Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (17-6)	1	0	1	3	0	2	5	12	14	2
HEBRON (12-9)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6

Boone third baseman Taylor Johnson holding HC's Morgan Austgen at third base. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Hanover outfielder Tiffany Gibson (16) connecting for a base hit. Gibson was 6-for-8 against Boone and Hebron Saturday.

Shortstop Morgan Austgen watches as HC third baseman Ashley Loy throws out a Hebron runner in the fourth inning.  (All photos by Mark Smith)

More photos at USA-365's PCC Photo Gallery.

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
BOONE GROVE (11-7)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	5	2
HANOVER CENTRAL (16-6)	3	0	2	0	0	1	0	6	9	2

LaCROSSE (05-15-2010) I know high school sports competitively is all about winning sectionals and regionals.  Winning one league championship isn't that big a deal.

But for a senior to win four titles in her four years is a big deal.  And to start for four years, start in your league's championship game for four years and win all four times.

"That's awesome," said Hanover Central's Jessica Toth.  She should now know.  Toth, shortstop Morgan Austgen and pitcher/outfielder Kelsey Jankowski became the second, third and fourth players to start and win four consecutive Porter County Conference (PCC) softball tournament championship games Saturday when they helped HC top Hebron 12-0 in the 15th PCC softball championship game.

Hanover (17-6) defeated Kouts 5-4, Boone Grove 6-1 and Hebron 12-0 to win the league's eight-team championship playoff for the fourth consecutive time, and 10th time overall.

But other than former Hanover all-stater Amanda Wendlinger (2002-2005), now the coach of North Newton, no other player at any of the eight PCC schools has ever been in the championship game as their school won four times.

"It means everything," said Austgen, who originally was a pitcher but ended up playing outfield and now infield for the Lady Cats.

"It means everything.  You don't ever want to jinx anything but it's in your mind.  We could be a four-time repeat.  No one said it.  But when we got the last out, it was like 'We did it.'  I love these girls."

Under cloudy skies in western LaPorte County, Hanover scored three times in the first inning to beat Boone Grove (11-7), the only PCC team to defeat Hanover during the seven-game league regular season.  Austgen led off the game with a three-base hit down the right field line.  Tiffany Gibson's RBI single scored one run and a second came home when it was ruled that Boone catcher Morgan Doelling lifted her foot off home plate on what should have been a bases-loaded force play at home plate.  Senior Kasey Stenger walked with the bases loaded against Boone senior pitcher Roxanne Miniuk.

Toth, the right hander who has been HC's top pitcher for four years, allowed Boone just five singles, striking out seven.  Senior Danielle Nowak's single upped the lead to 5-0 after three innings and it became obvious that Boone would not break through on HC in the league tournament again this year.

"I'm very disappointed," said Boone coach Andrew Niksich.  "We wanted to make a little history today.  I don't think Boone's ever won the PCC tournament.  I thought we'd gotten that Hanover monkey off our backs (when they won the regular season game 6-2 in April) but I guess not.  They're a very good team but we didn't play like we can."

In the 3:00 p.m. championship game against Hebron, Gibson, a junior, who was 6-for-8 in the final two games, had run-scoring singles in the first and third plus a two-run home run in the seventh.

HC built the lead under threatening skies in the late afternoon and the only question late in the game was why Hanover dominates this tournament (10 wins in 15 years) the way they do.  The only thing HC outwardly does different than the other seven PCC teams is that Hanover plays in the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational the week before the PCC tournament.

"No matter how well you do down there," said Austgen.  "It's a reality check.  It keeps you grounded.  It keeps you focused.  Then you come back here and you know what you have to do and you know how to win."

"I think it helps playing better teams," Toth added, "and seeing better pitching.  Hebron's pitcher was good and I was thinking that maybe if we hadn't faced some good pitchers (last week) we wouldn't have done so well."

What's interesting about Hanover is that, while they are clearly led by their six seniors, underclassmen seem to be contributing much more than they did, understandably, at the start of the year.

