Crown Point defeats Munster 5-2 to improve baseball record to 6-0

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-12-2010

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

Saturday, 4-10-2010 - 72 degrees, sunny at CROWN POINT, IN

MUNSTER (3-4)
Mark Strbjak (RF) 0-for-3
Matt Brozovic (SS) 1-for-2, walk
Josh Lukoshous (2B) 0-for-2, walk
Kevin Watterson (DH) 0-for-3
Collin Mudronick (LF) 0-for-2, HBP
Ryan Wilkinson (P) 1-for-3
Jim Hinkleman (3B) 0-for-2, walk
Mike Erwin (C) 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs
Nate Egan (CF) 0-for-3

CROWN POINT (6-0)
Mike Manion (LF) 0-for-2, sac bunt
Scott Donley (3B) 1-for-4
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) 1-for-2, HBP, RBI
Josh Negele (P) 2-for-3, triple, RBI
Jake Lindeman (SS) 1-for-2, Sac. Fly, RBI
Jose Andrade (C) 2-for-3
Colin Casey (3B) 1-for-3, HR, RBI
Mike Kessler (CF) 0-for-3
Brian Holloway (RF) 0-for-2, HBP

CROWN POINT, IN (4-10-2010) They look good again. They're undefeated in April again. So, here we go again. For the fifth time in the last five seasons, Crown Point baseball stood at 6-0 last weekend after taking back-to-back home games 11-6 over Griffith and 5-2 over Munster.

While a fast start is always a welcome reward for a long pre-season that truthfully begins indoors in January, no one at CP gets too excited winning the first 20% of the 30-game schedule anymore.

Coach Steve Strayer actually seemed to welcome a close game after the Bulldogs (6-0) piled up 10 or more runs on four consecutive opponents.

"We ran up against a good pitcher today," Strayer said. "Josh (Negele) did a good job for us, but we beat a very good baseball team today. I was very impressed with Munster."

CP took a 1-0 first inning lead on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Jake Lindeman, but Highland left-hander Ryan Wilkinson (2-1), who will play at Toledo University next year, shut out CP until the fifth inning.

But Negele, CP's all-DAC left-hander, allowed just two singles in the first six innings, striking out seven and walking two. He left with a 5-0 lead before Munster's Mike Erwin hit a two-run home run with one out in the seventh.

Munster coach Bob Shinkan, in his 25th season, thought the game and the week (Munster was 2-2) were both good for his team.

"We had a passed ball and a hit batter in that four-run inning," he said. "Those little things led them to those runs. These games give us a lot to work on. They're good competition."

Wilkinson controlled CP's lineup with decent velocity, but movement that ran away from the right handed hitters. Half of the hits off the Munster senior were by left-handed batters Donley and Negele. The only right-handed batter to hit Wilkinson solidly was Colin Casey, who lifted a 375-foot home run to center field leading off the sixth.

"Our hitters have to adjust to what is being done to them," said Strayer, who suggests that his boys have become a little complacent due to the big early production.

"Wilkinson is good. It's nice to come out and get a win against him. I thought we were vulnerable today. We want to be able to do more damage than we did. I didn't expect to score 10 runs but we've got to be able to adjust to pitching."

The high pre-season ranking doesn't seem to mean much to CP right now. CP ended the 2009 season rated No. 1 and they know how far it got them.

"We're used to it," said Strayer. "It's been this way a couple of years now. We don't have all nine guys running on all cylinders. Hopefully we can get seven or eight."

The Northwest Indiana Classic, which pits the Northwest Crossroads Conference (Lowell, Highland, Griffith and Munster) against the Duneland Athletic Conference (Portage, Merrillville, LC and Crown Point) again saw Crown Point and Lake Central go 4-0.

Games were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday off. Then match ups were held Thursday and Friday with Saturday off. Weather made Wednesday and Thursday unplayable but the Thursday games were pushed to Saturday and all eight teams got all four games in.

"The thing that helped was that we had rain dates built in," said Strayer. "When you have a rain date, you're more apt to get them in and not be scrambling for games."
"I hope we can keep doing this."

