Chesterton eliminates Crown Point from Sectional Baseball tournament, 9-3

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

6-1-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Chesterton (17-8)	0	2	1	1	1	4	0	9	11	1
CROWN POINT (17-11)	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	5	1

Monday, May 31, 2004 - 68 degrees, occasional rain, windy at Merrillville Sectional

WP - Josh Malone (5-3) 7K, 3 walks (6 inn.)
LP - Mike Schultz (5-4) 7K, 3 walks (5 1/3 inn.)

Josh Malone (C) 2 HRs, 3 RBIs
Alex Montagano (C) HR, single, RBI
Jim Bard (C) Triple, walk, RBI
Nick Chase (C) 2 singles
Ryne Smitka (C) Double, RBI
Casey Martin (C) Double, 2 RBIs
Matt Long (CP) 2 walks
Matt Cowan (CP) 2 singles, RBI
Dave Dickerson (CP) Triple, single, RBI
Nick Bodinet (CP) Single, HBP

CROWN POINT (5-31-2004) - Everybody knew that Crown Point got a tough draw in the six-team, Class 4A Merrillville Sectional. There weren't going to be any easy draws with five Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) teams and Hobart.

But Chesterton got a tough draw, too. The Trojans, coming off a 15-2 loss to Munster, drew a Crown Point team that was 17-10 and closed with a 14-4 win over Washington Township. Chesterton made the long road look easy. Using the wind and dodging the rain like they were at home, Chesterton (17-8) scored early and often to eliminate Crown Point 9-3 in the Merrillville Sectional quarterfinals Monday afternoon.

"We hit three out and they didn't," said Chesterton veteran coach Jack Campbell. "We got three big ones and Casey blooped one in that scored two more."

The 'bloop' may have done more damage than any of the the blasts. Leading 5-3 with one out in the sixth inning, Casey Martin (40-81, .494) lifted a high fly into shallow left field that CP's Matt Cowan could not get to. Two runs scored and Josh Malone followed with his second home run, upping the lead to 9-3 in about a two minute span.

"That pop up was the biggest play of the game," said CP coach Steve Strayer. "If we get that, it's still 5-3. I'm not saying we win if we get that, but the final two innings are played differently. But it just wasn't a good day."

For Chesterton, the day did not start well. Crown Point scored two first inning runs after two out. Matt Cowan's first pitch single to center field scored Jake Pierce and Dave Dickerson's 0-2 pitch, wind-blown RBI triple to right center gave the Bulldogs and senior right-hander Mike Schultz (5-4) a 2-0 edge.

But Chesterton tied the game immediately. Josh Goranson walked to start the second inning and Jim Bard lined an RBI-triple to right center to make it 2-1. Nick Chase's infield hit tied the game.

On a bizarre weather day that was alternately sunny, windy and rainy, the Trojans dominated from that point on. Alex Montagano's two-out 380-foot home run to right center field gave Chesterton a 3-2 lead in the third inning and Ryne Smitka's two-out double to right center made it 4-2 in the fourth. Malone led off the fifth inning with a fly ball homer to left center that might have been aided by the 25-MPH southwest wind. After CP scored on a throwing error in the fifth to make it 5-3, Martin's two-run double got some push from the wind and Malone's second homer didn't need any.

"They are a tough team," said Strayer. "We knew it. I don't feel bad losing to Chesterton. They're a good team. They've got a good chance to win this (sectional) thing. We had a lot of ups and downs this year. We got in our win streak and then we went into a lull where we got no-hit twice (Terre Haute North and Clark) and that hurt our confidence."

Chesterton's Josh Malone didn't have his best day, walking three batters and hitting two others, but he got through six innings and, after a 40-minute rain delay, sidearm relief star Tom Albano finished up.

Crown Point filled the bases in the sixth but Malone struck out freshman Matt Ernest looking and pinch hitter Adam Quinn swinging on a 3-2 pitch.

"Obviously, its a little bit easier when you've got a four run lead," said Campbell. "But we got the pinch hitter with the bases loaded. That was a big strikeout."

Chesterton got off to a 7-1 start this season but there was a thought that they stumbled down the stretch including the blowout loss to Munster 15-2 to end the year. CP's early lead could have broken the Trojans but it didn't happen.