Freshman Blayr Poston, HC's basketball leading scorer, was 2-for-4 in the championship game, reaching base three times.  Sophomore catcher Katie Klopp, who has caught every game this season, was on base five times and she made no errors behind the plate.

"Its good to have returning players obviously," said Toth (8-2) about this season's success with somewhat of a new (4 freshman) cast.  "But we have such a good chemistry.  That helps.  This is the first time we've really been intense in a game all year.  Our freshmen are awesome.  Not all seniors look at it that way.  And they're doing a lot for us."

McMillen wasn't happy after losing two out of three at Twin Lakes, but his faith was renewed with the strong showing Saturday.

"Last year we played tremendous ball at Twin Lakes, but we fell off after that," he recalled.  "We won here (the PCC) last year and that was nice, but we but we fell off after that.  Most years, we start off really strong but this year was not like that.  We had to work hard to get to where we're at right now.  They put in a lot of hard work and it's paid off.  I'm pretty proud of this team."

LADY CAT NOTES:  Hanover pitcher Jessica Toth is not 100%.  Between innings Saturday, assistant coach and trainer Megan Myers, a member of HC's 2004 state title team, could be seen massaging Toth's shoulder, which stiffens up during games.  An MRI showed no damage and it's not certain why she has physical difficulties.

"I took myself out (of the championship game)," she said later.  "He wanted to put me at third, but I told him I couldn't do it.  I think what may kill me is Noll and Wheeler back-to-back.  After Andrean (at Twin Lakes on May 7), I was really sore.  I couldn't pitch the next day.  The doctor said it's not bad.  It doesn't hurt like it used to.  It's just tight."

Hanover (17-6) didn't get a good draw in the Bishop Noll Sectional.  They must play the host school Thursday, May 27 at 5:00 p.m. in the semifinals.  The finals are Friday, May 28 at 5:00 p.m. and the opponent would almost certainly be defending champion Wheeler (23-2), the team that eliminated HC at the sectional level in two of the last three seasons.  If Hanover reaches the regional, they will host the Sectional 34 champ (likely Boone or Hebron) on May 1 at 5:00 p.m.

Wheeler swept three games Saturday to win the eight-team LaVille Tournament in Lakeville, Indiana.  The championship was a 1-0 win over 1A No. 3 Lakewood Park Christian (17-6).

Boone Grove still does not have a diagnosis on what's wrong with senior pitcher Taylor Johnson, who had a fainting spell last month and has fatigued since then.  She can play the field but the exertion of pitching wears her out quickly.  She pitched one inning in Friday's 11-1 win over Washington Township and couldn't go any further.

Her father Eric Johnson is Boone's assistant coach and is torn as to whether to let her play.  But Taylor, an 18-year-old graduating senior, insists on it.

"The doctors have ruled out a lot of things," he reports.  "She's had the CAT scan and the EKG.  She's worn the heart monitor.  They can't find anything wrong.  The neurologist and the internal medicine specialist told us that she can do what she thinks she can do, but don't push her beyond that."

"It helps her mind set with Roxy (Roxanne Miniuk) coming back.  She felt she was letting her team down.  It's been on her mind.  Now, if she can play third base she can contribute.  She's in a good mind set.  She's not beating herself up too bad."

Taylor's twin sister Lauren has had no similar physical problems.

HC started all six seniors against Boone including Carlene Griffin, who played an errorless game in right field and was 1-for-3 at the plate.  Griffin hadn't started 10 games in her entire varsity career, but she was in right field for the pivotal game of the PCC tournament.

"We were missing Morgan Friday and we made some errors in the field," Carlene said.  "I had a pretty good day.  So, I wasn't surprised (to start against Boone) today.  He just came to me and said, 'You're in right.'  That was it.  He's like that."

"She's started maybe six times," McMillen said.  "She's not afraid to play.  She's got a funny swing, but she gets the bat on the ball."

