Crown Point Post 20 "B" team (ages 17 & under) sweeps double-header 11-1 over Hammond Post 168 "B" and 10-9 over Lansing's Babe Ruth team

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

6-26-2005

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Hammond (168) 'B'	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	5
CP (20) 'B'	1	0	5	4	0	1	-	11	11	1

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Lansing Babe Ruth	6	0	0	1	0	2	0	9	4	3
CP (20) 'B'	0	4	0	2	0	1	3	10	8	2

CROWN POINT, IN (6-23-2005) - It was an unscheduled double-header, which didn't go the way it was supposed to go.

But it went down in the win column as two much-needed wins for Crown Point's 'B' (ages 17 and under) team.

“We're working on things,” said manager Larry Samano, after CP defeated Hammond 11- 1 in six innings and rallied to stop Lansing's Babe Ruth all-stars 10-9 Thursday night. “We're working on a lot of things.”

CP (6-4) came in off consecutive losses where they committed 10 errors, but they didn't resemble the same team in the 10-run win over a good Hammond 17-and-under squad, made up largely of Munster high school underclassmen.

“I don't really understand that,” said Samano, who played his older players against Hammond and younger boys against Lansing. “That's the same team that beat us twice in Terre Haute over the weekend. We beat Evansville and Terre Haute in that tournament. That's the first time we've ever beaten them since I've been coaching the team.

Hammond had a defensive breakdown with five errors, but it was four consecutive hits in a five-run second inning that made a winning pitcher out of Andrean freshman Ed Arambula, the Post 20 starter.

Andrew Higgins and Tommy Wise both hit hard line drives that sailed past Hammond lefter field Josh Dimalig, scoring three of those runs.

The left field at Teagle Field is notorious for its difficulty. The sun sets behind the first baseline and even experienced players lose the ball in the sunset. Both of the balls by Higgins and Wise required outstanding plays but with the glare from behind the first base stands, Dimalig did not come close to either one.

Samano played a lot of younger players in the second game and it showed as they faced a 6-0 deficit after ½ inning.

“I had to get some of the younger guys in there,” the manager said. “We won't have that many chances to play them. Some of the 15-year-olds, I'm not going to start them in league games. They make a lot of mistakes, but I've got to give them a chance.”

Trailing by six, CP rallied after Lansing pitcher Dennis Sidkey walked four batters in the second inning. Run-scoring hits by Chris Saroff and Chris Samano got the home team back in the slowly-played game.

Lansing, which stole 10 bases in 11 attempts, led 9-6 in the sixth inning before Adam Kennedy's two-out RBI single cut the lead to two. In the seventh inning, Ryan Langbehn drew a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch to bring the lead run to the plate.

Then Saroff, who had had base hits in seven consecutive at bats, lined a 3-2 pitch hard into right center field all the way to the fence. The CPHS varsity infielder then scored the winning run when a 3-2 pitch to Chris Samano got past Lansing catcher Nick Eyer.

“Saroff is a very good player,” said his manager. “He knows what to do and he knows how to play. I didn't want to pitch him in the seventh inning because I wanted to use him in Kokomo (Saturday) but Dustin Gibbon was tired and he starting hitting people (Gibbon hit three Lansing players with pitches in the sixth inning). I had to make a change.”

“Chris has been a dynamite player for me. I appreciate him coming out. He's very mature. He knows the game. Our issue is, we need to get guys to start playing with confidence. This is our 10^th game. That was the reason we went to Terre Haute. The young guys need to step up because we need them.”

LEGION NOTES: Matt Dobin, the top hitter and part time pitcher for Kankakee Valley last spring and a member of the KV summer team, walked five and gave up six runs (three unearned) in less than two innings. But there may have been a reason.

“He pitched Monday,” said manager Larry Samano. “That's what he told me after I took him out. I told him Tuesday night that he'd be pitching tonight. He said 'Okay. Fine.' I didn't know he pitched Monday or I wouldn't have pitched him tonight (Thursday). You've got to speak up in a situation like that. I'm not a mind reader. You need to speak up. Doug Greenlee (KV's summer team coach) is not going to call me up and tell me he pitched Matt Dobin Monday night. He said he told me but I don't remember that. He needed to tell me that.”

“Honestly, though, he was seeing errors all around him. He didn't pitch well but he had some young players in the field behind him.”

Catcher Andy Stalbaum probably couldn't be blamed for the 10 Lansing stolen bases in the second game Thursday night.

“I need to play Stalbaum at catcher because you can't catch the same guy (Adam Kennedy) all the time,” said Samano. “Plus I need to see Kennedy at first base because I need his bat in the lineup.”

“But poor Stalbaum can't stop all those stolen bases. They stole them on the pitcher. They didn't steal on the catcher. Our pitchers have to hold people on base better.”

The Post 20 'B' team will face Mishawaka Post 161, Bristol Post 143 and Hammond Post 168 in the four-team 'B' team regional next month. Before 2004, there had been no 'B' team regional because of the lack of 'B' teams. There are still just 13 'B' teams (age 17 and under) state wide but that number is up over five years ago when the CP 'B' was launched. Bristol's 'B' team, largely Elkhart-area players, was 4-0 after four games last week.

The new Mishawaka 'B' team will play at Crown Point Sunday afternoon and Lowell plays Crown Point Tuesday night. Both sides are looking forward to the Sunday, July 3 double-header matching the Post 20 'B' team against the Post 20 'A' squad, beginning at 2 p.m..

The 'A' team lost the opening game of the Terre Haute Invitational 14-4 to host Terre Haute Post 346 Thursday night. Manager Tony Samano's team was scheduled to play Evansville, Madison and Lafayette Post 11 before returning home on Sunday.