Bulldogs improve to 6-0 with back to back wins over Griffith and Valparaiso

WP - Mike Kozlowski (1-0)  3K, 3 walks (5 innings)
LP  -  Tyler Louviere (0-1)  1K, 1 walks (2 innings)

Griffith  (3-4)
Ryan Bridges (SS) Double, single, RBI
Matt Kuna (OF-P) Single 2 walks
Tim Cooper (OF) Double, RBI

CROWN POINT (6-0)
Tommy Parks (1B)  HR, double, 2 RBIs
Vince Dawson (OF) 2 singles, RBI
Jim Donley (OF) HR, double, 2 RBIs
Chris Saroff (PH) HR, (inside-the-park) single,  RBI

Friday, 4-13-2007  -  49 degrees, Non-conference at US Steelyard in Gary, IN

CROWN POINT (4-0)
Tommy Parks (1B)  Triple, RBI
Mike Kozlowski (OF) Double, single, 2 RBIs
Jon Sertich (CF) 2 singles

CROWN POINT (4-14-2007)  You know you've got a good team when you win whether you're playing well or not.  That was the example set over the weekend by Crown Point, which sandwiched a 4-3 win over Valparaiso between a 12-0 blowout of Rensselaer and a 10-5 blowout of Griffith in a 24-hour span.  After six games, CP (6-0) had only two close calls, the latest of which came Saturday morning against Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) rival Valparaiso.

To play at 5:00 p.m. Friday, 10:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m. Saturday is not the kind of a weekend you would want to intentionally schedule, but it worked out for the Bulldogs this time.

"It helps the team's toughness," said coach Steve Sprayer, as his boys hurried to finish post-game work on the field and get indoors.  "You win a game, you go inside and then come out and try to win again.  It'll be the same thing when we play in the Plymouth tournament and in our tournament.  The tough the conditions we have to play in, the tougher the kids get."

Crown Point defeated Valparaiso (2-4-1) after trailing 3-1 when Tim Mummery's run-scoring, third-inning single tied the game before Joey Patrick's fourth inning RBI single gave CP a 4-3 lead.  Junior lefty Blake Mascarello (1-0) could not find the plate (or the home plate umpire's strike zone) in the fourth inning, walking four batters.  Errors by Mummery and shortstop Matt Ernest helped produce three runs.  Ernest would later pitch the final inning for his first save before leaving for a doctor's appointment to treat some weather-related flu symptoms.
Strayer was happy that those who had problems in the fourth inning, later rallied to lead the team to victory.

"Things weren't going our way and it was cold, but we still came out and somehow got the win," Strayer said.  "That's what we talked about last year.  Last year, when things didn't go our way, we felt a little sorry for ourselves.  There was a period last year in two or three weeks when we wouldn't have won this game.  We got it together."

Mascarello, CP's varsity football quarterback in his first pitching start of the season, allowed just two singles in six innings, striking out six and walking six.

"He held his composure," said Strayer.  "He just could not find the strike zone.  But he was throwing the ball well.  I just told him to keep putting it in there and you'll get the calls.  That's another thing that might not have happened last year."

In game two, Mike Kozlowski, CP's only varsity sophomore, pitched five innings against a Griffith team that was without three regular players.  Kozlowski (5-11, 205) is a hard-throwing right-hander and a competent hitter who was 2-for-3 in the win over Rensselaer at the US Steelyard.

"Mike had his stuff and he hit his spots," said Steve Strayer.  "He's got good velocity.  I was happy with him.  Pitching against Lafayette Jeff (he started and went three innings on April 9) helped him.  He missed some spots against Jeff and he paid.  Today, he hit his spots better."

In the Griffith game, junior Jim Donley (6-3, 190) batted third and smacked out a home run and a double to go with senior Tommy Parks' home run and double.  Pinch hitter Chris Saroff had an inside the park home run in a pinch hit role late in the game.

Griffith is clearly not at full strength.  They are without their top two catchers (due to injury) as well as lefty senior starting pitcher Willie Frets, who will make his season debut next week.  Griffith lost 9-4 to Munster Friday and then spent Saturday losing 5-2 at Boone Grove and 10-5 at Crown Point.  They had the same time frame schedule as CP did, only it didn't work out so well.

