Lady Bulldogs stumble in upset bid, lose 7-4 to Higland on eve of playoffs

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

5-25-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Hobart (13-8)	2	0	0	0	0	5	0	2	4	2
CROWN POINT (8-18)	0	0	0	5	0	0	-	5	6	2

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - at CROWN POINT

WP - Shelly Kurcz (4-9) CG, 3K, 2 walks
LP - Sarah Bodhaine (4-6) 1K, 1 walk (4 inn.)

Shelly Kurcz (CP) 2 singles, RBI
Kelly Harlow (CP) Single, RBI

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (8-19)	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	5	9	3
Highland (19-6-1)	1	0	3	1	0	2	-	7	11	1

Friday, May 21, 2004 - at Highland

WP - Stephanie Zimny (13-4-1) 13K, 2 walks
LP - Christina Horvat (0-3) 1K, 2 walks (4 1/3 inn.)

Lauren Stovall (CP) 2 singles
Anne Kvarta (H) Double, single
Stephanie Zimny (H) Single, 2 RBIs

HIGHLAND (5-21-2004) - In the final inning against Highland with the outcome almost certainly in doubt, the Bulldogs were going down swinging, making good contact against one of the hardest throwing pitchers in northwest Indiana.

Highland's Stephanie Zimny struck out 13 as the Trojans (19-5-1) beat Crown Point (8-19), but the Bulldogs had to leave with high hope for this week's Valparaiso Sectional. Highland won the game 7-4. The final score was reported as 7-5 but only two runs scored in the seventh inning. If a CP runner hadn't been caught off base after a Highland error to end the game, the score might have been closer.

"The tough thing that we have right now," said CP coach Jim Inglehart. "Is that we came out tonight and we were intimidated at the start of the game. Then, we realized we could hit her."

Highland led 5-0 after four innings but the Bulldogs did total nine hits against a strong senior pitcher. The outcome of games in the final week of the season is almost meaningless, but what does matter is how you play. CP ended the year 5-9 in DAC play and 3-10 outside it, the latter being more disappointing. DAC teams simply must win nonconference games. The league schedule, in theory, makes DAC squads stronger in non-DAC action. Only occasionally have they shown what they can do.

"We've had some very good games," said Inglehart. "But we've had some very bad ones, too. I love our seniors but we don't have a lot of experience there. They've done a good job at times but they simply haven't played that much."

Still, those seniors who take on Merrillville are players who were there when CP pulled off three upset victories and won the sectional title in 2003. I don't know if they can do it again, but obviously, they have a chance to beat Merrillville.

"It'll be a good competitive game," said Inglehart. "We can't look past them for any reason and we have to play a smart game. We're not going to strike out a ton against them."

BULLDOG NOTES: While Crown Point only won eight games all year, they defeated two of their sectional opponents in Hobart and Merrillville and the losses to sectional foe Valparaiso were a respectable 5-4 and 3-1.

Highland coach Jen Banas, who faces a tough semifinal game against Lowell in the Lake Central Sectional Thursday (May 27), welcomed the 2-1, 11-inning game with Portage (21-4-2) last week.

"It's better to go against that kind of competition," Banas said. "If you look at the stats, we won. If you look at the score, they won."

Highland uses Zimny almost 75% of the time, but they could conceivably see Munster, which uses three pitchers in every game. That strategy has produced 13 shutouts, but it defies traditional logic that says you need one dominant pitcher to reach the state finals.

"That can go either way," said Banas. "It depends on your confidence. You can say if you're 0-for-2 that 'Now, I've got it figured out.' Or you can say, 'I'm 0-for-2. Here comes 0-for-3.' That just depends on the player. We put the ball in play off all three (Munster) pitchers. The way to think about it is, 'you've got one at bat. You've got to make it count.'"

CP's Melissa Ferrara was questionable for the sectional with a leg problem and junior Christina Horvat took a blow on the shoulder against Highland. That made it almost certain that first-year varsity player Shelly Kurcz, who has done the majority of the pitching for CP this season, would get the ball against Merrillville.

"I haven't decided yet," cautioned Inglehart. 'I think we had Ferrara go both times against them (the Pirates) before. So we probably will go with Shelly."

Crown Point 2004 (8-19)
Coach Jim Inglehart (1st year), CP was 16-16 in 2003
Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) games in CAPS

April 5 (W) 5-0 Morton (16-10)
April 6 (L) 13-2 at LAKE CENTRAL (23-3)
April 7 (L) 2-9 at Griffith (16-13)
April 8 (L) 2-5 MERRILLVILLE (13-15)
April 13 (L) 0-10 at PORTAGE (21-4-2
April 15 (L) 1-3 VALPARAISO (1-3)

'Cheiftain Invitational' Dowagiac, Mich.
April 17 (W) 4-0 Grandville, Mich.
April 17 (L) 2-8 Dowagiac, Mich (24-9)
April 17 (L) 3-7 Portage (Mich.) Northern

April 19 (W) 7-3 LaPorte (3-23)
April 21 (L) 1-7 CHESTERTON (20-6)
April 23 (W) 8-1 at MICHIGAN CITY (2-21)
April 24 (L) 0-1 at Logansport (16-8)
April 24 (L) 0-1 Logansport (16-8)
April 27 (L) 0-4 LAKE CENTRAL (23-3)
April 29 (W) 9-1 at MERRILLVILLE (13-15)
April 30 (L) 0-10 Andrean (23-3)
May 1 (S) Hanover Central (21-7) canceled
May 3 (L) 1-9 PORTAGE (21-4-2)
May 5 (L) 4-5 at VALPARAISO (13-15)
May 7 (W) 7-3 at LaPORTE (3-23)
May 8 (L) 2-4 at Morton (16-10)
May 10 (L) 0-5 Munster (23-2-1)
May 11 (L) 0-1 CHESTERTON (20-6)
May 13 (L) 1-4 MICHIGAN CITY (2-21)
May 15 (L) 6-7 at Lowell (19-8)
May 19 (W) 5-2 Hobart (15-10)
May 21 (L) at Highland (19-6-1)

MERRILLVILLE (4A) Sectional
May 26 (W) at Merrillville (13-15)
May 29 (Sat) vs. Portage (21-4-2) or Chesterton (20-6)

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