"We were down 2-0," said Campbell, "and the bad thing about it was, we missed a popup. Of course the wind was blowing. But if we catch that pop up we're out of the inning. But you can't dwell on that. And you sure can't do anything about it. We had six more innings."

The Bulldogs, who ended the season splitting their final eight games, did well in a season where they started only three senior position players. But last year's sectional title raised the bar for CP baseball. The expectation now, is to win a sectional title EVERY year. So, as rainclouds swirled like gulls over Merrillville's back lot, Strayer didn't have to put that into words.

"We'll just have to come back and get after it next year," he said.

BULLDOG NOTES: Chesterton's Matt Lambert (28-60, .467) missed the game after a concussion last week. It was not certain whether he would be able to play in the sectional at all.

The Merrillville Sectional was the only one in Lake and Porter County that completed all the scheduled play on Monday.
Chesterton's Jack Campbell is one of many who do not like the new hurry-up format, which pushes sectional hosts to cram the entire tournament into a four day span with the new Tuesday afternoon regional.

Merrillville had both quarterfinal games and a semifinal game (Valpo vs. Merrillville) all scheduled for Memorial Day. Only some lucky breaks in the weather and a fine effort by the Merrillville 'ground crew' kept the field playable for all three games.

"You're not supposed to play three (sectional) games in one day," Campbell said Monday. "The bye game is not supposed to be played the same day as the first two games. But I guess this isn't basketball or football so it doesn't mean much. They gave us options and I said, 'What if you get rained out the first day? Couldn't play (three games) Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday. So what? You'd have to play them all Friday? Let's do that.'"

Crown Point advanced to the regional championship game in 2003 but Chesterton eliminated them in 2002. CP has drawn Chesterton in the sectional playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Campbell hinted that the Trojans probably were not going to start side-arm pitcher Tom Albano no matter what the situation.

"Albano has seven wins and he hasn't started a game," he said. "He's 7-2 and he hasn't started. We've been struggling to find a No. 2 guy all season long."

Adam Quinn homered Saturday as CP ended the regular season with a 14-4 five-inning victory over Washington Township (13-13).

2004 CROWN POINT (17-11)
Coach Steve Strayer 23-10-1 in 2003
All games at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated; DAC games in CAPS

4-3 (W) 35-0 (5) at Hammond (4-18)
4-4 (W) 4-3 Gavit (10-11)
4-6 (W) 4-2 Highland (15-14)

Kankakee Valley Invitational
4-10 (W) 13-1 Knox (4-18)
4-10 (L) 4-5 Kankakee Valley (18-13) title

4-13 (L) 2-3 PORTAGE (11-17)
4-14 (W) 20-6 at Hebron (8-17)
4-15 (L) 11-13 at VALPARAISO (17-12)
4-17 (W) 8-4 at Griffith (16-13)
4-19 (L) 0-1 at LaPORTE (21-7)
4-21 (L) 4-7 CHESTERTON (17-8)
4-23 (W) 12-2 MICHIGAN CITY (2-21)
4-26 (W) 4-3 Rensselaer (14-12)
4-27 (L) 1-5 LAKE CENTRAL (20-6)
4-29 (W) 16-3 at MERRILLVILLE (14-12)
5-3 (W) 7-3 at PORTAGE (11-17)
5-5 (W) 5-4 VALPARAISO (14-12)
5-7 (W) 1-0 LaPORTE (21-6)
5-11 (W) 9-7 CHESTERTON (17-8)
5-17 (W) 10-6 at MICHIGAN CITY (2-20)
5-18 (L) 4-5 at LAKE CENTRAL (20-6)
5-20 (L) 9-11 MERRILLVILLE (14-12)

Terre Haute North Invitational
5-22 (W) 11-5 Lawrence Central (20-6)
5-22 (L) 0-10 (5 inn.)Terre Haute North (23-5)

5-25 (W) 7-1 Lowell (11-16)
5-27 (L) 0-2 at Clark (23-3)
5-28 (W) Jefferson (16-10) cancelled
5-29 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) Washington Township (12-10)

MERRILLVILLE 4A Sectional
5-31 (L) 3-9 Chesterton (17-9)