Crown Point Post 20 shuts down threat from surging Lowell Post 101 in American Legion (19-and-under) Baseball

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (8-0)	2	0	0	0	3	0	1	6	9	2
LOWELL (6-13)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1

July 3, 2003 - in Crown Point
WP - Kyle Long (2-0) 10K, 2 walks
LP - John Cusack (1-3) 0Ks, 1 walk (4.3 inn.)

CROWN POINT (8 singles, 2 doubles)
Steve Georgian (20) 2 doubles, single, 2 RBI
Chad Pierce (20) Single, 2 HBPs, RBI
Jake Pierce (20) Single, HBP

LOWELL (4 singles, 2 doubles)
Tom LaFlech (101) Double, single, RBI
Scott Denton (101) 2 singles, stolen base

CROWN POINT (7-3-2003) - American legion regular season games don't mean much unless you see two teams that are rated 1-2 in their sectional.

The idea of Wednesday's Lowell Post 101 game in Crown Point was to see how close Lowell (6-12) is to the defending sectional champion, Crown Point Post 20 (8-0), which is off to a postponement-laden but undefeated start.

Answer? The distance between the two teams is significant but not insurmountable.

With neither side using their top pitchers for different reasons, Crown Point led all the way for 6-1 victory over the Lowell legion squad.

"I thought we did a good job," said Lowell manager Greg Ford. "We made some quick (pitcher) changes and held them down. We only made one error. Realistically, one or two errors. That's what we're shooting for. We just didn't take advantage of our opportunities. In the first inning, we had the bases loaded and nobody out and we scored one run."

That was the key to the game. Against CP veteran Kyle Long, who is not now (but may soon be) one of Post 20's regular pitchers, Lowell's leadoff man Scott Denton got a leadoff single and scored, after a walk to Nate Oaf and a pitch that hit John Estill, on an infield hit by Tom LaFlech to cut the Crown Point lead to 2-1.

But Post 101, a young team by the new 19-and-under American Legion standards, did not score again. After a talk with manager Tony Samano, Long struck out Hanover Central varsity players Adam Suarez and Luke Besse on 1-2 pitches.

Long then got KV grad Travis Poisell to hit a weak tapper to the pitcher that Long tossed to catcher Steve Georgian for an inning-ending force play.

Post 20 (8-0) had taken the 2-0 lead after two out in the first inning when Georgian, a Boone Grove grad lined an RBI single to right field. CP grad Kevin Vandas then sliced a single to right field to make it 2-0 before Lowell ever got to the plate in a Post 101 home game that was moved due to the renovation at Lowell.

The game stayed at 2-1 until the fifth inning when Post 101 pitcher John Cusack tired in the mid-80 degree heat and gave up run-scoring hits to Georgian and Chad Pierce in a three-run fifth inning.
John Koutelas smacked an RBI single in the top of the seventh against relief pitcher Tom LaFlech.
Post 20 may have expected and easier game and, even though they got 10 base hits, Crown Point expected to do better against three Lowell pitchers.

"We looked just outstanding today at the plate," Kelly Frickie said sarcastically.

"We can hit better than this. We just looked sick up there. We had a week and a half off when we were just starting to get going."

Even winning pitcher Kyle Long (2-0), who now has two complete game wins filling in for injured right-handers Jeff Mills, Jason Plys and Lance Losinski, moaned about his hitless performance with the bat.

"I still didn't hit anything," he said. "The only time I'll play now is probably when I pitch."

Long has gone from an infielder that Post 20 could replace to a pitcher they desperately need. The former second baseman has good velocity (maybe low 80s) and a sweeping sidearm curve. People still make comments about the 5-foot-8 CP grad pitching but in two starts, Long shut out Highland in a five-inning game, allowing one hit and striking out 14 before posting 10 strikeouts against Lowell.

Without three starting pitchers, Long (2-0) and lefty Brandon Barr (1-0) have become
pivotal players in CP's sectional and regional title hopes. Forget the 8-0 start. The big dogs haven't started barking at Post 20 yet.

"We just haven't gotten started yet," said Fricke. "When the time comes to play, we'll be ready."

