A 'Wise' move to pitcher results in 1-0 shutout over DAC-leading LaPorte in 1st night game at new Crown Point High School

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

5-8-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LaPorte (13-3, 7-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
CROWN POINT (12-6, 5-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	5	2

Friday, May 7, 2004 - 48 degrees, clear in Crown Point

WP - Tommy Wise (2-1) CG No. 2, 3K, 1 walk
LP - Nolan Weeks (2-2) 2K, 1 walk (1 inn.)

Blake Hindsley (LaPorte) Double
Dave Dickerson (CP) Single, walk
Matt Cowan (CP) Single, RBI
Adam Quinn (CP) Single, HBP

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Valparaiso (7-7, 4-5)	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	4	5	4
CROWN POINT (11-6, 4-5)	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	5	11	2

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 61 degrees, sunny in Crown Point

WP - Mike Schultz (3-2) CG No. 5, 0K, 3 walks
LP - Clint Krysa (2-3) 2K, 1 walk (6 inn.)

Doug Lang (V) 2 singles, run scored
Matt Jansen (CP) Double, 2 singles
Matt Cowan (CP) Double, single
Adam Quinn (CP) 2 singles, RBI

CROWN POINT (5-7-2004) - These things don't have to work out this way. Crown Point won their first basketball game at the new high school. They won the first football game. The Bulldogs actually won the opening home game at the new high school in every team sport. Now, the slate is complete.

On a night too cold for baseball against a team that is too experienced for them to beat consistently right now, Crown Point again rose up to post a landmark win. The Bulldogs got a two-out seventh inning single from senior Matt Cowan to win the first home night baseball game ever, a 1-0 triumph over eight-time state champion LaPorte.

"They're such a great program," said Cowan. "Every time we get together, it's all defense and pitching. It feels great. It feels good to be on the upswing of things."

The Bulldogs are feeling as good as they have all year. Well after the game had ended, the home team could be seen wrestling and horsing around under the artificial light after a fourth consecutive Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) win had written the first chapter of a story CP hopes ends with post-season glory.

"We're starting to put it together," said coach Steve Strayer. "I think we were pretty focused. We've been playing pretty good and we're trying to take it to the next level. I was proud of the kids tonight. I don't think it would have mattered if it was night or day against LaPorte. They bring out the best in us. It's a good experience for us when we get into the state tournament."

The experience may last a lifetime for Cowan and sophomore right-hander Tommy Wise (2-1), who shut out the Class 4A No. 3 Slicers (13-3) on just three hits. Wise walked just one batter and threw only 90 pitches, handing LaPorte their first shutout loss of the season.

"He did a nice job for us," said Strayer. "He changed speeds. He did very well."

"I didn't know I could shut them down like this," Wise said. "I knew they had good pitching and they hit the ball real well. I was worried about the catcher. He hit me hard the first time. The rest of them -- I don't know anything about them -- I just tried to get through it."

The night started quickly as CP catcher Nick Bodinet ended the first inning by throwing out base stealer Nick Overmeyer at second base. In the fourth inning, LaPorte mounted their greatest threat. The Slicer catcher Blake Hindsley doubled and junior outfielder Joel Chrobak followed with an infield single. Wise struck out LaPorte home run leader Kyle Scroggin but walked Brent Herwehe on a 3-2 pitch. With the bases full, designated hitter Andy Weeks lifted a 2-0 pitch into short left field where Matt Cowan made an easy catch.

In the bottom of the fourth, CP's Jake Pierce and Matt Jansen singled with one out. LaPorte coach Scott Upp then made a bold move, pulling starter Nate Metheny for ace left-hander Andy Weeks.

Weeks (4-1), the DAC's dominant pitcher this season, got CP's Adam Quinn to bounce the ball back to the mound, starting a pitcher to catcher to first double play.

But IHSAA rules allow just 10 innings for a pitcher in 72 hours. Weeks shut out Chesterton 3-0 on Wednesday (May 5) so he only had three innings left on Friday. In the seventh inning, Upp had to go to Week's cousin, sophomore Nolan Weeks, who pitched a complete-game victory over Merrillville on Monday. But Nolan Weeks gave up an infield hit to Dickerson and hit Quinn with a pitch. The young right-hander struck out Nick Bodinet but walked Doug Ricard on a 3-1 pitch. Weeks struck out pinch hitter Jimmy Wilson but Cowan pulled a hard ground ball down the third base line that Slicer infielder Jimmy Gillilund could not touch, ending the two-hour contest.

LaPorte played without starting shortstop Joel Matheny and outfielder Robbie Dhoore, who were benched in a team discipline situation. But the Slicers did not make an error and got some of their traditionally good pitching. Without Wise and Cowan, the Bulldogs would have lost. Or at least played long into the night.

"It was a lot of fun," Wise said. "Under the lights, with all my friends here. I like this park I like it a lot."

