Lady Bulldogs score early but fall late in losses to Griffith and Merrillville

4-9-2004

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

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

2004 Duneland Conference opener - April 8, 2004, 49 degrees, cloudy in CROWN POINT

LP - Shelly Kurcz (1-2) 1K, 1 walk (2 innings) 3 unearned runs
WP - Heather Vargas (3-0) 1K, 0 walks (3 innings)

Jenna Hill (M) Single, RBI
Brittany Huish (M) Single, RBI
Kelly Harlow (CP) Double, single RBI
Lauren Stovall (CP) Single, HBP, Sac bunt
Mallory Springman (CP) Triple, single
Lauren Mishevich (CP) 2 singles, RBI

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (1-2)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	6
Griffith (4-2)	0	0	0	0	5	4	0	9	6	2

April 7, 2004, 54 degrees, cloudy in Griffith

WP - Jessica Banke (3-1) CG No. 4, 5Ks, 1 walk
LP - Shelly Kurcz (1-1) 5K, 4 walk (6 innings) 6 unearned runs

Shelley Kurcz (CP) Single
Lindsey Mishevich (CP) single
Crystal Ulm (G) 2 singles, RBI
Taryn Blythe (G) Single, 2 walks
Kendra Trezerio (G) Single, walk

CROWN POINT (4-8-2004) - Crown Point figured to beat Morton and they did. Odds are, they weren't going to beat Lake Central. The Indians hit three home runs. But the last two games could have gone either way. Trouble is, games don't go either way. They just go with the flow.

Crown Point led Griffith 2-0 after four innings of a 9-2 loss at Griffith Tuesday. Then the Lady Bulldogs led 2-0 after five innings of a 5-2 loss to Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) rival Merrillville Thursday afternoon.

"Right now," said coach Jim Inglehart, "We've got to walk a fine line between being critical and being positive because some of the girls have lost a little confidence."

The way these games slipped away had something to do with that. CP made five errors in the final two innings to fall at Griffith and Merrillville scored five sixth-inning runs on one single, two walks and three errors to beat the home team Thursday.

Merrillville (4-1), coming off a last at-bat 2-1 loss at Hebron 24 hours earlier, trailed 2-0 going to the sixth inning before CP gave them some chances. Heather Zurek bounced Melissa Ferrara's second pitch back to the pitcher but Ferrara's throw to first inexplicably sailed over the head of first baseman Kelly Harlow. When Ferrara, starting her first varsity home game ever, walked Gina Angotti on four pitches, Inglehart pulled Ferrara for soph pitcher Shelly Kurcz, who had run into trouble late in the Griffith contest.

Back-to-back errors by senior third baseman Melissa Cooper and junior shortstop Lauren Mishevich cut the lead to 2-1. Pirate freshman Amy Vargas bounced into a force play at home plate. The two key plays of the game were next. Erin Ely bounced the ball to second base and CP second baseman Lauren Stovall's throw to the plate was late, allowing Heidi Hammond to score the tying run. With the bases still loaded, Megan Stacks bounced another ball to Stovall whose throw home for a force play was again late, allowing Brittany Huish to score for a 3-2 Pirate lead. Had Stovall chosen to throw to first base on Ely's ball and concede the tying run, Stacks ground ball would have ended the inning. As it was, the Pirates led 3-2. Jenna Hill's single to right made it 4-2 and a wild pitch by Kurcz created the 5-2 score. The key plays weren't errors. Just poor decisions.

"This game was just like yesterday," said assistant coach and 2001 CP grad Laurie Leonard. "Almost exactly like it."

Inglehart added, "The mistakes we're making are mistakes of youth. They're things that we can get better at."

Crown Point had led 2-0 on RBI hits by Harlow and Mishevich against stating pitcher Heather Zurek. Vargas then came on and shut out CP over the final four innings in 45-degree weather.

