Jansen pitches Bulldogs to 2-0 shutout over Mustangs to capture first Regional title since 1992

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

6-9-2005

 

Team (Record) / Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
MUNSTER (19-14) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
CROWN POINT (21-10) 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 7 0

Wednesday, 6-8-2005 - 78 degrees in Crown Point at Class 4A Regional Championship game

 

WP – Matt Jansen (9-2) CG, 9K, 4 walks (101 pitches)

LP - Paul Malayter (5-2) 2K, 0 walks ( 3 1/3 inn.)


MUNSTER (19-14)

Andrew Bilse (RF) HBP, walk

Brent Banach (3B) Single, stolen base

Matt DeRolf (LF) 2 walks, sac bunt

 

CROWN POINT (21-10)

Nick Ullman (2B) 2 singles, run scored

Dave Dickerson (RF) Double, singles

Matt Ernest (SS) Double, sac bunt, run scored

 

IHSAA Class 4A Finals Schedule


SOUTH BEND (4A) SEMISTATE (6-11-2005)

(Allen County) Carroll (21-10) vs. Brownsburg (32-0)

CROWN POINT (21-10) vs. LaPorte (29-4)


EVANSVILLE (4A) SEMISTATE (6-11-2005)

Noblesville (19-11) vs. Evansville North (22-6)

Northview (26-3) vs. Cathedral (27-4)


State (4A) Championship (6-18-2005)

June 18 (Sat) at Loeb Stadium – Lafayette (Time TBA)

CROWN POINT, IN (6-8-2005) - It was almost anti-climactic. Albeit an anti-climax played in 80-degree weather in front of a big prep baseball crowd of over 500 fans.

It was a well-played game. It was just a product of the IHSAA's hurry-up format. Two teams coming off sectional championships rushed into a mid-week regional championship game. There was no way the intensity was going to be there.

Fortunately for Crown Point. The Bulldogs had the stronger starting pitcher. A twilight game against hard-throwing lefty Matt Jansen was too much for a good-hitting Munster team to overcome.

The favored Bulldogs scratched out two runs and took home the regional title for the first time in 13 years, beating Munster 2-0.

But it didn't feel like it. There was no celebration. There was no trophy. Only smiles, pats on the back and a few pictures taken. But there was no flood of emotion and maybe that was just as well.

CP had to forget quickly about the Wednesday night win and take on 4A No. 3 LaPorte (29-4) in the semifinals of the South Bend Semistate Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) at Covaleski Stadium in downtown South Bend. A win over LaPorte would pit CP against undefeated and top-ranked Brownsburg (33-0) Saturday night for the right to go to the state finals in Lafayette The Bulldogs have certainly not faced a larger one day challenge in their history.

Like the deep purple rain clouds that loomed in the western sky but never hit Crown Point Wednesday night, this quick two-hour game seemed like the calm before the semistate storm.

The key to this contest was Munster (19-14) failing to score after two walks by Jansen (9-2) in the first inning and the Bulldogs coming through with a two-out RBI hit.

Right fielder and senior CP cleanup hitter Dave Dickerson struck the biggest blow of the game, a first inning single to left field that scored Nick Ullman with the 1-0 run. That run held up until Chris Saroff's single drove in Matt Ernest in the sixth inning. Munster didn't get a runner to third base until the seventh inning.

For Crown Point, the win gave five seniors a chance to win their final home game.

“Dave had a huge hit,” said coach Steve Strayer. “Adam (Quinn) had a big double. I don't think any of them realize it yet. It was a nice last game for them.”

Dickerson came through by sticking to a simple philosophy. First pitch, fast ball.

“I don't put that much pressure on myself,” Dave said. “I just go up there looking for a fast ball. If it's a curve, I let it go. I've been hitting better during the tournament that I did during the regular season.”

