Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Michigan City (17-8)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3
CROWN POINT (26-1)	2	2	0	0	0	0	-	4	5	0

Crown Point's Taylor Perry remains undefeated as pitcher (14-0) after the Lady Bulldogs shut-out Michigan City 4-0 in the 4A Chesterton Sectional quarterfinal.   (All photos by Mark Smith)

CHESTERTON (5-25-2010) The present may have met the future Tuesday night in the Class 4A Chesterton Sectional quarterfinals as the team of the present, top-ranked Crown Point, met the team of the future, up-and-coming Michigan City.

The future is always trumped by the present.

Undefeated senior right-hander Taylor Perry pitched a two-hit shutout and topped a Michigan City squad that started two freshmen in a quiet 4-0 night cap to the second quarterfinal double-header of opening week of the 26th state softball tournament.

LaPorte topped Merrillville 8-3 and Chesterton stopped Hobart 4-1 on Monday and Portage defeated Valparaiso 11-5 in the game that preceded CP's victory.  Crown Point (26-1) will carry a 25-game winning streak into Thursday night's second semifinal and the top-ranked team continues to be a heavy sectional title favorite.

Perry allowed two hits and no walks while MC contributed three errors to three unearned runs that spawned a 4-0 CP lead after two innings.  Even with a small but noisy Michigan City cheering section on hand, the game was over after two innings.

"I knew we needed to score first," said Michigan City coach Candy Feare.  "Even being down 2-0, it's hard to catch up to the number one team in the state.  You just can't give them a couple of runs.  But I give our kids credit.  They didn't quit.  Our mood changed (after it was 4-0).  Our kids tried to keep coming back, but we just didn't get there."

Michigan City (17-8) which starts freshman shortstop (and MC basketball star) Jameka Collins and freshman left fielder Aubria Smith and just two seniors, looks like a DAC contender in 2011.

But Crown Point (26-1), which won for the 25th game in a row, looks like a state contender right now.  Perry, the six foot right hander, gave up two two-base hits.  Senior Katrina Klingberg's two-run single gave the Bulldogs a first-inning lead after losing pitcher Peyton Webb fumbled Tori Connelly's opening slap bunt.  MC third baseman Sarah Brinckman fielded Connelly's one hopper with two on and two out in the second inning and inexplicably threw home instead of to first.  The throw was wild and two runs scored for a 4-0 CP lead and that was all the scoring.

If you have to win three games in four nights as favorite CP does, you could not have a better first night.  The second game of the night didn't begin until 7:45 p.m., but it was quick and calm with no CP errors.

After waiting all day to play, Crown Point played like a team which has now won 50 of its last 56 games.

"They're the real deal," said Feare.  "Perry is an excellent pitcher.  We got a couple of hits, but we couldn't put anything together.  We had to chase (the lead) all night."

CP coach Brett Crutchfield was intense during the game, but he admitted that he had to work a fine line there.

"We have a target on our backs (because of the No. 1 ranking), absolutely," said the third year coach.  "Our girls responded to it early tonight.  We played good defense all night long and we got the job done."

Crown Point's other senior pitcher, Jackie Beilfuss, could be seen warming up in the middle of the game and it looked like Crutchfield would make a change, if only to save Perry in the 85-degree heat.

"I thought they were starting to time Taylor a bit," he said.  "So the third time through the batting order, we thought about making a change."

"But I told Jackie to warm up a little too late and she wasn't really ready for the top of the sixth.  Taylor got through the sixth OK so we let her go."

Softball players do not sit around after school and wait to go play a scheduled 7:30 p.m. game as CP did Tuesday and will in the semifinals against Portage (14-10).

"Its not so much playing at 7:30 p.m. at night," Crutchfield said.  "It's the waiting.  Especially in the heat.  I want you to stay loose, but I want you to stay hydrated and I don't want you to get hydrated."

"I like the 7:30 thing.  Playing under the lights.  This is another portion of our goal.  If we keep going in the state tournament, we'll play a lot of games under the lights."