"We've been considered one of the top teams in the region and we're just not," said Griffith coach Brian Jennings. "We lost a lot of people from last year.  If we get that on reputation, I'll take it.  But we have a long way to go.  We knew what we were in for today.  These are very good teams."
   
Strayer is aware that he is riding high tide right now.  CP has a full boat of nine seniors who are log jamming the other talent in the program.  He doesn't apologize for boys having to wait to play on the varsity, but he makes an effort to get everybody into as many games as possible.

"We have a lot of good juniors who aren't playing," said Strayer.  "We saw Eric Clayton pitch last night.  Russell Chick plays the outfield for us.  Ben Derks at second base and now, Jimmy Donley.  He came through today.  He'll probably start for us next year."

Valparaiso's bench got a little excited when the Vikings led 3-1 going to the fifth inning.  Everybody who comes into Crown Point this year is going to put a lot of weight behind pulling an upset.  But it's so early in the season, the focus is still on development.

"It was 4-3 game and only one run was earned," said Mickey Morandini, the former major leaguer in his first year as Valpo high coach.  "But we missed some balls and gave it right back to them.  One thing I was happy about was our pitcher, Matt Krantz.  He did a good job today.  He threw strikes and wasn't intimidated.  He was very promising."

Morandini might be new to NW Indiana prep baseball, but he's aware of the level of play of the league he's in.

"I'm not worried about our record," he said.  "I'm concerned with getting better.  Having Krantz throw the way he did is good for us.  We're 2-4-1 and we could be 5-1-1.  We had four games scheduled last week and three got canceled.  So we had to go into our first league game not having played.  And we played Chesterton and Crown Point on the road.  That's pretty tough to start with.  They were both games we could have won.  Overall we're pretty pleased."

Griffith was down 7-0 after four innings in the second game and, as the day got colder and darker, both teams used the later innings to get playing time and Griffith may have found something in left-hander Danny Wolosyn.  Wolosyn is a southpaw submarine ball pitcher who is very intriguing to watch, although, I'm sure, the thrill is lost on any batter he faces.

"He's a bowler," explained Jennings, who said that Wolosyn originally pitched overhand.  "His sophomore year, we watched him on film and he kept throwing from here (gesturing a sidearm motion).  So, I told him, 'Danny, let's just drop you down (underhanded) and he's done what he needed to do.  He's had two good outings in a row."

Griffith knew they'd be hard pressed to sweep 2A, No. 3 Boone and undefeated Crown Point on the same day, being short three players.

"I looked at it as a great challenge," he said.  "The elements (41 degrees and windy) were tough.  The situation of going to Boone Grove and Crown Point would be tough.  We got to see (Boone regular starter) Kyle Ferber and Kozlowski, who's as good as any (sophomore) in our conference.  I wasn't worried about wins and losses.  I'm honestly not."

"I want to peak and get ready at the right time.  Remember, we won 23 games last year and it was a disappointment."

The day, which included two varsity and two freshman baseball games, two varsity and two junior varsity softball games was a disappointment from an artistic standpoint on the big back lot at CP.  But the home team won twice and everybody basically put their schedule back on track for the final six weeks of the season.

"I was most happy that we got two wins today,"  said Strayer.

DOG NOTES:  A rare procedural umpires ruling prevented Valparaiso from scoring an extra run in the Vikings' three-run third inning.  With the bases full, VHS leadoff man Scott Rastovic swung and missed at a 3-2 pitch, but the pitch from CP's Blake Mascarello hit him in the leg and bounced away from catcher Nick Hladek.  Normally, with two out, a runner can advance on a strike three wild pitch.  But the ball struck the batter, making it a dead ball.  When the ball is ruled dead, strike three takes effect and the inning is over.  Valpo manager Mickey Morandini agreed the call was correct.

CROWN POINT (6-0, 2-0)
23-9 in 2006  - DAC game in CAPS

4-3 (W)  14-0 (5 innings) Hebron (1-5)

Kankakee Valley Invitational
4-7 vs. Knox (cold-canceled)
4-7 vs. Kankakee Valley (cold-canceled)

4-9 (W) 3-2 at (Lafayette) Jefferson (2-2)
4-10 (W) 8-1 at LAKE CENTRAL (3-2)
4-13 (W) 12-0 (5 innings) Rensselaer (2-2)
4-14 (W) 4-3 VALPARAISO (2-4-1)
4-14 (W) 10-5 Griffith (4-5)