Munster annually travels to Terre Haute for a three-game spring break weekend. This season, they outscored Mt. Vernon 21-10, lost to Terre Haute South 11-6 and had a third game rained out.

"I was disappointed we had a game rained out. But in the seven years we've been there. This was the first time we had any games rained out, so I can't complain."

"When we go down there, I want to give everyone a chance to play. The parents go too so they need to see their kid play. Naturally, we're going to go to win, but everybody's going to play one way or another. Terre Haute South does a class job of hosting it. It's good competition."

"We pay a tournament at Bellmont and I also got into a tournament at Crawfordsville this year. We're going to be on the road for a while, but I want the kids to play. I'll match my schedule with anybody who we play."

CP's would be a good match. The Bulldogs travel to Mishawaka and Clay next Saturday for two games and tournaments at Plymouth and Benton Central are yet to come. That's why 6-0 is a snapshot and the big picture has yet to come into focus.

"Last year at the semistate," said Strayer, "we did not adjust to the situation. We can make excuses about the lights or the pitcher or the umpire, but we had to make adjustments. You have to adjust during the game or you're going to lose."

"We have to compete and we did a little bit of that today. We got us a win."

DOG NOTES: The last time Crown Point did not win their first six games of the season was 2005, when the Bulldogs lost the third game of the season at Kankakee Valley. Because of the rainout with Elkhart Memorial, Crown Point has an extra game to play. They would like to play Chicago power Brother Rice, but Rice does not have an open date.

Local fans would like to see Crown Point face Andrean, and while that hasn't been discussed publicly, it could be arranged for late next month. Right now, the Bulldogs wade into Duneland Athletic Conference play, which means two games each with LaPorte (7-0) and Lake Central (6-0).

Brian Holloway allowed four hits in five innings as CP built an 11-1 lead against Griffith on Friday. CP scored six times in the first inning as Scott Donley was 3-for-4 with two doubles and Holloway drove in four runs. Jake Lindeman had a three-run triple.

4A No. 1 CROWN POINT (6-0)
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 (5-2)
4-1 (W) 15-0 @ (South Bend) Adams (2-4)
4-3 (rain) Elkhart Memorial
4-5 (W) 12-0 @ Highland (4-2)
4-6 (W) 15-4 @ Lowell (1-3-1)
4-9 (W) 11-6 Griffith (1-4)
4-10 (W) 5-2 Munster (3-4)
4-13 (Tu) @ Portage (4-1) 4:30 p.m.
4-15 (Th) VALPARAISO- 4:30 p.m.
4-17 (Sat) @ (South Bend) Clay - 10 a.m.
4-17 (Sat.) @ Mishawaka (3-2) 3 p.m.
4-19 (M) CHESTERTON - 4:30 p.m.
4-21 (W) LaPORTE (6-0) 4:30 p.m.
4-24 (S) vs MICHIGAN CITY @ the US Steelyard - Gary - 4:30 p.m.
4-27 (Tu) MERRILLVILLE (4-2) 4:30 p.m.
4-29 (Th) @ LAKE CENTRAL (5-0) 4:30 p.m.
4-30 (F) Illiana Christian - 4:30 p.m.
5-3 (M) PORTAGE- 4:30 p.m.
5-5 (W) @ VALPARAISO - 4:30 p.m.
5-7 (F) @ CHESTERTON - 4:30 p.m.

Plymouth Invitational (with Penn, Carroll & CP)
5-8 (S) semifinals (a.m.) finals (night)

5-11 (Tu) @ LaPORTE - 4:30 p.m.
5-13 (Th) MICHIGAN CITY - 4:30 p.m.
5-14 (F) Boone Grove - 7 p.m.
5-18 (Tu) @ MERRILLVILLE - 4:30 p.m.
5-20 (Th) LAKE CENTRAL - 4:30 p.m.

Benton Central Invitational
5-22 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-22 (S) finals (p.m.)

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

4A CROWN POINT Sectional
5-27 (Th) quarterfinals (p.m.)
5-28 (F) quarterfinals (p.m.)
5-29 (S) semifinals (a.m.).
5-31 (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) @ Victory Field - Indianapolis - 7 p.m.