Lady Wildcats' Wendlinger impressive first outing coming off surgery has McMillen encouraged for good season despite 6-5 loss to Chesterton

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

4-3-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
2A No. 4 HANOVER CENTRAL (1-1)	0	2	0	0	3	0	0	5	4	4
4A No. 10 Chesterton (3-0)	4	0	1	0	1	0	0	6	7	2

(4-2-2003) - 46 degrees, sunny & windy in Chesterton

WP - Laura DeLeon (3-0) CG No. 2, 8Ks, 2 walks, 4 earned runs
LP - Amanda Wendlinger (0-1) CG No. 1 6Ks, 2 walks, 3 earned runs

Bess Copak (HC) Double, 2 RBIs
Kelly LaPota (HC) Single
Jacklyn Kienzle (HC) Single, 2 RBIs

Alicia Babcock (Chesterton) Single,RBI
Kayla Vargo (Chesterton) Triple, single, RBI
Tara Hiteman (Chesterton) Single, RBI
Kelly Gaston (Chesterton) 3 singles

CHESTERTON (4-2-2004) - What mattered the most to Hanover Central in their 6-5 loss at Class 4A No. 10 Chesterton Friday, was one line score. For junior pitcher Amanda Wendlinger: 112 pitches in six innings, seven hits, six strikeouts, two walks.

"I thought she might not have a lot on her fastball to start with," said Chesterton coach Lou Ann Hopson. But I thought Amanda got stronger in the middle innings."

"I didn't want to come here and get waxed," said Hanover coach Larry McMillan on why he put Wendlinger, a 25-game winner form 2003 back on the field days after doctors cleared her to play. "I think she may have wanted to start out with a lesser team. I'm okay with losing this one," he said, "because I know when we get everybody together, we'll be okay."

The 40-degree day in the setting sun was a plus for Chesterton (3-0), which won by one run against a good team for the second time this season (they beat Lowell 4-3 in 13 innings) and it was a plus for Hanover which rallied to tie the game 5-5 after self-destructing in the first inning.

Hanover, which fell behind 3-0 in the first inning of a 13-3 five-inning rout of River Forest 24 hours earlier, started poorly again. Chesterton junior leadoff man Kelly Gaston blooped a catchable pop up that dropped in short right field for a single. Trojan senior Holly Melton bunted and HC third baseman Andria Trock threw the ball over the head of Lady Cat first baseman Kelly Lapota for an error.

Chesterton's Kayla Vargo hit another catchable pop fly single into right center to make it 1-0 and Trojan cleanup hitter Alicia Babcock smacked a solid single to center to make it 2-0. When the throw went to the plate, Babcock wandered off first base, intending to get caught in a rundown. HC's catcher Megan Meyers hesitated and then threw late to second, allowing the third run of the inning to score. Tara Hiteman then made it 4-0 with an RBI single.

Historically, that should have been the game. In the last five years, Hanover had never scored more than two runs against the Trojans.

That changed quickly. LaPota singled to lead off the second inning and Stephanie Skarwecki walked one out later. After Chesterton starting pitcher Laura DeLeon struck out Shannon Phillips, HC senior Jacklyn Kienzle smacked a two-run single off the glove of Trojan shortstop Holly Melton to get the Lady Cats back in the game.

"I thought we hit her," said McMillan. "Five runs is the most we've ever scored off of them. I thought we could have scored more."
Two Hanover errors gave Chesterton the 5-2 run in the third inning but HC rallied in the fifth to tie the game. Meyers sliced a one out single to right and Trisha Sheehy walked with two out. HC's Bess Copak then drove a 3-2 pitch over the head of Chesterton's right fielder Tiffany Hise for a two-run double, cutting the lead to 5-4. Lapota then hit a soft spinning pop up behind first base that second baseman Jenni Lightfoot dropped for a game-tying error.

Chesterton won the game with a leadoff triple by Vargo to deep center field in the bottom of the fifth inning. Vargo's pinch runner Amber Paz scored on a passed ball.

"I though it would take time for our young players to get confident," said Hopson, who seems not totally convinced she has a highly ranked team. "Trouble is, they're getting more comfortable with the bat than they are with the glove."