"He's tough," Cowan said of Wise. "To be a sophomore and come in and pitch against a team like this. You've got to be tough to do this against a team like this. He was awesome."

Strayer watched his boys goofing off and celebrating when they were supposed to be taking care of the field.

"We always get excited about LaPorte," he said.

BULLDOG NOTES: CP's pitching continues to excel, allowing just a total of 65 (3.6) runs in 18 games. Tommy Wise's complete-game shutout was CP's first since Chad Pruzin shut out Hobart 11-0 in six innings on April 25, 2003. Pruzin and Adam Vetter pitched a combined 12 shutout innings in CP's 1-0 South Bend Regional semifinal victory over LaPorte on June 14, 2003. Dave Guenther pitched a 13-0, five-inning shutout of Merrillville on April 26, 2003.

CP coach Steve Strayer spoke to the difference in seeing the ball in a day game versus a night game.

"It's tough to pick up the ball," he said. "You have a tough time seeing it. There was one fly ball to right field and I'm thinking, "Dickerson, get in there and get it. And then Matt Long catches it at second base. I thought it was a fly ball. I wasn't even close. Good thing I wasn't on the field."

LaPorte coach Scott Upp said that for the Slicers, who do not have lights at home, playing a night game in Crown Point was a great experience.

"Anytime you get a chance to play at night in front of the sectional," he said. "You want to do it. To be honest with you, in the Duneland Conference, the more schools we have with lights, the better. We're rushing. We're trying to get over here. We're trying to get started at 4:30 and we didn't get started until 5 p.m. It throws everybody off. It throws the radio stations off."

"I was talking to Jack Campbell (at Chesterton) the other day and he's talking about playing at night. I would have no problem with that at all. We couldn't start at 7 o'clock on school nights. It would probably have to be 6 p.m. But I'm for it."

Matt Cowan has agreed to attend Wabash College. Cowan, an all-area player for Bulldog football coach Chip Pettit, will stay at quarterback for the NAIA school.

In a shocker of monster proportions, Class 3A No. 3 Clark (18-2) fell out of first place in the LAC Blue Division with a 9-6 loss at home to perennial doormat Lake Station (5-15). The Pioneers, who host Crown Point on May 27 and travel to LaPorte on May 25, made seven errors. Chesterton (12-5, 7-3), which comes to CP (12-6, 5-5) Tuesday (May 11) routed Valparaiso 11-0 Friday evening as Casey Martin hit his fourth home run of the season. Submarine pitcher Tom Albano (6-1) combined with starter John Lambert on a six-inning, no-hit game.

2004 CROWN POINT (12-6, 5-5)
Coach Steve Strayer 23-10-1 in 2003
all games at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated

4-3 (W) 35-0 (5) at Hammond (2-14)
4-4 (W) 4-3 Gavit (10-9)
4-6 (W) 4-2 Highland (11-8)

Kankakee Valley Invitational
4-10 (W) 13-1 Knox (2-10)
4-10 (L) 4-5 Kankakee Valley (9-9) title

4-13 (L) 2-3 PORTAGE (8-7)
4-14 (W) 20-6 at Hebron (4-11)
4-15 (L) 11-13 at VALPARAISO (7-8)
4-17 (W) 8-4 at Griffith (11-10)
4-19 (L) 0-1 at LaPORTE (13-3)
4-21 (L) 4-7 CHESTERTON (12-5)
4-23 (W) 12-2 MICHIGAN CITY (1-15)
4-26 (W) 4-3 Rensselaer (9-6)
4-27 (L) 1-5 LAKE CENTRAL (14-5)
4-29 (W) 16-3 at MERRILLVILLE (8-9)
5-3 (W) 7-3 at PORTAGE (9-8)
5-5 (W) 5-4 VALPARAISO (7-8)
5-7 (W) 1-0 LaPORTE (13-3)

5-11 (Tu) CHESTERTON (12-4)
5-13 (Th) at MICHIGAN CITY (1-17)
5-14 (F) (Lafayette) Jefferson (12-7) 7 p.m.
5-18 (Tu) at LAKE CENTRAL (14-5)
5-20 (Th) MERRILLVILLE (8-9)

Terre Haute North Invitational
5-22 (S) Lawrence Central
5-22 (S) Terre Haute North (15-2) or Evansville North

5-25 (Tu) at Lowell (8-10)
5-27 (Th) at Clark (18-2)
5-29 (S) Washington Township (11-5) 11 a.m.

MERRILLVILLE 4A Sectional
5-31-4 (M) quarterfinal
6-2-4 (W) semifinals
6-4-4 (F) Championship

4A Regional
6-8-4 (Tu) one game

Lafayette 4A Semi-State
6-12-4 (S) semifinals
6-12-4 (S) championship

4A State Championship (at Victory Field - Indianapolis)
6-19-4 (S) 7 p.m.