-for-5, double, 2 RBIs
(Andrean) Ken Mahala (SS) 3-for-5, double, HR, 3 RBIs
(Highland) Nick Mason (3B) 1-for-5, double
(Munster) John Cristo (P) 1-for-3, 2 walks, RBI
(Highland) Joel Smith (CF) 1-for-5
(Munster) Mark Strbjak (RF) 0-for-5
(Munster) Mat Spretnjak (LF) 0-for-1, walk

CROWN POINT Post 20 (20-6)
(CP) Brian Holloway (P-CF) 2-for-4, 5 runs scored, 2 walks, HBP
(CP) Scott Donley (SS) 4-for-6, HR, double, 6 RBIs
(CP) Jeff Limbaugh (RF) 4-for-5, Sac. Fly, 2 RBIs
(CP) Josh Negele (LF-P) 1-for-6
(No. Newton-Triton College) Mike Schroeder (1B) 3-for-6, double, RBI
(CP) Jose Andrade (C) 4-for-6, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 walks
(CP) Colin Casey (3B) 1-for-4, walk
(CP) Beau LaSalle (2B) 3-for-4, double, 2 walks, RBI
(CP) Mike Kessler (CF) 0-for-2, walk

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Saturday, 7-17-2010  -  Sectional Championship Game One, 93-degrees at Teagle Field at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - (Highland) Josh Stone (4-1) CG, 2K, 3 walks, HBP
LP - (Merrillville) Xavier Ponce (1-2) 2K, 3 walks, (3.3 inn.)

HIGHLAND Post 180 (17-5)
(Highland) Mike Bremer (C) 0-for-3, walk sac bunt, RBI
(Highland) Rich Fowler (2B) 1-for-2, double 2 walks, sac bunt
(Highland) John Livingston (1B) 1-for-2, 3 walks, 2 RBIs
(Andrean) Ken Mahala (SS) 2-for-3, double, RBI, stolen base
(Highland) Nick Mason (3B) 1-for-4, HBP, 2 RBIs
(Munster) John Cristo (DH) 4-for-5, HR, double, 3 RBIs
(Highland) Joel Smith (CF) 0-for-5
(Munster) Mark Strbjak (RF) 2-for-3, walk, double
(Marian Catholic) Jordan Polito (LF) 1-for-3, walk

CROWN POINT Post 20 (19-6)
(CP) Brian Holloway (CF) 1-for-4, double
(CP) Scott Donley (SS) 0-for-4
(CP) Josh Negele (RF) 1-for 2, HBP, walk
(North Newton-Triton College) Mike Schroeder (1B) 0-for-3, walk
(CP) Jose Andrade (DH) 2-for-4, 2 doubles, RBI
(CP) Jeff Limbaugh (LF) 2-for-3
(CP) Colin Casey (3B) 1-for-3, 2 RBIs
(CP) Beau LaSalle (2B) 1-for-3
(CP) Alex Doppler (C) 0-for-2, walk


CROWN POINT Post 20 SECTIONAL
at Teagle Field- Crown Point
7-14-10
CROWN POINT (20) 8, HAMMOND (168) 7
HIGHLAND (180) 19, EAST CHICAGO (269) 6 (7 innings)
7-15-10
CROWN POINT (20) 16, HIGHLAND (180) 11
HAMMOND (168) 10, EAST CHICAGO (369) 0 (7 innings)
7-16-10
HIGHLAND (180) 14, HAMMOND (168) 8
7-17-10
HIGHLAND (180) 13, CROWN POINT (20) 3 (7 innings)
CROWN POINT (20) 17, HIGHLAND (180) 9 - championship

CROWN POINT Post 20 REGIONAL
at Teagle Field- Crown Point
July 23
Plymouth Post 27 (21-9) vs. CROWN POINT Post 20 (20-6) 4 p.m.
South Bend Post 50 (23-5) vs. Bristol Post 143 (20-8) - 7 p.m.
July 24
Winners meet - 10 a.m.
Losers meet - 1 p.m.
Elimination game - 4 p.m.
July 25
Championship game one - 12 noon
Championship game two - 3 p.m.*

*Winner advances to five-team state finals beginning Friday, July 30 at Bill Nixon Field - Plymouth.