DeLeon, who refused to be rattled by her team's shaky defense, struck out four in the final two innings to secure her third win. The junior right-hander was 4-0 in 2003 and has never lost a varsity game.

Hanover did not appear discouraged by the loss at all. There was a fear they'd get bombed a couple of times early in the season because of Wendlinger's injury and because some of the girls missed practice on spring break vacations. But here were the 2A Cats battling the two-time defending champion of the Class 4A Duneland Conference. The final score and the length of Wendlinger's performance were very promising for the visitors.

"She went all six innings," said McMillan, who admitted he was worried in the first inning. "We'll see how she is tomorrow, but I thought she looked good. Amanda's about 70-75 percent. She just had to get the ball down. After that first inning, they didn't get much off of her."

That's all that really mattered.

LADY CAT NOTES: When Hanover's Bess Copak doubled in two runs in the Lady Cats' three-run fifth, Amanda Wendlinger wanted an assist. "Be sure you say that she did it with my new bat." Amanda said. Hanover's run production in the first three games is impressive considering the fact that Wendlinger was their third leading hitter last year and she did not bat in any of the first three games, a precaution after her knee surgery.

Chesterton's very extensive softball program has rosters, pictures and the history of the Chesterton softball program. The Chesterton athletic department added a page, obviously not in the original program, with details on the season opening 4-3 win over Lowell. No softball program in northwest Indiana has anything like the Chesterton program available at every game.

Hanover Central rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat River Forest 13-3 in the home opener Thursday. Jill Sjoerdsma had a single, double and two RBIs to help HC to the five inning win. Kelly LaPota smacked a three base hit and also pitched all five innings, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out seven.

Chesterton rolled over Boone Grove 7-0 Thursday in Boone's season opener. Kayla Vargo had three hits while Laura DeLeon and sophomore Ashley Thomas combined on a two-hit shutout. Vargo had seven hits in her first 11 at bats.

Copak was confined to DH to work off a spring breaks suspension. "She owes me seven games," said McMillan, who rules that players who miss practice can't start ahead of a player who showed up at every practice. "She can't start until she makes them up."

2004 HANOVER CENTRAL (1-1)
Coach: Larry McMillen, 25-8 in 2003, 24-5 in 2002, 116-27-1 (last 5 years)
    All games at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated

4-1-2004: 13-5 (5 innings) River Forest (0-2)
4-2-2004: 5-6 at Chesterton (3-0)
4-3-2004: (S) Munster (0-1) 11 a.m.
4-10-2004: (S) at Bishop Noll -   11 a.m.
4-13-2004: (Tu) North Newton
4-14-2004: (W) at MORGAN TOWNSHIP - 4:45 p.m.
4-16-2004: (F) at Clark
4-17-2004: (S) HEBRON
4-19-2004: (M) Wheeler
4-21-2004: (W) Lowell
4-22-2004: (Th) at Beecher, Ill. - 4:15 p.m.
4-24-2004: (S) at LaCROSSE - 11 a.m.
4-28-2004: (W) at Morton
4-29-2004: (Th) South Newton
4-30-2004: (F) KOUTS

5-1-2004: (S) at Crown Point - 10 a.m.
5-3-2004: (M) Rensselaer - 5 p.m.
5-4-2004: (Tu) SOUTH CENTRAL - 5 p.m.
5-5-2004: (W) Griffith   -     4:30 p.m.
5-6-2004: (Th) BOONE GROVE

Twin Lakes Invitational (in Monticello)
5-7-2004: (F) 1st round game - 6:30 or 8 p.m.
5-8-2004: (S) 2nd and 3rd round games (a.m.)

5-11-2004: (Tu) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
5-14-2004: (F) quarterfinals
5-15-2004: (S)   semifinals (a.m.)
5-15-2004: (S)   championship (p.m.)

5-19-2004: (W) at Gavit
5-21-2004: (F) at Whiting - 5 p.m.

Lake Station (2A) Sectional
5-24-2004: (Tu) quarterfinals
5-28-2004: (F)   semifinals
5-29-2004: (S) championship

LaVille (2A) Sectional
6-5-2004: (S) semifinals
6-5-2004: (S) championship

State 2A Finals
6-11-2004: (F) semifinals at North Central - 6:30 p.m.
6-12-2004: (S) 2A State championship at Carmel - 1:30 p.m.