A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith
4-03-2007
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| CROWN POINT (1-2) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 16 | 0 |
| Hammond Morton (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Monday, April 2, 2007 - 65 degrees & sunny at Hammond, IN
WP -
Kelsey
Rather
(1-1)
CG, 9K,
3 walks,
89
pitches
LP - Melissa Volkman
(0-2)
2K, 5
walks,
10 ERs
(3
inings)
72
pitches
Morton
(1-3)
Ashley
Miles (RF)
Single
CROWN
POINT
(1-2)
Allison
Adank
(2B) 4
singles,
4 runs
scored
Amy
Fairchild
(C) 2
singles,
walk, 3
RBIs, 3
runs
scored
Amber
Pearce
(LF)
Single,
2 walks
Jessica
Martinez
(SS) 2
singles,
2 RBIs,
2 runs
scored
Lindsey
Guernenz
(1B)
Triple,
double,
single,
6 RBIs
Amy
Faiva (RF)
Single,
walk
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| CROWN POINT (0-2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| New Prairie (1-0) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 7 | 9 | 1 |
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 61 degrees & cloudy at New Carlisle, IN
WP -
Becky Sheedy
(1-0)
CG, 2K,
5 walks
2 ERs
LP - Jackie Bielfuss
(0-1)
CG, 5K,
2 walks,
5 ERs
New
Prairie
(1-0)
Olivia
Findley
(RF)
Single,
double
Libby
Ronstandt
(C)
Double,
walk, 2
RBIs, 2
runs
scored
Lee Ann
Collins
(3B)
Single,
RBI
CROWN
POINT
(0-2)
Allison
Adank
(2B)
Single,
run
scored
Amber
Pearce
(LF) 2
singles,
run
scored
Amy
Fairchild
(1B)
Single,
2 RBIs
HAMMOND
(4-02-2007) - Everybody
played. Everybody had a smile on their face. Everybody went home
happy. Except for Morton. They were already at home. Crown
Point should defeat Morton, even though the Governors are moving up to Class 4A
next season. CP is twice the size of Morton. But the Bulldogs still
showed something impressive Monday in the bright setting sun out behind Morton.
CP, which had totaled four runs in its first two games, dropped a bomb on the
Governors, scoring at least four times in each of the first four innings to win
17-0 in a game that was thankfully ended after five innings.
As hard as it was to watch, this is how a top team plays. You have to push
every opportunity at all times, because against top teams, there may be just one
or two per game. CP took advantage of every scoring opportunity in the
first four innings at Morton and that is how they must play to have any chance
in the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) double round robin which starts this
week. To be honest, Crown Point Monday played the way Andrean traditionally
plays.
"They executed real well tonight," said CP coach Brett Crutchfield, who has come over from Andrean this season. "On offense and defense. I can't really ask for anything more."
Not only did Lindsey Guernenz drive in six runs with three hits and senior Allison Adank slap four infield singles, but sophomore right-hander Kelsey Rather (1-1) struck out nine in five innings and allowed only Ashley Miles a first inning infield single as CP overwhelmed the out-manned home team.
"She changed speeds tonight," said Crutchfield of Rather. "She hit a lot more spots tonight than she did against Hobart (in the March 24 season opener). "We've been working with her a lot. Our pitching coach has been working with her."
Crutchfield gave the credit to a familiar face. Familiar to Andrean anyway. Mia Pangere, who was a star pitcher for Andrean in 2000 and 2001, has been recruited to work with CP pitching staff and the results may be showing.
"She's my sister in law," said Crutchfield. "My wife is her sister. I coached her. That change up is her specialty."
Rather, who does not throw overly hard, attacked with changing speed pitches as well as she has at any time on the varsity. Morton was not top competition. But they only hit one ball hard, a line drive by Kristen Kenney that junior right fielder Amy Faiva charged for a nice running catch.
Crutchfield also shook up his defense, moving shortstop Kara Gulvas to third base and sliding second baseman Jessica Martinez to short. The new alignment wasn't truly tested Monday, but CP did play errorless ball for the first time this year and it gave them hope starting a four-game week.
"Gulvas is a little more aware when she's playing third," noted Crutchfield. "Lindsey Guernenz is a natural first baseman and we'd been using Jessica on all cutoffs anyway. Jessica's a real good athlete. We'll work on her footwork. She's coachable."
Crutchfield wanted to expand Adank's offensive game after CP's 7-3 loss to New Prairie last week.
