Crown Point continues unbeaten streak with 10th win of season

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-16-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Huntington North (4-3)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	0
CROWN POINT (10-0)	0	0	0	6	0	0	-	6	6	2

Saturday, 4-19-2008 - 64 degrees, light rain at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Josh Negele (2-0) CG, 10K, 0 walks
LP - Ethan Tribolet (1-1) 3K, 2 walks (3.3 innings)

Huntington North (4-3)
Jamel Hammel (SS) 1-for-3, RBI double
Joey West (3B) 1-for-3, single
Brett Wiley (CF) 1 -for-3, run scored

CROWN POINT (10-0)
Eric Clayton (SS) 1-for-3, double
Scott Donley (2B) 1-for-3 run scored
Nick Hladek (C) 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI
Mike Kozlowski (3B) Walk, run scored
Blake Mascarello (CF) Walk, run scored
Jim Donley (RF) 1-for-3
Jeff Limbaugh (1B) Double, walk, RBI
Josh Negele (P) Single RBI
Jordan Lindeman (LF) 0-for-2

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Chesterton (8-3, 3-1 DAC)	0	0	1	2	1	2	0	6	10	3
CROWN POINT (9-0, 4-0 DAC)	0	1	1	2	0	4	-	8	7	1

Friday, 4-18-2008 - 71 degrees, partly cloudy at CROWN POINT, IN

WP - Mike Kozlowski (3-0) CG, 0 K, 1 walk (2 innings)
SP - Mike Hernandez (CP) 6K, 1 walk (5 innings)
LP - Kevin Gates (2-2) 4K, 7 walks (5.7 inn.)

Chesterton (8-3)
Zack Novak (1B) HR, triple, single, 3 RBIs
Jeremy Ross (OF) HR, RBI

CROWN POINT (9-0)
Josh Negele (CF) Double, sun scored
Jordan Lindeman (LF) HR, 2 RBI
Mike Kozlowski (3B-P) 2 singles, 2 RBIs

CROWN POINT (4-19-2008) - One reason to play Saturday in the mud and in the rain became obvious as the soggy game went on. Had Crown Point not contacted Huntington North Wednesday to schedule a double-header on Saturday's open date, then sophomore Josh Negele would not have been able to pitch this week.

That's becoming a big deal.

Negele, a left-handed varsity rookie, struck out 10 and catcher Nick Hladek's three-run homer sparked a six-run forth inning Saturday as the third-ranked Bulldogs beat Huntington North 6-1 in the first game of a scheduled double-header.

The second game was canceled because of light rain and increasingly wet grounds.

"I don't think we need to lose a game," said catcher Nick Hladek, who keeps hearing people say they want to see how the 2008 Bulldogs react to adversity.

"That's true, but we don't need to lose to do that. If we're behind 2-0 and we come back, then we faced adversity. I don't like to hear people saying we need to lose a game."

North (4-3), a Class 4A school of 1900 students in Huntington County southwest of Fort Wayne, looked like they might hand CP its first loss in the first three innings as senior right-hander Ethan Tribolet pitched three hitless innings.

But CP senior leadoff man Eric Clayton lined a double to right-center to lead off the fourth and sophomore second baseman Scott Donley lined a sharp single to left. Hladek, CP's football defensive end, then drove a long high drive through the raindrops over the wall in right center, a stoke of about 375 feet.

Two walks, a run-scoring wild pitch and RBI hit from sophomores Negele and Jeff Limbaugh gave the Bulldogs (10-0) a 6-0 lead. Negele, who was undefeated on CP's freshman team in 2007, gave up a run-scoring double in the sixth, but he actually struck out four batters to end the game in the seventh, as one Viking reached base on a sharp-breaking wild pitch.

"I knew about him," said Hladek, who caught Negele in a game for the first time. "I saw him pitch Babe Ruth last year. He's just good. He knows what he's doing."

As much credit as you give Crown Point for winning and staying undefeated, CP wanted to give Huntington North credit for taking this relatively last minute, 120-mile challenge.

"We set this up Wednesday," said North coach Russ Degitz. "Steve (CP coach Steve Strayer) and I have been e-mailing each other since Wednesday. We've had a lot of games rained out and so have they. We're hungry to play and we jumped at the chance to come here."

Crown Point went 15-0 last year on the way to a 29-3 season and they are very much on the same path. The Bulldogs' lineup is still unproven, but they've proven they can go 10-0 again heading into a Tuesday (4-22-2008) afternoon game on the road at arch baseball rival Lake Central (9-2).

"Losing a game isn't going to help us," said Hladek, one of only two returning starters for CP in 2008. "We don't need to. We want to win them all."

DOG NOTES: The postponement of the second game of the double-header Saturday leaves Crown Point one game under the 28-game limit.

Crown Point's day at the annual Plymouth Invitational on May 3 is starting to get big. If the field is what it was in 2007 and no one can seem to confirm that, then Plymouth would host Carroll (7-2), CP (10-0) and Penn (7-0). Pairings have not been announced.

The Bulldogs have won 39 of their last 42 games with the losses being to Penn, Chesterton and Boone Grove, all teams that won 20 in 2007. Relief pitcher Mike Kozlowski's two-run single gave CP an 8-6 win over Chesterton Friday.

Indiana all-star basketball player Zack Novak had a single, triple and home run for the Trojans (8-3). Jordan Lindeman hit his first home run of the season for Crown Point.

2008 (4A) Crown Point Bulldogs (10-0, 4-0 DAC)
Coach Steve Strayer - (112-45-1, 5 years) 29-3 in 2007
DAC games in CAPS - weekday games - 4:30 -unless otherwise indicated

Northwest Indiana Challenge
4-3 (W) 10-0 at Highland (6-5)
4-4 (W) 9-2 Munster (8-3)
4-5 (W) 10-4 at Griffith (6-4)

4-7 (W) 5-0 Hanover Central (4-1)
4-8 (W) 9-0 MERRILLVILLE (3-5)

4-12 (S) at (SB) Clay - cancelled
4-12 (S) at (SB) Washington - cancelled

4-14 (W) 12-2 Michigan City (2-4) in Gary
4-15 (W) 5-4 (8-innings) LaPORTE (9-4)
4-16 (W) 19-3 VALPARAISO (2-4)
4-18 (W) CHESTERTON (6-4)
4-19 (W) HUNTINGTON NORTH (4-3)
4-22 (Tu) at LAKE CENTRAL (8-2)
4-24 (Th) PORTAGE (4-5)
4-25 (F) Illiana Christian - (Lansing, Ill.) - cancelled
4-26 (S) Morton - 6:30 p.m.
4-28 (M) MERRILLVILLE
4-30 (W) LaPORTE
5-2 (F) MICHIGAN CITY

Plymouth Tournament - with Penn, Carroll and CP
5-3 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-3 (S) finals (p.m.)
5-6 (Tu) at VALPARAISO
5-8 (Th) at CHESTERTON
5-9 (F) Boone Grove- 7:30 p.m.
5-13 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL
5-15 (Th) PORTAGE

Crown Point Classic - with Northridge, Kankakee Valley and St. Joseph’s
5-17 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-17 (S) finals (p.m.)

5-20 (Tu) at Lowell
5-23 (F) Elkhart Memorial - 6:30 p.m.

4A Sectional 2
with LaPorte, Michigan City, Hobart, Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso and Merrillville
5-29 (Tu) quarterfinals (TBA)
5-31 (Th) semifinals (TBA)
6-2 (S) champinship (TBA)