Crown Point beats Chesterton 5-2 to capture third straight Sectional title

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

6-02-2007

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Chesterton (20-6)	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	8	3
CROWN POINT (28-2)	0	1	0	1	2	1	-	5	6	0

Friday, 6-01-2007 - 86 degrees & sunny, Crown Point (4A) Sectional Championship in CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Chris Saroff (9-0) CG No 6, 8K, 1 walk (102 pitches)
LP - Sean Green (9-2) CG No. 10, 8K, walk (86 pitches)

Chesterton (20-6)
Matt Bailey (SS) HR, single, RBI
Matt DeLeon (2B) 2 singles
John Miller (3B) Double, RBI, HBP

CROWN POINT (28-2)
Nick Hladek (C) Single, run scored
Blake Mascarello (1B) HR, RBI
Andrew Peretin (DH) Single, walk, RBI
Chris Saroff (P) Double, 2 RBIs

Class 4A Sectional Two (2)
CROWN POINT 8, Valparaiso 7
Portage 16, Hobart 4
CROWN POINT 11, Portage 6
Chesterton 1, MERRILLVILLE 0
CROWN POINT 5, Chesterton 2 (title)

Class 4A Sectional One (1)
Highland 3, Munster 2
Lake Central 4, East Chicago 9
LOWELL 19, Gart West Side 1
Lake Central 7, Highland 3
Lake Central 16, LOWELL 3 (title)

Class 4A Regional
6-5 (Tues) LC (16-12) at CP (28-2) 7:00 p.m.

CROWN POINT (6-01-2007) - This was the big one. This was the matchup of the two best and the two most experienced teams in Northwest Indiana. Chesterton, with the No.1 pitcher in NW Indiana in 6-foot-7 Sean Green and Crown Point, the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) champion, ranked No. 1 state wide. Even though the game time was bumped up two hours two days before the showdown, an overflow crowd jammed the Crown Point baseball complex to watch it unfold.

And in the end, the team that was supposed to be a little bit better, was a little bit better on the scoreboard. Blake Mascarello's fourth-inning home run off Sean Green broke a 1-1 tie and top-ranked CP pulled away for a 5-2 win over Chesterton in the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional Championship game.

The Bulldogs, who defeated three DAC teams to win the sectional, will face another DAC team, Munster Sectional champion Lake Central (16-12) in Tuesday night's regional championship.

Crown Point, playing without top shortstop Matt Ernest, was not great on this day, but they played the best game they have so far in the postseason. Senior right-hander Chris Saroff (9-0), who was bombed out in an 8-7 quarterfinal squeaker over Valparaiso, redeemed himself with a capable performance, striking out five and walking one. The CP senior was not at his best, allowing eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman, but he pulled it together at key moments, the biggest coming when he stuck out pinch hitter Tony Celebucki with the bases loaded and CP leading just 4-2 in the sixth.

"He's the MVP of our league," CP fifth year coach Steve Strayer said of Saroff. "We put him up for 'Mr. Baseball (the state's player of the year award) just because he can hit the ball, play defense and he can pitch. Chris makes the most of his ability. Whether we lose on Tuseday or not, he deserves everything he gets. And what helps him be so good is that his teammates support him."

Saroff got a big boost after John Miller's RBI double tied the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth. In 85-degree heat in front of 500 fans, the Trojans (20-6), one of two NW Indiana teams to beat Crown Point, appeared to be rallying. In the bottom of the fourth Tommy Parks singled, but was picked off base by Green (9-2), who struck out eight and walked one on the day. With two out Mascarello, CP's football quarterback, caught a Green fastball and lifted it over the right-center field fence, a drive of about 375 feet. The Bulldogs then came on to score three more runs in the fifth and sixth to beat Chesterton for the second time in three games this season.

"Blake coming up with that hit got some of the momentum back for us," Strayer said. "When (Parks) got picked off base, it seemed like things were going their way. More than the score, that hit got the momentum back for us."

Green, who held the Bulldogs to just five runs in 13 innings in two DAC games, seemed to lose his placement ability after Mascarello's home run. CP had three hits and a walk in the last two at-bats including a two-run fifth inning double by Saroff after a walk and a misplay by Chesterton third baseman John Miller, who fielded a grounder and tried tag CP's Andrew Peretin running behind him from second to third when he wasn't close to the runner. But it was Mascarello's success against Green that put CP ahead to stay.

"I try not to think about failing or succeeding," Mascarello said later. "You have to 'look' fastball against him (Green). If you don't 'look' fastball, he'll blow it right by you. I actually try not to think when I go up there. What ever happens, happens."

Chesterton looked for first pitch swings against Saroff and got three hits on 1-0 pitches. The Trojans rallied in the sixth when Matt Bailey hit a long homer to left to make the score 4-2 and Zack Novak singled one out later. Saroff hit John Miller with a pitch, but Shane Breitzke popped up. Matt Janes lined a hard single to left to fill the bases with two out and Chesterton coach Jack Campbell pinch-hit left handed batter Tony Celebucki for designated hitter Danny Banuelos.

"I wanted to send up a left-handed hitter," explained Campbell. "He started for us early in the year. "It was a tough spot for him."