CROWN POINT (07-17-2010) These high-scoring, homer friendly, traditional barnstorming-style American Legion playoff games might be a lot more fun to watch than they are to play in.

When Crown Point Post 20 finally won the Crown Point Sectional championship after 10:0 p.m., closing out a three-hour 17-9 win over rival Highland Post 180 in the deciding game, the players quickly disappeared.  Both sides shook very tired hands and disappeared into a steamy, humid late Saturday night.

There wasn't much doubt who was the better team.  But there also wasn't any doubt that Highland had given Crown Point more of a battle than they expected on the final day of the double-elimination playoff.

Highland stomped a seemingly overconfident Post 20 by a 13-3 score to push the four-team, four-days tourney to a final game where Post 20, basically Crown Point high school's state rated 2010 varsity, broke out the heavy artillery and rejected Highland's challenge with a 21-hit attack.

Crown Point (20-6) will host Plymouth Post 27 in the opening game of the four-team double-elimination Crown Point Regional Friday afternoon, July 23 at 4:00 p.m.

Post 20 won the game with bats.  Scott Donley's second-inning grand slam home run erased a 4-0 deficit and Jeff Limbaugh's sacrifice fly put CP ahead 7-6 in the fourth inning.  Donley's two-run double put Post 20 (20-6) ahead 9-8 in the fifth and Highland never caught up.

At that Point, CPHS left-hander Josh Negele came out of the bullpen to finally halt a Highland offense that had scored 66 runs in five games.  Negele allowed three hits and a walk in the final five innings as Crown Point pulled away for the sectional crown.

Jose Andrade finally clinched the game with a long two-run home run in the eighth, making the score 17-9.

"I wanted to start," said Negele. "But it worked out this way.  I just wanted to get in there."

Manager Marty Zurbriggen gambled with his pitching once Post 20 reached the championship round undefeated.  With Duneland Conference MVP Josh Negele for five innings (by Legion rules) and Brian Holloway, who has been undefeated (10-0) in limited duty for two seasons at CPHS, Zurbriggen chose to go with Merrillville grad Xavier Ponce in the first game Saturday against Highland.  Ponce did not fare well, giving up six runs, six hits and three walks in less than four innings.

CPHS right-hander Mike Manion came into the game and he walked seven in three innings, leading to the Highland blowout win.  Zurbriggen then did not start Negele, a first team all-stater or Mike Schroeder, a college freshman, who had pitched four innings two days earlier.  In the deciding game Saturday night he chose Holloway, who had played center field in the first game.

CP quickly made two first-inning errors behind Holloway and a bad-hop two-run single put the home team behind 4-0 in an elimination game.  Post 20 definitely faced elimination, but Negele closed the door on Highland scoring in the end.

"It worked out," said Zurbriggen, who realized his strategy was risky.

"I think we let up (after we won the first two games).  I know we did.  We let up.  Highland was fired up and our guys were talking about what they were going to do after the (first) game.  Once they had a wake up call."

Post 20 has to take the regional a little more seriously than they did the sectional.  They talked themselves into pitching their No. 5 starter in a championship game and CP used their No. 2 guy (Schroeder) for four innings in the entire tournament.  CP hitters were reluctant to take walks, swinging at 2-0 and 3-1 pitches with the bases empty.  And they chose to be the visiting team in the final game, something you do not do outside of the Little League.

In American Legion playoff games, you flip a coin to decide who is the home team.  Common sense tells you that in a do-or-die game, you want to bat last, especially if you have an offense as powerful as Highland or CP.  When Crown Point chose to be the visiting team and trailed 4-0 after one inning, it seemed likely they had made a blunder that had ended their season.

