Lowell Junior Little League (age 13-14) loses state finals tourney opener 8-7 to Cleveland Twp. in 8-innings

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	R	H	E
LOWELL (4-1)	0	0	1	1	0	0	5	0	7	10	2
Cleveland Township (6-0)	2	0	0	5	0	0	0	1	8	9	5

Junior Little League state finals (ages 13-14)
7-24-2003 - 80 degrees, sunny at the Merrillville Little League
WP - Jeremy Scott (3-0) 10Ks, 4 walks (7.7 innings)
LP - John Stoner (0-1) 2ks, 0 walks (3.3 innings)

Cleveland Township (4 singles, 6 doubles, 5 stolen bases)
Cam Hall (CT) Double, 2 singles, walk, 3 RBIs, 2 stolen bases
Jeremy Scott (CT) 2 doubles, 2 RBIs
Chad Coffey (CT) Double, single, 2 RBIs

LOWELL (7 doubles, 3 triples, 3 stolen bases)
John Cap (L) 2 singles, 2 RBIs
Tyler Overdorf (L) HBP, single
John Harker (L) Double, 2 walks
Nathan Korth (L) Double, 2 RBIs

MERRILLVILLE (7-24-2003) - Lowell's Junior Little League all-stars almost stole a game they shouldn't have won at the state finals in Merrillville Thursday. A five-run rally tied the game in the seventh inning and Elkhart's Cleveland Township scored in the eighth for an 8-7 victory.

But coming off a nine-day layoff, the Lowell stars figured to play poorly and they did. Had the game ended 7-2, they might have been demoralized. But an 8-7 loss? In extra innings? There was still high hope for Lowell reaching the state semifinals if they used this first game to get sharp.

"Oh My God were we flat," said manager Paul Hoffman. "I knew we would be but I hoped we wouldn't."

Cleveland Township (6-0), from the northeast side of Elkhart, took a 2-0 lead when a Lowell mistake opened the door. Matt McCullough walked with one out against Lowell right-hander Jon Cap. Then Jeremy Scott hit a long fly ball to left center field. Center fielder Matt Kay and left fielder Kyle White appeared to assume that the other would catch a very catchable ball. When neither did, Cleveland Township had runners at second and third. Chad Coffey then lined a 2-2 pitch to center for a 2-0 edge.

Lowell scored in the third inning when a walk and single by Kay and Zach Hoffman put the District II champions on the board. Lowell then tied the game in the fourth inning when Jon Stoner walked and Ken Swart tried to bunt him to second. Scott, the pitcher, threw the ball down the right field line and Stoner scored to make it 2-2.

CT appeared to bury Lowell with five runs in the fourth inning. Josh Scott doubled and Cap walked Chad Melcher and Russ Bryant. Hoffman brought in relief pitcher Josh Kuiper, but Ben Girten's RBI single made it 3-2. After a catchable foul pop up fell untouched, Cam Hall doubled for two more runs. Then Jeremy Scott's line drive to left was misplayed for a two-run double and a 7-2 lead.

"Our defense just wasn't that good today," Hoffman said plainly. "(If) you've seen us play. For us, that was awful."

Lowell appeared to be finished but Jeremy Scott's pitch count mounted to scary totals. Scott, a strong right-hander, threw 109 pitches through six innings. In the seventh, an error and a walk convinced manager John Bryant to switch his pitcher with left-handed first baseman Russ Bryant.

But Bryant hit Tyler Overdorf with a pitch and, one out later, Swart singled to deep short to make it 7-3.

Cap then blooped a two run single to right and when the throw went to the plate, the tying runs advanced to second and third. Cleveland Township brought Jeremy Scott back to the mound but Nathan Korth pulled a game-tying two-run double down the left-field line, thrilling the 100 Lowell fans in attendance.

But Scott struck out Josh Kuiper and grabbed Matt Kay's ground ball to end the seventh inning. Scott also struck out Stoner and Swart with runners at second and third in the eighth inning.
Cam Hall's third hit of the game won the game after Chris Meckley's double in the eighth.

"Our kids are like that," said manager Bryant of Cleveland. "They fall behind or they have a bad inning and then they pull it together."

Hoffman seemed amazed that his boys were inept for six innings.

"It just doesn't happen," he said. "It hasn't happened all year. Hopefully it won't happen again. We're not out of it yet, but it will be tough."

LITTLE LEAGUE NOTES: The Cleveland Township Little League is on the northeast side of Elkhart and the all-stars will attend Elkhart Memorial high school. Pitcher Jeremy Scott and third baseman Josh Scott are 14-year-old twins. Jeremy Scott threw an incredible 151 pitches in the victory. He pitched into the seventh inning, left after two batters and then came back five hitters later.

There is talk of a pitch count limit in Little League next year.

Manager Paul Hoffman was asked if he ever considered putting in No. 2 pitcher Aaron Corns after Lowell tied the game 7-7 in the seventh inning. Understanding that Pool play does not put that large an emphasis on the first game, Hoffman and his coaches needed to hold a top pitcher for the pivotal second game of pool play.

But in a tie, extra inning game, didn't they think about using Corns?

"Yes I did," smiled Hoffman. "I was very tempted. But he reigned me in. He (Corns) said don't do it, so I didn't."

Lowell left 13 runners on base in the eight-inning, 2-1/2 hour contest.

"I have no idea," said Hoffman about the reasons. "The clutch hitting just was not there. I don't know what to say. The rally was huge. They came alive. We'd been awful the whole game until then."

The Merrillville Little League's junior field was in good condition but the fields around it appeared to be a little worn. When a pipeline came through the land occupied by the Little League a couple of years back, it appears a couple of fields were lost. But the main field used for the finals was more than adequate.

The setting sun at the Merrillville Little League almost blinded people on the first base side and appeared to bother not only right handed hitters but the catcher on pop-ups. The winner of the state finals heads for the Great Lakes Regional in Fort Wayne July 31-August 3.

JUNIORS (ages 13-14)
2003 State Finals at the Merrillville Little League

At MERRILLVILLE   - July 24
New Albany Township 3, Zionsville 0
Decatur Central 3, St. Petersburg 1
(Elkhart) Cleveland Township 8, Lowell 7 (8 innings)
Michigan City vs. (South Bend) Chet Waggoner

At MERRILLVILLE (Fri.) July 25
New Albany Township vs. Decatur Central (11 a.m.)
     Zionsville vs. St Petersburg (1:30 p.m.)
Chet Waggoner vs. Cleveland Township (4 p.m.)
Michigan City vs. LOWELL (6:30 p.m.)

At MERRILLVILLE   (Sat.) July 26
Zionsville vs. Decatur Central (11 a.m.)
     New Albany Township vs. St Petersburg   (1:30 p.m.)
Michigan City vs. Cleveland Township (4 p.m.)
Chet Waggoner vs. LOWELL (6:30 p.m.)

At MERRILLVILLE (Sun.) July 27
SEMIFINAL GAME ONE: 1 p.m.
SEMIFINAL GAME TWO: 3:30 p.m.

At MERRILLVILLE   (Mon.) July 28
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: 2 p.m.