Boone Grove advances to PCC Tourney finals following 3-1 win over Hebron 5-18-2009
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

Saturday, 5-16-2009  -  62 degrees, PCC Semifinals at LaCROSSE, IN

WP -  Taylor Johnson (10-2) 12K, 1 walk (6 2/3 inning)
(Save) Roxanne Miniuk (2/3 inning) K, 0 walks
LP - Mollie Lindeman  (8-5), CG, 5K 0 walks

HEBRON (16-5)
Alyssa Spore (SS) 0-for-3
Mollie Lindeman (P) 0-for-3
Emily Higgins (3B) 0-for-3

Emily O'Leary (C) 0-for-3
Brittany Harrison (LF) 1-for-2, walk
Tara Kunst (1B) 1-for-2, run scored
Erica Pauer (PH) 0-for-1

Ashley Spurr (DP) 2-for-3, RBI
Stacy Blank (2B) 1-for-3
Stephanie Moser (CF) 0-for-3

BOONE GROVE (18-5)
Morgan Doelling (C) 0-for-3
Lauren Johnson (2B) 1-for-2, HBP, RBI
Katie Runyan (CF) 1-for-3, RBI

Caitlin Wilcox (1B) 1-for-3
Lauren Ferber (RF) 0-for-2, sac bunt
Taylor Johnson (P-3B) 2-for-3, HR

Christine Schroeder (SS) 0-for-3
Roxanne Miniuk (3B-P) 3-for-3
Carly Francis (DP) 0-for-1
Jen Cervak (PH) 0-for-2


2009 PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE (PCC) Softball Tournament
Quarterfinals
5-16 * BOONE GROVE 2, Washington Township 0
5-16 * HEBRON 12, Morgan Township 0
5-16 * Kouts 4, LaCrosse 3
5-16 * South Central at HANOVER CENTRAL (wet grounds)
5-18 (M) South Central at HANOVER - 4:30 p.m.

Semifinals
5-16 * BOONE GROVE 3, HEBRON 1
5-16 * Kouts vs HANOVER or South Central (delayed)
5-20 (Wed)  Kouts vs HANOVER or South Central - 4:30 p.m. (at LaCrosse)

Championship
5-21 (Thurs) BOONE GROVE (18-5) vs TBA (at LaCrosse)

PCC Softball Champions
2009: Boone Grove, Hanover, SC or Kouts
2008:   HANOVER CENTRAL
2007:  HANOVER CENTRAL
2006: HEBRON
2005: HANOVER CENTRAL
2004: HANOVER CENTRAL
2003: HANOVER CENTRAL
2002: HANOVER CENTRAL
2001: HANOVER CENTRAL
2000: Morgan Township
1999: HANOVER CENTRAL
1998: Morgan Township
1997: Morgan Township

LaCROSSE (5-16-2009) If you arrived at the Porter County Conference (PCC) softball tournament at 12 noon expecting to see the semifinal between Hanover Central and Lacrosse, you knew something was wrong when Boone Grove and Hebron took the field.  And after Boone defeated Hebron 3-1 in a well-played semifinal contest, everybody went home.  What?

Due to lots of rain, some possible confusion and maybe the lack of a bus, championship day of the PCC tournament went up in smoke Saturday.  The title will now be decided in descending darkness late on a Thursday night.  Maybe.

Boone Grove's Wolves, rated third in the state, did their part.  In a showdown with neighbor Hebron (16-5), senior Katie Runyan's single broke a 1-1 tie and pitcher Taylor Johnson homered for the insurance run as Boone moved into the league championship game for the second year in a row.

Boone (18-5) expected to face defending PCC champ Hanover Central (16-3) late Saturday, but the sixth-ranked Lady Cats were two counties away.  All four quarterfinal games were rained out Friday night and Hanover's home field in Cedar Lake was still unplayable Saturday for their first round game with South Central.  Since South Central's field was also unplayable, those two teams rescheduled the game for Monday and went home, leaving Boone Grove and everybody else playing for the right to wait four days.

"I want to play them now," said Johnson, referring to Hanover.  "We have a game at Merrillville scheduled for Thursday."

"Hopefully the weather will be OK," said Boone coach Andy Nicksich, who didn't want his players to say anything about Hanover's decision to call off their game. "I don't know what happened.  Obviously they could have played here.  But I guess they didn't have a bus."

I don't think anyone benefits by a delay.  While Hanover is playing two PCC tournament games, Boone will be taking on Crown Point (May 18) and Portage (May 20).  Hanover was supposed to host 1A No. 4 Whiting (13-4) Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23 is the last day of the regular season.  That's why many at LaCrosse were a little upset when Boone's semifinal win ended on a dry field with six hours of sunshine left.

Hebron almost prevented a Boone-Hanover final when they took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI single by Ashley Spurr.  Hebron freshman right-hander Mollie Lindeman carried a shutout into the fifth inning and she might have won with better luck.

Roxanne Miniuk's sinking flyball to center was played by outfielder Stephanie Moser into a leadoff single.  Two outs later, Lauren Johnson, Taylor's twin sister, tied the game with an RBI single to center.  Then, Boone senior Katie Runyan slapped a single off the leg of Lindeman, scoring Lauren Johnson to make it 2-1.