SECTIONAL NOTES:  The Chesterton athletic campus was filled to capacity at the start of the CP-Michigan City game Tuesday night, but not because of softball.  It was also the night of the annual girls track regional and the baseball 'Senior Night' with the Trojans hosting Munster.

There was a lack of parking, but the campus was not overflowing with people.  None of the events were near sellouts.

Taylor Perry's shutout was the 16th for the duo of Perry and Jackie Beilfuss (12-1).  Perry has nine shutouts.  Beilfuss, who was warming up in the bullpen in the fifth and sixth innings, Tuesday night, has seven. 

One note for the CP-Portage game.  CP has been held to three runs or less just once this year, in a 1-0 win over Portage on April 13.

Michigan City shortstop Jameka Collins worked her way into the starting lineup in basketball last winter, but she has started for MC softball all season.

"She's gotten a little bit of notoriety in basketball," smiled Feare.  "But she's always played travel ball.  She's a softball player."

"We've got to go against her for three more years," said Crutchfield.  "She's the best freshman I've seen in awhile.  She can play.  She got to ground balls during the regular season that I thought were sure hits.  I looked away (Crutchfield is the third base coach) to wave the runners and she's making the play.  She's going to make some noise in the next few years."

In the final state rankings, Crown Point was No. 2 in Class 4A in baseball and No. 1 in softball, creating a little stir around the high school from those who knew.

"I don't think a lot of the girls knew," said coach Brett Crutchfield, "when they all found about it.  On 'Senior Night' our announcer announced it.  But I told them that (ranking) and 75 cents will get you a newspaper.  It's a nice regular season honor.  Something that Crown Point has never done.  But now we put the regular season behind us."

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4A No. 1 Crown Point (26-1)
Coach Brett Crutchfield - 24-5 in 2009

3-29 (W) 13-0 (5 innings)at Hobart (1-10)
4-1 (L) 4-6 Penn (22-3)
4-6 (W) 3-1 at MERRILLVILLE (2-14)
4-8 (W) 2-0 LAKE CENTRAL (16-9)
4-9 (W) 9-0 at Munster (12-9)
4-13 (W) 1-0 PORTAGE (14-10)
4-15 (W) 12-1 (5 innings) @ VALPARAISO (1-13)
4-17 (W) 5-4 @ Lowell (19-9)

4-19 (W) 7-0 CHESTERTON (19-6)
4-21 (W) 14-2 (5 innings) at LaPORTE (19-10)
4-23 (W) 5-0 MICHIGAN CITY (17-8)

CROWN POINT Invitational
4-24 (wet grounds) Andrean (15-3) and Hanover Central (17-6)

4-27 (W) 15-0 MERRILLVILLE (4-20)
4-29 (W) 7-3 at LAKE CENTRAL (16-9)
4-30 (W) 9-0 Illiana Christian (20-10)
5-3 (W) 11-2 at PORTAGE (14-10)
5-5 (W) 10-0 VALPARAISO (1-21)
5-6 (W) 9-1 CHESTERTON (19-6)

Twin Lakes Invitational
5-7 (W) 11-0 (5 inn.) Frontier
5-8 (W) 15-0 (5 inn.) Maconaquah
5-8 (W) 6-0 @ Twin Lakes
5-8 (W) 6-0 McCutcheon (15-10) semifinals
5-8 (W) 8-2 Andrean (20-3) championship

5-14 (W) 9-0 LaPORTE (17-9)
5-14 (W) 7-0 Griffith (8-12)
5-18 (W) 9-4 at MICHIGAN CITY(17-8)
5-17 (rain) Boone Grove (20-9)
5-19 (W) 4-2 Andrean (20-3)
5-21 (rain) at Highland (18-9)

4A Sectional 2
5-25 (W) 4-0 Michigan City (17-8)
5-26 (Th) Portage (14-10) 7:30 p.m.
5-28 (F) championship (TBA)

Regional championship
6-1 (Tu) Lowell (21-8) or Munster (19-10) TBA

Semistate Championship
6-5 (S) semifinals - a.m.
6-5 (S) championship - p.m.

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Revised: May 27, 2010.