Dickerson noted that CP had not played Munster in two years and they didn't know him that well. “In the sectionals, when we were playing all the Duneland schools, I got a lot of curve balls on the first pitch. But I think that when we play teams we don't play all the time, I'll get more fastballs.”

One of those teams that hasn't seen Crown Point is Brownsburg, ranked number one all season. The prospect of playing two of the top three teams in the state for the right to go to the finals is almost too fantastic to see coming.

“No, I didn't,” said Dickerson of seeing this day materialize, “When we went to the regional two years ago (and played LaPorte and Lake Central), that was a great day.”

The win Wednesday, though low-scoring and quick, was a great day, too. Most players' final home game is a nonconference season-ender in front of two dozen die hards.

Crown Point's seniors graduated Tuesday, won the regional title Wednesday and slept late Thursday.

“Yeah,” said Dickerson. “I think we ended up here pretty well.”

REGIONAL NOTES: Crown Point's previous regional baseball championships came under the old one-class format at the East Chicago Regional in 1974, 1980, 1990 and 1992. Crown Point has never advanced beyond the semi state level. The Bulldogs' sectional title was the 15th in the 39 years of the IHSAA state tournament.

In the one class tournament, it took five wins to win the sectional title. CP's 2005 regional title required just four victories, although all were over large schools. In 2003, the regional title required two victories, there was no semistate tournament and the state finals required teams to win twice.

Now, the regional is one game, the semistate requires two victories and the state finals are just one game. CP needed a seven game winning streak to take their first title and they were 4-0 after beating Munster.

Jansen walked two batters in the first but he was hard to touch the rest of the night, allowing just two singles.

“Matt's doing a good job,” said Strayer, who went to the mound and corrected a flaw in Jansen's motion after the two walks. “I'm really proud of him. He's been great and he's got to get ready because he's got a big job this weekend.”

American Legion Post 20 had to postpone their first three games of the summer season due to the CPHS run in the high school state tournament. Post 20 is largely CPHS players.

 

 

American Legion Baseball 

CROWN POINT Post 20

Coach: Tony Samano

 

JUNE 9 (TH) at Hammond (168) 6 p.m. (postponed)

JUNE 10 (Fri) Whiting (80) 6 p.m. (postponed)

JUNE 11 (Sat) Cedar Lake (261) 2 p.m. (postponed)


JUNE 15 (W) at Lowell (101) 6 p.m.

JUNE 16 (TH) Highland (168) 6 p.m.

JUNE 20 (M) at Hammond (168) 'B” 6 p.m.

JUNE 21 (Tu) at Plymouth (27) 7:30 p.m.

JUNE 22 (W) South Haven (502) 7:30 p.m.

 

Terre Haute Invitational

June 23 (TH) TBA

June 24 (F) TBA

June 25 (Sat) TBA

June 26 (Sun) TBA

 

JUNE 28 (Tu) at Calumet City (330) 6:30 p.m.

JUNE 29 (W) Hammond (168) 6:30 p.m.

JUNE 30 (Th) at South Haven (502) 6 p.m.

JULY 1 (F) Cedar Lake (261) 6 p.m.

JULY 2 (Sat) Kokomo (6) 2 games – 1 p.m.

JULY 3 (Sun) Post 20 A vs. B - 2 games – 2 p.m.

JULY 5 (TU) Lowell (101) 7:30 p.m.

JULY 7 (TH) at Highland (180) 6 p.m.

 

CROWN POINT INVITATIONAL

JULY 8 (F) TBA

JULY 9 (Sat) TBA

JULY 10 (Sun) TBA

 

JULY 11 (M) Hammond (168) 'B” 6:30 p.m.

JULY 12 (TU) at Valparaiso (94) 6 p.m.

JULY 13 (W) at South Bend (50) 7 p.m.

JULY 14 (TH) Valparaiso (94) 6 p.m.

JULY 15 (F) 1st District all-star game - 7 p.m.

JULY 16 (Sat) Anderson (127) 2 games – 1 p.m.