In the sixth, Taylor Johnson gave her side a 3-1 lead with a line drive home run to left field, moments after she had walked back to the dugout to change her bats.

"I just bought a new bat," Taylor said.  "I had the wrong bat.  It was the same bat I had.  Then I said, 'This is not my bat.'"

With the correct bat, Johnson put an end to a close semifinal with a long drive into a puddle of water beyond the left field fence at LaCrosse, a hit that backed up her 12-strikeout performance.

Johnson did not complete the game after Hebron singles by Brittany Harrison and Ashley Spurr put the tying runs on base with one out in the seventh inning.  Nicksich changed pitchers, moving Miniuk to the pitching rubber.

"Did you see the look on her face when I took her out?" Niksich joked later.  "She does not like to be taken out of the game.  It was a calculated risk and if we'd have lost I'd have been second-guessed forever.  But Roxy gives them a little bit of a different look and it worked."

"I could have gotten the last two outs," said Johnson, listening to her coach's expatiation.  "I wouldn't have lost the game."

"She's a competitor," Niksich said of Johnson.  "That's how you have to think.  That's why she's successful.  And if we'd have lost, she'd never speak to me again."

PCC NOTES:  Hebron freshman starting pitcher Mollie Lindeman and Crown Pont freshman baseball outfielder Jake Lindeman are cousins.  Their fathers are brothers.  Jake is the younger brother of 2007 CP graduate Jordan Lindeman, who is now at Valparaiso University.  Mollie reportedly has a younger sister who may follow in her pitching shoes for the Hawks in the next decade.

The problem with playing the Porter County Conference (PCC) championship game Thursday is that it leaves no margin for error.  Both Boone and Hanover can postpone or cancel any games they had previously scheduled.  That's not the issue.  LaCrosse does not have lights for softball and it's a full hour drive from Cedar Lake to LaCrosse.  Rain is also forecast for Wednesday, the new PCC semifinal date.  Any delays or an extra-inning championship game could push the finals to Friday.  You cannot, by IHSAA rules, play beyond Saturday because the 25th state softball tournament begins Monday.

Some Boone parents wanted Hanover to forfeit (they didn't mention South Central), because they didn't move the quarterfinal game to LaCrosse.  Boone is still upset about the PCC finals three years ago when they had to forfeit the PCC title game because they'd scheduled the prom for the same day and the girls wanted to attend the prom rather than play.  That's how Hebron won the 2006 PCC tournament.

Had HC and SC driven to LaCrosse, they could have played before the Boone/Hebron semifinal game (it was sunny and dry by 12 noon) and the winner obviously could have played LaCrosse after the Boone/Hebron game.  But HC and SC may not have known that all the other Q-final games were played.  They canceled their game and went home.

The real issue here is why doesn't the PCC play its title tournament at a school that has lights?  The only such facility in the PCC is at Hanover Central, which isn't in Porter County.  But then, neither is Lacrosse.

Boone's Taylor Johnson and sister Lauren will both play softball at Olivet Nazarene beginning in the fall of 2010.

"Its in Bourbanais," Taylor explained.  "Just outside of Kankakee.  It has a very good elementary education program.  They have a lot of scholarship money and a good record for softball.  I got 90% of my tuition (paid for).  My dad's happy about that.  He says I get a new car when I graduate."

She gets a new car when she graduates from high school?

"No," she says. "He said when I graduate college.  I wish."

Boone athletic director Doug Knutson, who was on hand hoping to see the Wolves win the school's first PCC softball title, had other news.

"We're hosting a 'Meet the Coaches' pancake breakfast on June 7," he said, "from 8-10 a.m. at Applebees in Valparaiso on Route 30.  The cost is $6 per person.  All the coaches will serve pancakes, sausage and a drink to everybody.  You can meet the entire Boone Grove coaching staff."

Boone does not have a field yet, but they will begin junior varsity level football this fall and they'll play JV games for two seasons before they play a full varsity schedule for the first time in 2011.

"We'll have a varsity game the end of the second (2010) season," Knutson said.  "I think we'll be playing South Newton.  We have contacted them.  And we'll open up with Wheeler the following year.  Those two are tentative.  We haven't signed anything."

"They (SN) are looking for a week nine game.  They called and asked and I said that we'd do it.  I'm the director of football operations so I can do what I want."

Boone figures to play teams like South Central, River Forest and Lake Station, but those teams have league obligations.  It might be easier to get North Judson, an independent, on the schedule."

"That's the caliber of school we'd like to play in year three," said Knutson.  "We might take our lumps right away, but you have to play.  They have a solid schedule.  We've talked a little bit."

"We have a referendum on June 16.  If that passes, the plan is to put a multi purpose facility where the central office is (on Route 2) now.  North of the soccer field.  The field will stay there and be improved.  North of that would be the all-weather track, field and stadium with restrooms, concession stands and press boxes.  That could be done pretty quickly."

"June 16 is the vote, but football moves forward either way.  We'll have a 'Plan B'.  But I don't know what Plan B is right now."