Hanover defeats Hebron 11-3 at U.S. Steelyard in Gary

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-19-2010

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HEBRON (1-3)	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	3	10	3
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-2-1)	0	3	4	1	0	3	-	11	9	1

Saturday, 4-17-2010 - 56 degrees at US Steelyard in GARY, IN

WP - Andy Wellwerts (1-1) 6K, 0 walks (5 innngs)
LP - David Laviolette (0-2) 4K, 4 walks, (3 innings)

HEBRON (1-3)
Kyle Hernandez (SS) 2-for-4
David Laviolette (P-2B) 0-for-4
Cody Hayes (RF-P) 2-for-3
Kyle Joyce (2B-P) 1-for-3 double, 2 RBIs
Damon Wallace (CF) 1-for-3, run scored
Alex Anderson (2B0 2-for-2, sac bunt
Brandon Chmbers (RF) 1-for-3
Cameron Wignal (1B) 0-for-3
Brad Stooksbury (C) 0-for-3

HANOVER CENTRAL (2-2-1)
Zac Macuiejewski (DH) 1-for-2, walk, HBP, RBI
Nic Sampognaro (2B) 1-for-4, 2 RBIs
Danny Stum (SS) 0-for-2
Brandon Keaton (RF) 1-for-2, double, 2 HBP
Andy Wellwerts (P) 0-for-2, walk sac bunt
Josh Yaverski (1B) 0-for-1, walk
Mike Balich (C) 0-for-2, walk
Nic Bollenbacher (3B) 2-for-2, walk, double 2 runs scored
Nick Myszkowski (CF) 2-for-3, double, 4 RBIs

GARY, IN (4-17-2010) It's hard to find a Northwest Indian high school baseball team that's younger and more inexperienced than Hanover Central. Hanover found that team Saturday in Gary.

Hanover Central, which has started three freshman and four juniors, jumped to a 7-1 lead early and frustrated Hebron 11-3 in 50-degree sunshine in the the US Steelyard Saturday afternoon.

Hanover (2-2-1) is a young squad, but Hebron is younger. The Hawks (1-3), who have just one senior and two juniors in the entire program, collected 10 hits but made too many offensive and defensive mistakes to make this a close game on a mid-April Saturday by Lake Michigan.

"We've got a big week coming up with Boone Grove, Wheeler, LaCrosse and then a double-header next Saturday," said new HC coach Doug Nelson. "We're still trying to figure out who our best nine players are."

One of them may be a familiar face. Sophomore Nic Bollenbacher, the son of basketball coach Rod Bollenbacher, has spent the last two winters masquerading as a varsity basketball player. But baseball may be his thing. Bollenbacher, a left-handed hitter, was 2-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored Saturday and apparently its no fluke.

"He couldn't play last year because he had a torn labrum (rotator cuff)," said Nelson. "He's a natural shortstop, but we've got him at third right now. He's a good player."

Freshman centerfielder Nick Myszkowski drove in four runs with two hits in the fifth game of his debut season. Bollenbacher and Msyzkowski batted eighth and ninth Saturday and they were a major part of HC building that 7-1 lead after 2 1/2 innings in support of winning pitcher Andy Wellwerts and reliever Nic Sampognaro.

"Andy did a good job," said Nelson. "But he does have to mix it up. He's got a lot of pitches, but they're all the same speed. That won't work. Nic changes speeds much better."

Myszkowski's three-run double with two out in the fourth was the biggest hit of the game against Hebron pitcher David Lavioette.

"They got seven runs after two out," said the Hawks' third-year coach, former American Legion Post 20 manager Larry Samano. "We just couldn't get the third out."

Hebron lost three runners on the bases. When Brandon Chambers singled to right, driving in the Hawks' second run in the fourth inning, HC right fielder Brandon Keaton threw out Hebron's Alex Anderson at third base to kill off that inning with the score 7-2. Joyce lined what appeared to be a two-run double in the fifth inning which would have cut the Hanover lead to 8-4. But HC appealed that Hanover's Cody Hayes missed home plate and the umpire agreed, returning the score to 8-3. Then when HC's Anderson chopped an infield hit to deep short, Joyce rounded third too far and was caught in a rundown ending that inning.

"We just make too many mistakes to stay with a lot of varsity teams," said Samano, who didn't see his runner miss the plate ("I'm 90 feet away. I can't tell.") "We're young and we just don't have experience playing."

Samano realizes that this team, made up largely of 16-year-olds, is probably not old enough to make a state tournament run this year.

"We're a JV team playing a varsity schedule," he admits. "But that's the way it is. We just want to get better as the season goes on. That's the hand I'm dealt here. But we're a lot better than last year and next season should be our breakout year."

"My family comes here every summer," he said. "It's a great place and it's great they let us play here. I was trying to get everybody into the game at the end just so they could say they played here."

CAT/HAWK NOTES: Hebron's Kyle Joyce was a starter on the Hebron's 14-and-under Little League all-stars that won the District II finals last summer in Roselawn and qualified for the state finals.

"We've got three freshman," said Larry Samano. "And he's the best one. He works hard on his game. He plays basketball and he still works on his game. He's played on traveling teams and you can see he's a little bit ahead as far as understanding of the game is concerned."

Hanover lost 14-9 to Whiting last Thursday after leading 4-0 in the first inning. Freshman Zac Maciejewski was 4-for-4 and scored three runs. Junior Andy Wellwerts drove in three runs. But the Oilers (6-2), rated fourth in Class 1A, got 17 hits off HC sophomore pitchers Danny Stum and Tyler Trepton.

2010 HANOVER CENTRAL (2-2-1)
Coach Doug Nelson (1st season) 6-20 in 2009 - PCC games in CAPS
4-1-10 (L) 5-9 at Lake Central (8-1)
4-2-10 (Tie) 11-11 Lowell (2-5)
4-5-10 (Rain) South Newton
4-7-10 (Rain) at Calumet
4-8-10 (Rain) Wheeler
4-13-10 (W) 11-0 Covenant Christian (2-3)
4-15-10 (L) 9-14 at Whiting (6-2)
4-17-10 (W) 11-3 vs. Hebron (1-3) at Railcats Stadium

4-19-10 (M) at BOONE GROVE (2-5) 5 p.m.
4-22-10 (Th) at Andrean (6-1) 4:45 p.m.
4-23-10 (Sat) at LaCROSSE - 5 p.m.
4-24-10 (Sat) at Beecher, IL (2 games) 11 a.m.
4-26-10 (M) KOUTS - 4:30 p.m.
4-29-10 (Th) at River Forest - 5 p.m.
4-30-10 (F) at SOUTH CENTRAL - 5 p.m.

5-3-10 (M) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - 4:45 p.m.
5-4-10 (Tu) Highland - 4:30 p.m.
5-7-10 (F) MORGAN TOWNSHIP - 5 p.m.
5-8-10 (Sat) Hobart - 11 a.m.
5-10-10 (M) Merrillville - 5 p.m.
5-13-10 (Th) at Morton - 4:30 p.m.
5-17-10 (M) Clark - 5 p.m.

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
5-19-10 (W) quarterfinals (home sites) 5 p.m.
5-22-10 (S) semifinals (TBA) at South Central
5-24-10 (M) championship at South Central - 5 p.m.

5-25-10 (Tu) North Newton - 4:40 p.m.

Bishop Noll (2A) Sectional
5-27-10 (Th) quarterfinals
5-28-10 (F) semifinals
5-29-10 (S) semifinals
5-31-10 (M) Sectional Championship - 5:00 p.m.

North Judson (2A) Regional
6-5-10 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
6-5-10 (S) championship (p.m.)