"The boys came up to me before the second game and said they wanted to be the visitors," explained Zurbriggen.  "They said, we want to come out and score quick.  It's what they wanted.  I came back and said, you guys wanted to be visitors but you didn't show anything.  Now it's 4-0.  This might be the last time this season we're 'home' or 'visitors'.

But CP's powerhouse offense, which scored seven runs off Munster all-stater Ryan Wilkinson in the first round and 10 runs off Andrean Division I star Ken Mahala in the second game, bailed them out.  Crown Point's 21 base hits, including seven by the left-handed middle-of the order hitters (Donley, Negele and Schroeder) dominated most of the six pitchers used by Highland manager George Bizoukas.

Without lefty Jordan Minch, who was ineligible for the sectional because of participation else where, Post 180 ran out of pitching.

"There were three very good teams this year," said Zurbriggen, while he was out raking the diamond after the two games.

"We've played some good teams this year, but these two teams (Hammond and Highland) are just as good as anybody we've faced.  We never got beat by more than three runs until today."

"I think it's good for the program that these were competitive games.  It's good for the kids to see that Legion Baseball is competitive baseball.  They see travel ball and they see Legion ball.  And they know Legion ball is competitive.  It's going to be good next week."

Negele said he's not making too much of the upcoming matchup with Plymouth Post 27, which includes four players from LaPorte high school, one of CP's top high school rivals.

"It's something," he said.  "But I pitched against them before and we did pretty well.  I think we'll be OK."

Negele is likely to pitch Friday and he needs the same attitude he had Saturday when a long six hour day filled with hot sun, bad hops, hits and runs ended with him striking out Bill Gertsner to end the game.

"I just wasn't going to let anything bother me today," he said, before disappearing into the night.

Highland put up a quality fight, scoring at least nine runs in five playoff games.  Ken Mahala hit the right field foul pole with a line drive home run in the final game and he hit a 420-foot home run in the second round 16-11 loss to CP.  John Cristo was 4-for-5 in the win over CP behind the pitching of right-hander Josh Stone.

Post 20 seemed more relieved to win than excited about it.  Everyone around the CP squad thinks CP can reach the Legion state finals and win when they get there.

"We 10-runned Plymouth (16-3 on July 3) the first time we played them," said Zurbriggen, "and then we lost 6-4 (on July 5) when we went there.

SECTIONAL NOTES:  South Bend Post 50, which scored 59 runs in a five-game sweep of the Anderson Holiday tournament over the 4th-of-July weekend, sounds a lot like Crown Point Post 20.

Post 50 topped Mishawaka 23-7 last Saturday in the South Bend Sectional.  Plymouth Post 27 dominated Valpo Post 94, 12-1 and 9-2 to win a two-team sectional in Plymouth.

Churubusco dropped out due to lack of players.  Bristol stopped Osceola 10-3 to win the Elkhart Regional title Saturday afternoon.

Post 20 manager Marty Zurbriggen explained why he started Xavier Ponce in the first game Saturday.

"The plan was to have Holloway go six or seven innings and then we had Josh and (Mike) Schroeder," he explained.  "I didn't pitch Holloway in the first game because I wanted to save him for the second one if we lost.  Xavier's been pretty good for us all season.  He's been giving us four or five good innings.  He's not a strikeout pitcher.  He gives up ground balls and we have to make plays.  Usually Mike Manion will give you a good outing.  I thought he'd be good today and he just wasn't."

Highland catcher Mike Bremer caught 18 innings in the two games Saturday, batted leadoff and was on base four times.

"Why not," he said.  "Probably my last day as a baseball player.  If IUN still had a program, I might have played there but they shut down the program."

Josh Negele liked his day at the North-South all-star game, but he was still irked that they didn't let him bat.  "I hit two bombs in batting practice, but they didn't let me bat," he said Saturday.  "They let (Andrean pitcher Ken) Mahala bat, but they didn't let me hit."

Why are Legion playoff games crazy high-scoring three-hour action movies?

