Lady Bulldogs open 2006 softball season 1-2, see improvement in pitching, hitting

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

4-1-2006

Thursday, March 30, 2006 -  64 degrees and sunny at Crown Point, IN

WP - Shelly Kurcz (1-2)  5K, 2 walks, one hit, 2 HBPs (4 innings)
SAVE - Erika Malloy 2K, 2 walks (3 innings)
LP - Jonelle Jordan (0-1)  CG. 3Ks, 3 walks (one earned run)

North Newton (0-1)
Jackie Rex (C) Single, walk
Kristen Miller (LF) HBP, walks, sac bunt
Tara Williamson (SS) Single, run scored

CROWN POINT (1-2)
Amber Pierce (LF) Double, run scored, stolen base
Jen Adank (LF) Single, run scored
Alicia Rock (C) Squeeze bunt, RBI

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 - 44 degrees, cloudy & rainy at Crown Point

LP - Shelly Kurcz (0-2)  4K, 2 walks, CG
WP - Andrea Hein (2-0)  4K, 2 walks (5 inn.)
  SAVE - Tricia Weedy   #1,  0K, 0 walks (2 inn.) 

New Prairie (2-0)
Michelle Socinski (OF) Triple, RBI
Missy Vacil (SS) 2 singles

CROWN POINT (0-2)
Amber Pearce (LF) Single, RBI

CROWN POINT (3-30-2006)  Crown Point finally got that first win of the season Thursday, leading almost all the way and beating North Newton 6-1 in 65-degree sunshine behind the new Crown Point High School.

Coach Jim Ingelhart understood that North Newton, with just 11 players and a freshman pitcher, was not a formidable foe.  But he also knew his side needed a win after a tough 3-2 loss to New Prairie the day before.  After two games, the pitching looked pretty good, but the perimeter defense and all of the offense still had work to do.

'I'm going to try to give everyone a chance," said the coach, "and move everybody around.  We've still got adjustments with our lineups.  Maybe that will be a little hurtful to the kids.  I don't want it to be.  We have a lot more talent now and we have a lot more coming up."

Shelly Kurcz (1-2) got the victory, allowing just one base hit and two walks in five innings.  After taking the loss in a 10-1 defeated against Hobart on March 27, Kurcz has done the job that was expected of her, to keep CP close in games.

Relief pitcher Erika Malloy gave up an unearned run in two innings, but looked good, demonstrating that the Bulldogs have a little depth.

"She has worked really hard," said Ingelhart.  "She's picked up a better second pitch and she has a good drop (sinker).  I think she's picked up a few miles an hour velocity since last year.  She's still developing.  I'll pitcher her in spots.  It will mostly be Shelly."

Crown Point chipped away at North Newton, building a 5-0 lead before the Spartans, who were playing their season opener, scored an unearned run against Malloy in the sixth inning.  The Lady Bulldogs got more production at the plate than they did in their first two games, and Ingelhart sees that as a key.

"I think we're hitting the ball," he said.  "We've been hitting it right at them a little bit."

Crown Point never led, losing 3-2 to New Prairie in the rain-delayed home opener Wednesday (3-29-2006), despite a complete-game pitching performance by Kurcz.  Michelle Soscinci tripled and scored for the Class 3A Cougars (2-0), who won 24 games last season.

"I think the girls knew they were pretty good," said Ingelhart.  "I thought we played much better than we did against Hobart (an 11-1 loss on April 27).  The coach continues to be very patient with a team that doesn't have a lot of upperclassmen.

"I think we've got a lot more than last year and I know we do at the lower levels."
    
CP NOTES:  "The first game was disappointing," said Ingelhart.  "They had four or five infield hits that probably wouldn't happen later on.  But you've got to give Hobart credit.  They hit the ball, too."

Catcher Alicia Rock had an explanation for pitcher Shelley Kurcz, who had a bad opening day against Hobart for the second year in a row.

"I think she gets nervous," said Rock, the catcher both times.  "Everybody gets nervous.  But she's working hard.  She's doing real well now."

Rock says that two-time defending DAC champ Lake Central is still the league favorite.

"Lake Central's a good team," she said.  "They're always strong.  (Portage right-hander Meghan) Gutierrez is a good pitcher.  I think (LC's Angie) Funston is just as good."

Crown Point junior center fielder Anna Stephens, who batted .278 last season, is back with the team and will be playing soon now that doctors have diagnosed her mystery illness.

"I went to six doctors and the last one I went to said I have something called 'fibroid myaga'," she said.

"It has to do with my muscles and I have to work through it and manage it myself.  In my back and my shoulder and neck... the muscles solidify.  The doctors thought I had rheumatoid arthritis... so they sent me to an arthritis doctor but he said that ain't it."

It was frightening to hear of what Stephens had contracted so it was a surprise to see her in uniform last week.

"I exercise," she said.   "I do pilades and the doctors said that's about the best thing I can do for it.  On a bad day, I have medicine to take.  A disease... It's pretty common.  I have to work through it.  They don't know what causes it.  People just show up with it.  The doctor said I should be playing, it's part of my exercise.  I can play and I'm not limited except on some days when I can't move well.  It's all exercise."

 Anna, who had not played after three games, understands if you don't quite understand what she has.

"I try to explain it to them (her teammates), but they don't really understand it," she smiles.  "They just hope I get better.  It took so long to find out what it was."

Senior shortstop Lauren Stovall confirms she's headed to Purdue North Central in Westville after this summer.

"I can't leave my mom yet," she admitted.  "I wanted to stay somewhere close and this is best because I'm only 45 miles away.  I also looked at IUPUI and St. Joe's."

"The coaches (at PNC) seemed really nice.  Val Minyard (LC) is there and Katie Golden (LC) are there.  We play on the same traveling team during the summer."

Crown Point has added a game against Elkhart Central on Saturday, April 22 at 10 a.m.  The May 20 home game with Hanover Central may be moved because that is the day of  the four-team 'Centier Bank Baseball Classic' at CPHS.  The game may simply be moved to Hanover's home field in Cedar Lake.

The Lady Bulldogs begin the 14-game Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) schedule Tuesday (4-4-2006) at Portage.

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Revised: April 13, 2006.