Celebucki worked the count to 2-2 and struck out on a pitch that appeared to dip out of the strike zone.

Ths was a high stakes game in more ways that the obvious. Crown Point has nine seniors on the playoff roster and Chesterton has 12. The losing team would see a large part of its program graduate and underclassmen felt the pressure.

"That would be the worst feeling," said Mascarello, who is a junior. "It makes me a little sick about it. Losing all these guys who I've played with most of my life, from Little League on up. In football, basketball and baseball. I can't think about it. When that comes into your mind, you are going to fail."

Strayer also sensed the pressure the No.1 team is under to win the sectional and regional on its home field.

"I told them," said Strayer, "the one thing you cannot do is be afraid to fail. You can't let that keep you from playing your best. And that funny feeling you have inside before a big game like this, you've worked all winter and spring to get that feeling. So, just go out there and have fun."

SECTIONAL NOTES: Crown Point has had a somewhat fortunate playoff road so far. When they face Lake Central Tuesday night, they will not only be on their home field for the fourth consecutive time, they will be the home team on the scoreboard, a significant advantage in a playoff game, for the fourth consecutive time. In the sectional semifinals and quarterfinals, CP simply happened to be in the top half of the bracket. Against Chesterton, they were hosts because they did not get a bye. A bye team cannot be the home team in the title game. CP hosts Lake Central because Sectional One and Sectional Two alternate as regional hosts under this format. In 2006, CP lost the regional title game 2-0 at Munster.

Crown Point's Matt Ernest (5-0, 0.83 ERA, 32-78, .410), has missed the last five games with a team-induced suspension for 'a violation of team rules'. His suspension will end when and if Crown Point defeats Lake Central Tuesday night for the regional title. School representatives, which include coaches, cannot publicly say what the violation was and none have explained it even off the record. What is known is that Matt would return for the semifinals of the South Bend Regional on Saturday June 9. Crown Point's May 25 rained-out night game at Elkhart Memorial does count as one of the suspended games. Ernest will miss seven games total.

"I don't want to say anything about that until Tuesday night," said coach Steve Strayer. "After Tuesday, I'll say a lot about it."

After 29 games, Tim Mummery (32-82, .390) still led CP in walks (16), stolen bases (17) and on-base percentage (.556). Tommy Parks (36-83, .434) was the CP team leader in RBIs (30) and extra base hits (13) and slugging percentage (.735).

Matt Bailey's homer off Chris Saroff was just the second homer off CP pitching all season. Saroff now has 62 strikeouts in 59 innings.

4A No. 1 CROWN POINT (28-2)
Varsity Coach Steve Strayer, 23-9 in 2006 - DAC game in CAPS

4-3 (W) 14-0 (5 innings) Hebron (9-15)

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

4-9 (W) 3-2 at (Lafayette) Jefferson (20-10)
4-10 (W) 8-1 at LAKE CENTRAL (14-11)
4-13 (W) 12-0 (5 innings) Rensselaer (8-21)
4-14 (W) 4-3 VALPARAISO (13-12-1)
4-14 (W) 10-5 Griffith (23-9)
4-16 (W) 2-1 CHESTERTON (20-6)
4-18 (W) 9-1 MERRILLVILLE (12-15)
4-20 (W) 9-4 LaPORTE (22-9)
4-21 (S) Harrison (canceled)

4-24 (W) 8-1 at MICHIGAN CITY (8-20)
4-26 (W) 4-1 at PORTAGE (13-17)
4-28 (W) 16-2 (5 innings) at Highland (13-13)
4-28 (W) 3-2 Kankakee Valley (20-11)
4-30 (W) 10-0 (5 innings) LAKE CENTRAL (16-12)
5-2 (W) at VALPARAISO (13-12-1)
5-4 (L) 2-3 at CHESTERTON (20-6)

Plymouth Invitational
5-5 (W) 8-2 Carroll (25-4)
5-5 (W) 11-1 Penn (22-7-1)

5-8 (W) 8-3 ( 9 innings) at MERRILLVILLE (12-15).
5-10 (W) 5-2 (9 innings) at LaPORTE (22-9) .
5-11 (L) 1-7 Boone Grove (25-5-1)

5-15 (W) 10-0 MICHIGAN CITY (8-20)
5-17 (W) 3-1 PORTAGE (12-17)

Crown Point Classic
5-19 (W) 10-2 Northridge (13-16)
5-19 (W) 14-2 (5 innings) Heritage Christian (20-10)

5-22-7 (W) 15-0 Lowell (13-15)
5-24 (W) 5-0 at Rochester (16-11)

Crown Point (4A) Sectional
5-29 (W) 8-7 Valparaiso (13-12-1)
5-31 (W) 11-6 Portage (12-17)
6-1 (W) 5-2 Chesterton (20-6)

Crown Point (4A) Regional
6-5 (Tu.) Lake Central (16-12) 7:00 p.m.

South Bend (4A) SemiState
6-9 (Sat) SB Clay (17-12) or Penn (23-7) TBA

State Finals, Victory Field, Indianapolis
6-15 (Fri) TBA
6-16 (Sat) TBA