1.) American Legion playoff games are nine innings.  They always have been.  American Legion baseball goes back to the early part of the 20th Century and it is played under major league rules.  Most Legion teams have enough pitching for four or five seven-inning games a week, not four or five nine-inning games in a weekend.  When you run short of pitching, you give up a lot of runs.

2.) Even the good pitchers are tired.  High school games are played after school on cold spring afternoons with fresh pitchers just beginning the season.  American Legion playoff games are played on hot summer days where the ball carries.  There is very little foul territory at CP's Teagle Field and in 90-degree temperatures the ball jumped out of the yard last week like it never has in recent years.  But the pitching, in most games, seemed worn out.  Good pitchers struggle in the Legion post-season.

3.) Legion teams are not average high school teams on offense.  Highland Post 180, for example, is largely Highland high school, with Andrean home run hitter Ken Mahala in the middle of the order.  Post 20 is CPHS, with Triton college home run hitter Mike Schroeder in the middle of the order.  Bristol and Plymouth and South Bend are combinations of three or four teams. During the Legion regular season, key players miss every other game for assorted reasons.  When the complete teams show up for the playoffs, opposing pitchers who dominated weaker high school lineups, get roasted.

4.) Defense is worse in American Legion ball.  Legion teams don't practice as much as high school teams do and it shows defensively.  Teagle Field is a difficult field to play.  Left and center field is huge (400 feet to the fence) and left field at sunset is brutal.  Everybody loves to hit at Teagle, but even the best local high school defensive outfielders have problems here and all visitors do.

Crown Point Post 20 (17-5)
Manager Marty Zurbriggen - home games at Teagle Field - post number in parenthesis
6-9 (L) 7-10 Highland-180 (17-6)
6-10 (canceled - rain) at Bristol (143)
6-12 (W) 10-3 South Bend -50 (23-5)
6-12 (W) 3-0 South Bend -50 (23-5)
6-13 (canceled) Kenosha, Wisconsin (21)
6-15 (rain) Hammond (168)

West Lafayette Invitational
6-17 (W) 3-0 Decatur (Ill.) Commodores
6-19 (W) 10-3 Indiana Renegades
6-19 (W) 2-1 Indiana Black Sox
6-20 (W) 11-0 (5 inn.) Hoosier Express
6-20 (L) 2-3 Bloomington Normal

Cincy (Ohio) Flames, Wooden Bat Tournament
6-24 (W) 2-1 (Lakewood, Ohio) J&A all-stars
6-25 (L) 2-4 (Nicholasville, Ky.) Kentucky Baseball Club
6-25 (L) 1-3 (Columbus, Ohio) Team EAS
6-26 (W) 8-5 (Cincinnati )Playground All Stars

6-29 (W) 6-2 at Highland-180 (17-6)
6-30 (W) 3-2 at Highland-180 (17-6)
7-1 (W) 12-7 at East Chicago-369)
7-2 (W) 13-2 (5 inn.) Highland 180-B
7-3 (W) 16-3 (5 inn.) Plymouth-27 (13-5)
7-5 (L) 3-6 at Plymouth Post 27 (13-5)
7-6 (W) 3-2 Norwood, Ill Blues
7-7 (W) 3-2 Hammond-168 (17-7-2)
7-9 (W) 14-2 East Chicago-369
7-10 (W) 10-6 Lafayette-11 (17-12)

CROWN POINT (20) Sectional
double-elimination at Teagle Field - CP
7-14 (W) 8-7 Hammond-168 (18-7-2) p.m.
7-15 (W) 16-11 Highland Post 180 (17-6)
7-17 (L) 3-13 Highland Post 180 - 7 innings (17-6)
7-18 (W) 17-9 Highland Post 180 (17-6) title

CROWN POINT (20) Regional
at Teagle Field - Crown Point
7-23 (F) vs. Plymouth Post 27 (16-10) 4 p.m.
7-24 (Sat) 3 games
7-25 (Sun) final round (TBA)

2010 American Legion State Finals
4 regional champions and host- double-elimination at Plymouth (27)
7-30 (F) 1st round double-header
7-31 (Sat) 3 games
8-1 (Sun) final round (TBA)