"We wanted to give her another weapon," said the new coach. "The first time up against New Prairie, she bunted for a hit and they squeezed her after that. Now, she's got that power slap that she can use if she reads the defense. She's very fast. Unless you make a perfect play, she'll beat the throw."
Adank laid down a bunt single to start the game and Amber Pearce slapped a hit to deep short. Martinez got lucky on a swinging bunt that died down the third base line and the bases were full. Junior Amy Fairchild walked to force in a run before Morton right-hander Melissa Volkman retired the next two hitters. Then Guernenz lined a pitch down the right field line. Miles, the Morton right fielder, dived for the ball and missed it. The ball rolled to the fence at the 195-foot mark and three runs scored for a 4-0 lead.
In the second inning, Amy Faiva sliced a hit to right and Adank slapped her second hit to deep short. Pearce walked and Martinez grounded a two-run single to center. Martinez and Pearce moved up to second and third on a play at the plate and they both scored on Fairchild's two-run single for an 8-0 CP lead.
Crown Point looked like a winning team Monday, but they have 14 league games ahead of them and CP's DAC schedule is much tougher than their nonconference schedule. The Bulldogs traditionally play well against teams they know they can beat.
"Its good to get that first win," said Crutchfield. "The weather doesn't look good for the rest of the week. But now we start the DAC and we'll see."
DOG NOTES: Mia Pangere was 12-2 with a 1.10 ERA in 2000 and she was 9-6 as a senior in 2001 before pitching four years at Loyola of Chicago. She's making her coaching debut with the Bulldogs, joining head coach Brett Cruitchfield and assistant coach Ginger Keithly, the former Lowell outfielder and four year college player at NAIA Cedarville, Ohio. Keithly is the freshman basketball coach and a JV volleyball assistant coach.
CP coach Brett Crutchfield believes that the Bulldogs schedule isn't quite what it needs to be to compete with the top DAC teams. He's still looking to get Crown Point into the Twin Lakes Invitational, the prestigious 16-team annual tournament held in the first week of May.
"There seems to be a waiting list," Crutchfield reported. "I hope they're not getting tired of me calling them."
Northwest Indiana teams Andrean, Hanover Central, Lowell, Merrillville and Boone Grove already play in the 16-team Twin Lakes field, although Andrean is the only team from NW Indiana that has ever won the title.
The Bulldogs host Portage Thursday. Portage (1-0) scored four runs in the
sixth inning to beat Lowell (2-2) Monday night behind senior pitch Meagan
Gutierrez.
Class 3A, No. 6 New Prairie (2-1) took advantage of four CP errors to win over
the Bulldogs 7-3 last week in LaPorte County. New Prairie was 30-3 last
season and returned eight regulars.
2007 CROWN POINT (1-2)
Coach Brett Crutchfield - DAC games in CAPS - all games 4:30 unless
otherwise indicated
3-27 (L) 1-7 Hobart (3-0)
3-27 (L) 3-7 at New Prairie (2-1)
4-2 (W) 17-0 (5 innings) at Morton (1-3)
4-3 (Tu) MICHGAN CITY
4-5 (Th) PORTAGE
4-7 (S) West Central - 10 a.m.
4-10 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL
4-12 (Th) at VALPARAISO
4-14 (S) North Newton - 10 a.m.
4-14 (S) Lowell - 12 noon
4-16-7 (M) at CHESTERTON
4-18-7 (W) at MERRILLVILLE
4-20-7 (F) at LaPORTE
4-21-7 (S) at Elkhart Central - 11 a.m.
4-24-7 (Tu) at MICHGAN CITY
4-26-7 (Th) at PORTAGE
4-28-7 (S) Morgan Township - 10 a.m.
4-30-7 (M) at LAKE CENTRAL
5-2-7 (W) VALPARAISO
5-4-7 (F) CHESTERTON
5-5-7 (S) Morton - 10 a.m.
5-8-7 (Tu) MERRILLVILLE
5-10-7 (Th) LaPORTE
5-14-7 (M) at Boone Grove
5-16-7 (W) at (South Bend) Riley
5-18-7 (F) Highland
5-19-7 (S) at Hanover Central
4A Sectional
5-21-7 (M) quarterfinals (TBA)
5-23-7 (W) semifinals (TBA)
5-25-7 (F) championship (TBA)
Copyright ©
2007 USA-365.com and Meyer
Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights
reserved.
Revised: April 07, 2007.