Crown Point tops Benton Central 11-9, captures championship trophy

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

5-24-2010

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (25-4)	1	0	4	0	3	1	2	11	12	4
BENTON CENTRAL (17-7)	0	0	4	1	4	0	0	9	8	2

Saturday, 5-22-2010 - 78 degrees, sunny - Benton Central Invitational Championship at OXFORD, IN

WP - Ronnie Plesac (1-0) 2K, 0 walks (2 innings)
(starter) Brian Holloway (CP) 3K, 2 walks (4 inn.)
LP - Devin Freeland (2-2) 3K, 4 walks (2.7 inn.)
(starter) Christian Hale (BC) 1K, 1 walk (2.3 inn)

Benton Central (17-7)
Nick Morris (1B) 1-for-3
John O'Malley (2B) 1-for-3, walk
Tanner Rosenbarger (CF) 2-for-4, double, RBI
Aaron Kult (RF) 2-for-4, double, 3 RBIs
Mitch O'Malley (C) 0-for-4
Nick Paterson (SS) 0-for-4
Eric Purcell (DH) 0-for-1
Kenyon Spangler (3B) 2-for-3, walk, 3 RBIs
Devin Freeland (LF) 0-for-2, sac bunt, walk

CROWN POINT (25-4)
Scott Donley (2B) 1-for-4, double, walk
Brett Bayer (LF) 2-for-5, double
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs
Josh Negele (RF) 2-for-5, stolen base, RBI
Jose Andrade (DH) 2-for-3, walk
Jake Lindeman (SS) 1-for-2, double, 2 walks, RBI
Beau LaSalle (3B) 0-for-1
Joey Hopman (3B) 1-for-2, walk, double, RBI
Colin Casey (C) 0-for-3, walk, RBI
CJ Berrera (CF) 1-for-3, sac bunt, 2 RBIs

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
WESTERN (15-5)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	0
CROWN POINT (24-4)	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0

Saturday, 5-22-2010 - 65 degrees, sunny - Benton Central Invitational Semifinal at OXFORD, IN

WP - Mike Manion (7-2) CG, 12 Ks, 2 walks
LP - Clay O'Neill (4-4) CG, 2K, 4 walks

Western (15-5)
Matt Reida (SS) 0-for-3
Connor Love (C) 1-for-3
Damon Reel (3B) 1-for-3
Mike Jakubowicz (CF) 0-for-3
Adam Bolen (3B) 0-for-2, walk
Andrew Monroe (P) 1-for-3
Drew Brantley (LF) 1-for-2, walk
Bo Weir (1B) 0-for-3
Kyle Ennis (DH) 0-for-3

CROWN POINT (24-4)
Scott Donley (2B) 1-for-3, walk
Brett Bayer (LF) 2-for-3, sac bunt
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 0-for-2, walk
Josh Negele (RF) 1-for-2, HR, walk
Jose Andrade (C) 2-for-3, walk
Jake Lindeman (SS) 0-for-2, walk
Beau LaSalle (3B) 0-for-3
Colin Casey (DH) 0-for-3
Brian Holloway (RF) 0-for-2, sac bunt

OXFORD, IN (5-22-2010) If you have to play the final regular season road game of your career, Benton Central is where to play it. On a timeless, sunny day at Benton's country style ballfield, Crown Point brought the road season to and end Saturday, topping Western 3-1 and host BC 11-9 to win the four-team Benton Central Invitational.

With dozens of towering white wind turbines as far as the eye could see sprouting from the green cornfields beyond the outfield, the Bulldogs (25-4) prevailed in a tight semifinal triumph behind right hander Mike Manion, who struck out 12.

CP, which opens the playoffs at home Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. against Valparaiso (16-6), then returned to their high-scoring, barnstorming ways, losing leads of 5-0 and 8-5 before rallying from a 9-8 deficit and winning their second four-team tourney title (they also won the Plymouth Invitational) this season.

It was a flawed 10-hour day for the Lake County visitors, but it was pure college-style all-day Saturday baseball until the sun went down, the way you probably imagine it will be when you first try out for the team.

"In the first game, I didn't think our offense was that great," said coach Steve Strayer. "And in the second game, I didn't think our defense was very good. But we battled. We had to reach down and come back against good teams. It was a good day for us."

It was a classic day for all concerned.

Senior Josh Negele's three-run, first-inning home run won the semifinal and freshman left-hander Ronnie Plesac, making his varsity debut in the 29th game of the year, got the win, pitching two shutout innings to help his school with its first BC Invite trophy on its first try.