It's clear that Poston, who played right field in the second game, is going to be a major factor on the 2011 team.  She was 2-for-4 in the win over Lafayette Jefferson at Twin Lakes and 2-for-4 again against Hebron Saturday.  Blayr is erratic on ground ball base hits, but she is clearly the team's fastest base runner and her arm is one of the strongest on the entire squad as well.

Coach Randy Myers' JV team is all freshman (they had a 9-4 record at the end of the week), which is unusual for a small Class 2A school.

While Boone and Hanover had six seniors each on the PCC playoff roster, Hebron (1-7) had just one, infielder Erica Pauer.  Both pitchers, junior Carrie Combs and sophomore Mollie Lineman return.

"We should be pretty good," said coach Scott Ericks, who had seven sophomores on his PCC roster.  "We're trying to get some tougher teams on the schedule.  Gil Arzola at Portage said he's starting up a tournament and he'd want us in it.  We have tried to get into Twin Lakes in the past, but they always say they don't have an opening."

Coach Larry McMillen is still a little surprised that last year's team didn't get out of the sectional.

"Last year's team was one of the best I ever had," he said.  "We had the best defensive infield in the area and we were strong throughout the lineup.  I'm not trying to brag on them, but they were very, very good.  We went down to Twin Lakes and we dominated.  But we fell off after that."

---

2010 Hanover Central (17-6)
Coach Larry McMillen
22-5 in 2009, 20-10 in 2008, 20-10 in 2006
4-1 (W) 11-0 River Forest (4-14).
4-2 (W) 8-3 @ Chesterton (16-5)
4-6 (L) 2-6 @ Highland (16-8)
4-9 (W) 15-5 (6 innings) @ North Newton (10-10)
4-14 (L) 0-2 Griffith (8-12).
4-15 (W) 3-2 @ Bishop Noll (17-8)
4-17 (W) 4-3 HEBRON (12-9)
4-19 (L) 2-6 @ BOONE GROVE (11-7) .
4-21 (W) 5-2 Lowell (17-8)
4-22 (L) 4-5 (9 innings) @ Beecher, Ill. (22-9)

CROWN POINT Invitational
4-24 (wet grounds) Andrean (15-3)
4-24 (wet grounds) Crown Point (23-1)
4-24 (wet grounds) St. Joseph's (20-2)
.
4-26 (W) 8-1 KOUTS (4-9)
4-27 (W) 9-4 Wheeler (23-2)
4-28 (W) 6-0 @ LaCrosse (7-12)
4-30 (W) 14-1 (5 inn.) @ SOUTH CENTRAL (12-4)
5-3 (W) 12-0 (5 inn.) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (3-13)
5-4 (W) 7-1 Rensselaer (0-21)

Twin Lakes Invitational (in Monticello)
5-7 (L) 0-4 Andrean (15-3)
5-8 (L) 4-5 Lewis Cass (12-6)
5-8 (W) 6-5 vs. (Lafayette) Jefferson (4-20)
5-11 (W) 15-2 @ MORGAN TOWNSHIP (3-18).

PCC Tournament (in LaCrosse)
5-14 (W) 5-4 Kouts (3-9) quarterfinals
5-15 (W) 6-1 Boone Grove (12-6) semifinals
5-15 (W) 12-0 Hebron (11-7) title

5-18 (Tues) Munster (17-8) 4:30 p.m.
5-21 (F) @ Whiting (16-8) 5 p.m.

2A Sectional 34 @ Bishop Noll
5-27 (Th) Bishop Noll (17-8) 5 p.m.
5-28 (F) Wheeler (23-2) 5 p.m.

2A Regional championship @ home of Sect. 33 champ
6-1 (Tu) one game - 5 p.m.

2A Northern Semistate at (Howard County) Eastern
6-5 (S) semifinals - a.m.
6-5 (S) championship - p.m.

2A Championship @ Ben Davis
6-12 (S) 2A state championship game - 1 p.m. (EDT)

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Revised: May 22, 2010.