JULY 17 (Sun) Muncie (19) 2 games – 12 noon

 

CROWN POINT Sectional

-- Double-elimination - at Teagle Field- Crown Point

JULY 21 (TH) 1st round – TBA

JULY 22 (F) 1st round – TBA

JULY 23 (Sat) 2nd round – TBA

JULY 24 (Sun) Championship – TBA


PLYMOUTH Regional

-- Double elimination – at Bill Nixon Field – Plymouth (27)

JULY 28 (TH) 1st round

JULY 29 (TH) 1st round

JULY 30 (Sat) 2nd round

JULY 31 (Sun) Championship round

 

   

2005  CROWN POINT (21-10, 9-5 DAC)
Coach Steve Strayer (3rd Year) 

Varsity Assistant: Rick Florkiewicz

23-10 in 2003, 17-11 in 2004  
DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (DAC) GAMES IN CAPS 

 

3-23 (W) Lowell at Crown Point - 4:30 p.m. (scrimmage) 

4-7 (Th) Crown Point at Highland - W, 7-2

4-9 (S) Crown Point vs. Kouts (at KV) - W, 11-1 (6 innings) 

4-9 (S) Crown Point at Kankakee Valley - L, 2-6 

4-13 (Tu) VALPARAISO at CP - W, 5-0  (5 innings)

4-14 (Th) CHESTERTON at CP - W, 2-0 

4-16 (S) Griffith at CP - W, 12-2 

4-18 (M) CP at LAKE CENTRAL - L, 2-3 

4-20 (W) CP at MICHIGAN CITY - W, 13-0 

 

4-25 (M) Crown Point at Rensselaer - RAINED OUT 

4-26 (Tu) MERRILLVILLE at CP - W, 9-3 

4-28 (Th) LaPORTE at CP - W, 3-2 (11-innings) 

4-29 (F) PORTAGE vs. CROWN POINT at the Steelyard - W, 8-3 

4-30 (S) Crown Point at Gavit - W, 11-3 

5-2 (M) CP at VALPARAISO - L, 1-3 

5-4 (W) CP at CHESTERTON - W, 5-2

5-6 (F) LAKE CENTRAL at CP - L, 3-6

5-7 (S) Andrean at CP - L, 2-10

5-10 (Tu) MICHIGAN CITY at CP - W, 10-0 

5-12 (Th) PORTAGE at CP - W, 2-1 

5-13 (F) Jefferson at CP - W, 4-2 

5-17 (Tu) CP at MERRILLVILLE - L,

5-18 (We) South Bend Clay at CP - L, 3-4 

5-19 (Th) CP at LaPORTE - L, 3-5

 

Terre Haute North Invitational 

5-21 (S) Evansville North - L, 0-6 

5-21 (S) Lawrence Central - L, 2-6

 

5-24 (Tu) Lowell at CP - W, 10-0 (5-innings) 

5-26 (Th) Clark at CP - W, 8-4

5-27 (F) CP at Elkhart Memorial - L, 0-5

5-28 (S) South Central at CP - W, 12-0 

 

CHESTERTON (4A) SECTIONAL 

5-30 (M) Hobart (quarterfinals) - W, 10-1 

6-1 (W) Portage (semifinals) - W, 15-1 

6-3 (F) Valparaiso (championship) - W, 10-2

 

REGIONAL Championship

6-7 (T) Munster at CP - W, 2-0

 

SOUTH BEND (4A) SEMISTATE at Covaleski Stadium

6-11 (S) CROWN POINT (21-10) vs. LaPorte (29-4) - 1:00 p.m.

 

Winner faces winner of 

(Allen County) Carroll (21-10) vs. Brownsburg (32-0) at 7:00 p.m.

 

State (4A) Championship (6-18-2005)

6-18 (S) at Loeb Stadium – Lafayette (Time TBA)

 

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Revised: June 13, 2005.