If there was a thought that CP's recent exaggerated level of baseball success (135-25-2 in the last five seasons) could not possibly continue without the soon-to-graduate 'big three' of all-state senior players Negele, Jeff Limbaugh and Scott Donley, Plesac and sophomore rookie outfielder Brett Bayer (who went 4-for-8 on the day) seemed to appear out of a Benton County cornfield to suggest that the Bulldogs could continue to be a state power.

Plesac, the nephew of former Chicago Cub and 17-year major league pitcher Dan Plesac, came out of the bullpen after CP tied the championship game 9-9 in the top of the sixth. The 6-foot-2 lefty retired Benton Central (17-7) in order on nine pitches and the Bulldogs then broke the tie in the top of the seventh.

With two out and pinch runner Mike Manion at second base, Bayer struck out on a breaking ball that bounced past BC catcher Mitch O'Malley, who could not immediately find it. Manion rounded third base and scored with a head first dive into home plate to give CP a 10-9 lead. Limbaugh's line drive single to left gave the Bulldogs a two-run edge and Plesac protected it, striking out two in the bottom of the seventh.

"He's got a few things to work on," said Strayer. "And he's got to learn what to do when things don't go right. That's going to happen. But when he figures it all out, we think he'll be pretty good."

Bayer, who actually has been with the varsity during the second half of the season, is surprising. The CP football place kicker looks too small (maybe 5-foot-9, 160) to matter, but he's a surprisingly good athlete with a lot of speed.

"We're impressed by his toughness," said Strayer, who inserted the sophomore into the No. 2 spot in the batting order this week.

"He can hit and he can bunt. I don't know if we've settled on a batting order and I don't know if we have to. Josh (Negele) has hit well in the cleanup spot and he's hit well in the leadoff spot."

Benton Central (17-7), which lost 11-6 to Lake Central in April, defeated Heritage Christian 2-1 in the semifinals Saturday. But they fell behind Crown Point 5-0, with the help of a 375-foot two-run, third-inning homer by Limbaugh, his 10th of the year.

BC scored four times against Bulldog right-hander Brian Holloway in the third after 3-2 pitch walks to the Bison's eighth and ninth place hitters. Senior Aaron Kult lined a two-run double to the left center field fence to cut the lead to 5-4.

CP took an 8-5 lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Jose Andrade, an RBI double by Beau LaSalle and sacrifice fly from senior Colin Casey.

But Benton Central rallied with an RBI single by Kult against Holloway and a bases loaded walk from Pat Lester, plus a two run single by pinch hitter Cameron Kirts off LaSalle, CP's first relief pitcher. CP tied the game 9-9 in the sixth inning when sophomore Jake Lindeman walked with the bases full.

"We wanted to get him into a game before the season ended," said the coach who has had a string of star left-handed pitchers in Matt Jansen, Blake Mascarello and now Josh Negele, who all got into games as freshmen. "Plus Jake (Lindeman) was dragging a little. We needed him."

"I remember my first start," said Negele, of his debut, a five-inning 2007 no-hitter against Hanover Central. "That was the wildest I've ever been. He wasn't wild at all. And he's just a freshman."

BC manager Gary DeHaven, whose team is getting ready to face West Lafayette in 3A Sectional 20, says CP is comparable to Lake Central.

"They're a big hitting team obviously," he said. "I'm sure we didn't see their number one pitcher. We didn't pitch ours either. They can bunt and play for one run if they have to. The difference between us and them is that their No. 2 is really good. With us, our two and three are pretty much the same. Good but they don't change speeds that well. You keep throwing the same speed it doesn't matter how hard you throw, you'll get hit."

We'll know more in 10 days, but the Benton Central tournament, two games in one day against winning teams, seems to be a perfect warm up for the state tournament, providing no one gets hurt. Bulldog junior catcher Jose Andrade, who was spiked on the hand in the 4-1 loss to Lake Central last Thursday, was 4-for-7 and seemed to be OK.

The next time Crown Point plays a road game it'll either be in the LaPorte Regional on June 5 or in March of 2011. A lot of that has to do with the presense of 2nd-ranked LaPorte (24-3), a team Crown Point would face Monday, Memorial Day at 12:30 p.m. in the sectional semifinals.

Negele says he's ready to take the ball against anyone who lines up against the Bulldogs at the CP Sectional.

"I'm more ready than I was last year," he said before heading for the bus Saturday in Benton County. "These games were good for us today."

DOG NOTES: Western (16-5) defeated 2A No. 5 Heritage Christian (20-7) in the consolation game. Benton Central (17-7) added CP and HC after Crown Point ended the CP Classic last year. The Bulldogs are better off playing late season games on the road and Coach Steve Strayer doesn't mind coming to Benton County.