On Thursday, CP took a 2-0 first inning lead against Panther right-hander Jessica Banke (3-1) on base hits by Harlow and Mishevich plus two Griffith errors. But Griffith scored five times on two hits in the fifth inning. With runners at second and third and one out, Kaitlyn O'Brien hit a slow roller to third baseman Melissa Cooper. The only play was at home and Griffith's Kendra Trezerio beat Cooper's throw home on a very close play. Back to back errors on hard hit ground balls by Mishevich at shortstop allowed two more runs to score and kept the inning going. The Panthers (4-2) added four more runs in the sixth on two walks and two singles plus two more errors.

"If we get that call at the plate," Inglehart said later. "We probably get out of that inning. But we've got to make plays in the field. They aren't hitting our pitchers very hard. We can't be throwing to the wrong base like we did today. I don't know how many of their runs were earned."

Griffith coach Michelle Powers saw the victory as a result of her team's making contact. It's amazing what happens when you do that," she said. "We're still looking for some leadership out there at some positions. Jessica didn't pitch much last year because she had a back problem but she throws pretty good. We're still trying to get better."

That's a sentiment shared at CP.

"We knew that some of this would happen." Inglehart admitted. "We've got a lot of girls playing for the first time. Last night (a 13-1 loss to defending region champ LC) was the first time I've ever had three home runs hit against me in my life. But tonight was the first time I've had two ground ball errors in the outfield. The ball goes between someone's legs. Those are the type of things we can't have."

The Bulldogs played four games in four days which was a hardship but definitely showed what aspects of the game need work. CP has good pitching, decent hitting and speed and more than one defensive problem.

"Our pitching has been pretty good," Inglehart said, "I thought Shelly threw well enough to win but she let down at times. We have to get better all around.

Crown Point went without senior Mallory Michaels (spring break) who will probably go into the outfield this week. It might help to remember that there's six weeks and about 25 games to play.

"We knew this was going to be a project. It's a cliche to say we have to wait and see about this team but we really do."

BULLDOG NOTES: Thursday's game was the first played simultaneously with a CP boys game next door. Until this year, softball was not played on-site at Crown Point high school. CP had an official 16 errors after four games but the true total is probably higher. Scoring in softball is much more hit friendly than it is in baseball. CP did not play on four consecutive days at any time last season.
Kurcz pitched a 5-0 shutout in CP's home debut against Morton. CP won their first home event at the new high school in every true team sport. The Lady Bulldogs need a press box volunteer to announce the batters at home games. The system is in place. There's just no one to be the voice.

Crown Point 2004 (1-3)
Coach Jim Inglehart (1st year), CP was 16-16 in 2003
Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) games in CAPS

April 5 (W) 5-0 Morton (2-2)
April 6 (L) 2-13 at LAKE CENTRAL (2-2)
April 7 (L) 2-9 at Griffith (4-2)
April 8 (L) 2-5 MERRILLVILLE (4-1)

April 13 (Tu) at PORTAGE (4-0-1)
April 15 (Th) VALPARAISO (1-3)

'Chieftain Invitational' Dowagiac, Mich.
April 17 (S) 3 games

April 19 (M) LaPORTE (0-3)
April 21 (W) CHESTERTON (6-1)
April 23 (F) at MICHIGAN CITY
April 24 (S) at Logansport (2) 11 a.m.
April 27 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL (2-2)
April 29 (Th) at MERRILLVILLE (4-1)
April 30 (F) Andrean (4-0)
May 1 (S) Hanover Central (1-2) 10 a.m.
May 3 (M) PORTAGE (4-0-1)
May 5 (W) at VALPARAISO
May 7 (F) at LaPORTE
May 8 (S) at Morton - 10 a.m.
May 10 (M) Munster
May 11 (Tu) CHESTERTON
May 13 (Th) MICHIGAN CITY
May 15 (S) at Lowell
May 21 (F) at Highland

MERRILLVILLE (4A) Sectional
(with Hobart, Chseterton, Valpo, Portage and Merrillville)
May 24 (M) quarterfinal
May 25 (Tu) quarterfinal
May 27 (Th) semifinals
May 29 (Sat) championship

Merrillville (4A) Regional
June 5 (S) semifinals - 10 a.m.
June 5 (S) championship - 7 p.m.