POST NOTES: Crown Point ace pitcher Jeff Mills says his injured right arm has not recovered for him to pitch. "I went out there before the game," Mills said prior to the CP-Lowell matchup, "and I felt good. Then, I drove home to get my contacts (lenses) and I took a right hand turn and my arm went 'pop'. It hurt even worse than it did the first time. I figured that taking a couple of weeks off would help but it didn't." Mills was hurt making a throw in the infield prior to the CP-Whiting game.

Jay Randolph Post 507 is a team from Jay and Randolph counties in central Indiana on the Ohio state line.

Many Post 20 games were canceled in June. A double-header with Walton Post 418 was canceled due to weekend rains on June 29. A double-header at New Castle was postponed by New Castle the next day for reasons that are not clear.

The June 22 double-header with Bristol Post 143 was postponed because Bristol had scheduled a tournament in Michigan that weekend. The July 1 game with Merrillville was postponed because the Merrillville team has folded. That was not a surprise. When Merrillville high did not allow Post 430 to use either of their baseball fields, Merrillville's legion team, which was started just two years ago, was doomed.

Without Merrillville, the four teams in the Crown Point sectional will be Hobart, Remington, Lowell and Crown Point. Remington's game at Crown Point on June 25 was rained out and Post 20 travels to Remington (about 25 miles south of Lowell on I-65) on July 16 at 7 p.m.

The double-header Saturday in Lafayette was set for a one p.m. start. Lafayette Post 11 improved to 14-3 with a 16-6 win over Madison on June 29. One of their losses is to two-time defending state champion Evansville Post 265 by a 5-2 score on June 27 and the other two are to New Castle and Kokomo.

CROWN POINT Post 20 (8-0)
Manager Tony Samano
6-11-3: CP (20) 20,    Merrillville (430) 4
6-17-3: CP (20) 5,     Hammond (168) 3
6-18-3: CP (20) 7,     Whiting (80) 4
6-20-3: CP (20) 10,    Cal City (330) 3
6-23: CP (20) 14,     Highland (180) 0
6-24-3: CP (20) 6,      Muncie (19) 5
6-27-3:   CP (20)   4,     Chicago Apaches 0
7-3-3: CP (20) 6,          Lowell (101) 1
7-5-3 (Sat) at Lafayette (11)
7-5-3: (Sat) at Lafayette (11)
7-6-3 (Sun) Terre Haute Post (346)
7-6-3 (Sun) Terre Haute Post (346)
7-7-3 (Mon) Mishawaka (161) 7:30 p.m.
7-8-3 (Tu) Hobart (54) 6 p.m.
7-9 (W) at Whiting (80) 6 p.m.
7-10 (Th) Hammond (168) 8 p.m.

7-11(Fri) Post 20 tournament (TBA)
7-11(Sat) Post 20 tournament (TBA)
7-13 (Sun) Post 20 tournament (TBA)

7-14 (Mon) Post 20 A vs. Post 20 B - 7 p.m.
7-15 (Tues) at Plymouth Post 27 - 7:30 p.m.
7-16 (Wed) at Remington Post 280 - 7 p.m.
7-17 (Th) at Highland Post 180 - 6 p.m.
7-18 (F) East Chicago Post 369 - 6:30 p.m.
7-19 (Sat) Jay Randolph Post 507 - 2 games - 5 p.m.
7-20 (Sun) American Legion all-star game - 7 p.m.
7-21 (M) Plymouth Post 27 - 7 p.m.

CROWN POINT SECTIONAL
7-22-3 (Tu.) LOWELL vs. Remington - 7 p.m.
7-23-3 (W) CROWN POINT vs. Hobart - 7 p.m.
7-24-3 (Th) Winner's bracket final - 7 p.m.
7-25-3 (F) Loser's bracket semifinal - 7 p.m.
7-26-3 (S) Loser's bracket final game - 6:30 p.m.
7-27-3 (Sun) Championship game one - 2:30 p.m.
7-27-3 (Sun) Championship game two (if necessary) after game one.

Lafayette Regional
double-elimination at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette
8-1 (F) 2 first round games
8-2 (Sat.) 3 second round games
8-3 (Sun) championship round

2003 State Finals in Madison, Ind.
at Madison Shawe high school in Madison
8-7 (Th) first round game
8-8 (F) 2 first round games
8-9 (Sat.) 3 second round games
8-10 (Sun) championship round