"It's not that far away," he said after the final game. "And unlike Plymouth, you get home early."

The championship game of the Plymouth Invitational, which has been a CP staple in the first week of May for the last few years begins at 7:30 p.m. CP time. The title game at Benton Central started at 5:00 p.m. and ended in daylight.

It is hard to accurately detail the visual display beyond the outfield at the Benton Central baseball field. The 300-foot tall wind turbines, which do not exist as of yet in Lake County, are all over the Route 41 area in Benton County and there are dozens dominating the landscape in the farmland beyond the left and center field fence. The closest wind turbine to the playing field is about 50 yards behind the left field fence and it rises far above the ball field light towers creating an alien invasion amusement park feel to the entire scene.

The uniqueness of the scene is somewhat lost on the local Benton Central people, who have already become accustomed to the soaring snow white towers, the size of football fields, that produce electricity for residential areas. More than one of the giant rotating white blades are clearly moving in the distance behind the center field fence, in the line of sight of the batter.

"You don't see them," said one BC player Saturday. "I mean. You see them if you look at them, but you really don't notice them while you're batting."

Oddly, the wind turbines, which are giant windmills that produce electricity, do not power the school and the one nearest the elementary school next door is still. It is not allowed to be used during the school year because it is considered unsafe.

After batting Josh Negele in the leadoff position for a few games, Strayer went back to having Negele bat fourth. Scott Donley, who has batted second most of his career, was in the leadoff spot Saturday.

"If we bat him fourth," said Strayer, "it give us some depth in the order with Jose (Andrade) fifth. I don't think it matters."

Negele says, "I don't really care. I'll bat leadoff or I'll bat fourth behind Limbaugh. It doesn't matter much."

4A No. 1 CROWN POINT (25-3)
Coach Steve Strayer (8th year)
30-3 in 2009, 29-6-2 (2008), 29-3 (2007), 22-9 (2006)

4-30 (W) 3-1 @ (Orland Park) Sandburg (21-10)
4-1 (W) 15-0 @ (5 inn.) Adams (8-16)
4-5 (W) 12-0 @ (5 inn.) Highland (18-8)
4-6 (W) 15-4 (5 inn.) @ Lowell (11-12-1)
4-9 (W) 11-6 Griffith (9-18)
4-10 (W) 5-2 Munster (17-8)
4-13 (W) 12-0 (6 inn.) @ Portage (14-9)
4-15 (W) 8-4 VALPARAISO (16-6)
4-17 (W) 11-6 @ (South Bend) Clay (12-9)
4-17 (W) 14-8 @ Mishawaka (10-12)
4-19 (L) 4-5 CHESTERTON (4-15)
4-21 (W) 5-4 LaPORTE (22-3)
4-22 (W) 6-2 (Elkhart) Memorial (12-9)
4-24 (W) 3-1 (8 inn.) vs MICHIGAN CITY (7-17) in Gary
4-27 (W) 6-1 MERRILLVILLE (8-12)

4-29 (L) 12-13 @ LAKE CENTRAL (20-5)
4-30 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) Illiana Christian (20-12)
5-3 (W) 12-2 (5 inn.) PORTAGE (14-9).
5-5 (W) 14-0 (5 inn.) @ VALPARAISO (16-6)
Plymouth Invitational
5-8 (W) 6-5 Penn (18-5) semifinal
5-8 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) Carroll (17-6) title

5-10 (W) 4-0 @ CHESTERTON (4-12)
5-11 (L) 0-10 (5 in.) @ LaPORTE (22-3)
5-14 (W) 12-0 (5 inn.) Boone Grove (15-12)
5-17 (W) 10-0 (5 inn.) MICHIGAN CITY (7-17)
5-18 (W) 14-0 @ (5 inn.) MERRILLVILLE (8-12)
5-20 (L) 1-4 (6 inn.) LAKE CENTRAL (20-3)

Benton Central Invitational
5-22 (W) 3-1 Western (12-4)
5-22 (W) 11-9 Benton Central (17-7) title

5-24 (M) Kankakee Valley (14-12) 7 p.m.

4A CROWN POINT Sectional (8 teams)
5-27 (TH) Valparaiso (16-6) 4:30 p.m.
5-31 (M) semifinals (a.m.)
6-1 (M) sectional championship (p.m.)

4A LaPorte Regional
6-5 (Sat) semifinals (a.m.) finals (p.m.)

4A South Bend Semistate Championship
6-12 (S) one game (TBA)

2010 Indiana Class 4A State Championship game
6-19 (S) at Victory Field - Indianapolis - 7:00 p.m.