2010 American Legion Midwest Regional
7 state champs and host - double-elimination at Mattoon, Ill (88)
8-5 (Th) 1st round games
8-6 (F) elimination games
8-7 (Sat) elimination games
8-8 (Sun) final round (TBA)
8-9 Mon) final round (if necessary)

Thursday, 7-15-2010  -  Am Legion Sectional, 93-degrees at Teagle Field at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Mike Manion (5-2) 6k, 2 walks (5 innings)
SAVE: Mike Schroeder - 3K, 5 walks (4 innings)
LP - Ken Mahala (0-1) 4K, 0 walks (4 inn.)

(High school in parenthesis)

CROWN POINT (19-5)
(CP) Brian Holloway (RF) 1-for-6
(CP) Scott Donley (SS) 4-for-6, 2 doubles, RBI
(CP) Josh Negele (LF) 2-for-5, double, walk
(North Newton - Triton JC) Mike Schroeder 3-for-6, HR, double, 4 RBIs
(CP) Jose Andrade (C) 3-for-4, HR, double, walk, 2 RBIs
(CP) Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 4-for-5, 2 doubles 3 RBIs
(CP) Colin Casey (3B) 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs
(CP) Beau LaSalle (2B) 0-for-3, Sac, Fly, walk, RBI
(CP) Miek Kessler (CF) 1-for-3, Sac Flky, double, RBI
(CP) Mike Kessler (PH-OF) 1-for-3, double, 2 RBIs

HIGHLAND (15-5)
(Highland) Mike Bremer (C) 1-foir-3, 2 HBPs, RBI
(Highland) Rick Fowler (2B-P) 1-for-3, 3 walks, RBI
(Highland) John Livingston (1B) 1-for-6, HR, 2 RBIs
(Andrean) Ken Mahala (P-SS) 1-for-5, HR, walk
(Highland) Nick Mason (3B) 4-for-6, double
(Munster) John Cristo (LF) 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs
(Highland) Joel Smith (CF) 1-for-5
(Munster) Mark Strbjak (RF) 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs
(Highland) Jordan Polito (SS) 0-for-3, RBI
 

Wednesday, 7-14-2010  -  Am Legion Sectional, 89-degrees at Teagle Field at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Brian Holloway (4-1) 2K, 3 walks (2.7 inn.)
(Starter) Josh Negele (20) 6K, 4 walks (6.7 inn.) 106 pitches
LP - Jimmy McNamara (3-1) 1K, 2 walks (1.7 inn.)
(Starter) Ryan Wilkinson (168) 6K, 3 walks (6.7 inn.) 109 pitches

(High school in parenthesis)

CROWN POINT (18-5)
(CP) Brian Holloway (CF-P) 0-for-6, RBI
(CP) Scott Donley (SS) 2-for-6, HR, RBI
(CP) Josh Negele (P-RF) 3-for-5, 2 doubles
(CP) Jeff Limbaugh (LF) 0-for-3, 2 walks
(CP) Jose Andrade (C) 1-for-5
(North Newton - Triton JC) 4-for-4, walk, double, RBI
(CP) Colin Casey (3B) 4-for-5, walk
(CP) Beau LaSalle (2B) 1-for-3, double, sac bunt, walk
(CP) Mike Manion (LF) 0-for-2
(CP) Mike Kessler (PH-OF) 1-for-3, double, 2 RBIs

HAMMOND (17-5-1)
(LC) Matt Siedentopf (1B) 3-for-3, 2 walks
(LC) Eddie Moldenhauer (2B) 1-for-4, sac bunt
(LC) Cody Dykema (SS) 1-for-5
(LC) Steve Letz (RF) 1-for-4, walk
(Munster) Austin Waggoner (3B) 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, walk
(LC) Johnny Pederson (CF) 0-for-3 2 walks
(Munster) Ryan Wilkinson (P) 0-for-2, walk
(LC) Brian Crider (C) 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs
(LC) Sam Pattison (LF) 1-for-2, sac bunt