Lady Wildcats shut out LaCrosse 7-0 to take 3rd straight PCC tournament championship

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (18-5)	1	1	0	5	0	0	0	7	12	1
LaCrosse (6-14)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2

Porter County Conference (PCC) championship game, 5-17-2003   68 degrees, cloudy in LaCrosse
WP -   Amanda Wendlinger (16-4) CG No. 19, 12th shutout, 12K, 1 walk
LP -   Mallorie Schoon (0-5) 0Ks, 3 walks, 3 earned runs (3.7 innings)

HANOVER CENTRAL (10 singles, double, triple, 3 stolen bases)
Cathy Homolka (HC) Triple, walk
Bess Copak (HC) Single, Sac Fly
Kelly Lapota (HC) Double, single, 2 RBIs
Rachel Williams (HC) 2 singles, walk
Heather Rebeneck (HC) Single, RBI
Amanda Wendlinger (HC) 2 singles, 2 RBIs
Trisha Sheehy (HC) Single, RBI
Courtney Keilman (HC) Single, RBI

LaCrosse (Single, walk)
Stephanie Bobcek (L) Single

LaCROSSE (5-17-2003) - I had seen Hanover Central win the Porter County Softball (PCC) championship tournament before. I had seen HC sophomore Amanda Wendlinger pitch a shutout before. But at the end of the day, I saw something I had never seen before.

As the Hanover Central bus pulled away from the LaCrosse softball diamond in the 6 p.m. Saturday sun. The green-clad LaCrosse girls waved to the yellow Hanover school bus. All of them. And the Hanover Central girls waved back. They waved good bye to each other. Almost as if to say, thanks for coming and thanks for having us.

Not only was it a pure PCC moment (believe me, that won't happen in the Duneland Conference) but it epitomized the day. After Friday night's 2-0 win over rival Wheeler in Cedar Lake, the general assumption was that Hanover Central's two-time defending champion Lady Cats (18-5) would become three time champs Saturday in LaPorte County. They did, beating Boone Grove 8-0 and surprise finalist LaCrosse 7-0 in a near perfect 65-degree day on the wide open spaces of the PCC's westernmost franchise.

"We had to worked really hard last night," said junior catcher Megan Myers, who has seen her side win three PCC titles in her three years. "That took a lot of mental preparation on our part. I think we're glad we played them (Wheeler) last night instead of today. We were together all day in school. We were all pumped for the game. All our fans were there yesterday. The basketball team in center field (boys players standing behind the fence) was there and it's good to get support. Before we never got support because the field is not at the school. It was good to see our friends out there behind us."

It was good to see Amanda Wendlinger out there, too. The 5-7 right-hander stopped the upstart Tigers (6-14) with her third tournament shutout, striking out 12 and allowing only one hit. The wins, by a combined score of 17-0 duplicated Hanover's 14-0, three shutout run through the PCC tournament in 2002, led by Amanda's older sister, the former HC all-stater pitcher Beth Wendlinger, who was home from her freshman season at University of Indianapolis and watching from the wooden LaCrosse grandstand behind home plate.

"She's a tough player," said Myers of Amanda's durability. "I know in summer ball, she was her team's only pitcher one year. I have complete faith in her to pull us through no matter who we face."

That was the question. Maybe it was the down home country picnic atmosphere. Maybe it was the happy-faced atmosphere of the entire setting. But, for the first time, you actually got the feeling that Hanover Central has a chance to repeat their first-time ever run through the Andrean Sectional. You saw a team that could go toe-to-toe with top-ranked Andrean (20-1-1), a squad with four Division I players.

"As soon as we get here," said shortstop Bess Copak, another three-time champion, "we find out what we can do and we're starting to look ahead towards the sectionals."

After beating Boone Grove 8-0 in the semifinals and taking a long lunch during LaCrosse's come-from-behind 8-7 victory over Kouts, Hanover scored single runs in the first and second innings of the title game. Rachel Williams sliced an infield hit to start the top of the first inning. Williams moved to second base on a wild pitch and she went to third when the throw to third was late on Cassie Freeman's one hopper to the first baseman. Wendlinger laid down a bunt and Williams scored after the throw to first.

In the second inning, HC squeezed out another run after Shannon Phillips' one out walk and stolen base. LaCrosse second baseman Kendra Parlon could not handle Jaclyn Kienzle's hard hit grounder and HC had runners at first and third. Trisha Sheehy then hit a grounder to third base and Philips slid home after the throw to first to make it 2-0.

HC scored five times in the fourth inning after one out hits by Kienzle and Sheehy and a walk to Williams. Freshman Heather Rebenack smacked a pinch hit single to make it 3-0 and the 4-0 run scored on a throwing error by LaCrosse shortstop Whitney Young. After Copak's sacrifice fly, Kelly LaPota's two-run single upped the lead to 7-0 against LaCrosse's No. 2 pitcher Mallorie Schoon. Deanna Walters (6-9) had gone all seven innings in the Tigers' 8-7 semifinal win over Kouts.

Hanover coach Larry McMillen had to leave before the title game to attend a relative's wedding so assistant coach Jerry Kienzle made his coaching debut in the league championship game, arguably the most important contest of the year to a PCC team. Was he worried?

"No," he said. "Not really. Not with Amanda pitching the way she's been pitching all year. We played a pretty good game defensively. Bess made a very good play at shortstop."

In the sixth inning, left-handed Dani Walters sliced a ground ball into the hole between short and third. Copak backhanded the ball and made a perfect throw to LaPota at first base.

Coach Kienzle was also looking ahead to the matches with Lake Central, Wheeler and eventually Andrean.

"Wheeler will be tough again," he said. "I wish they were before Lake Central. But when you go into the sectional, somebody like Baker is who you want to see."

What you've wanted to see all year from Hanover is better defense and improved hitting against good pitching. They were errorless against Wheeler and made just one error against LaCrosse. Third baseman Cathy Homolka made a strong backhand stop on a potential double down the third base line in the second inning. HC didn't see the type of pitching that can best their batters.
For a squad with no seniors, the expectations are high. Again, HC has beaten all the teams they are 'supposed' to beat. HC, with 119 wins in their last 144 games, now eyes the teams like defending state champ LC and No. 1 Andrean, the teams they aren't supposed to beat.

But on a long day a long way away from home, with parents and sisters and friends of the program watching, HC made it a successful season by taking home the big PCC trophy. All the animals (Cats, Tigers, Wolves and Mustangs) seemed to consider it time well spent.

"It was fun, " Kienzle said. "It's hard to get them all into the game. I was trying to make sure everybody got to play. But I had fun."

CAT NOTES: Many hitters pretend they really look forward to facing intimidating all-state strikeout pitchers like Lake Central's Brooke Baker, who pitched LC to the 2002 big school state championship. With Baker and LC (22-2-1) next up on the Hanover schedule, Lady Cat clean up hitter Bess Copak couldn't lie about it.

"I'm not really looking forward to facing her," she said after the PCC championship game. "It shows how good hitters are when they face her. I'm an okay hitter but we'll see how good I am."

Myers said that the first 23 foes have not see everything that Wendlinger has.

"We threw a lot of drops today," she said of her pitcher. "A lot of curves. A few rises. She throws a screwball and a change but we really haven't used them that much this year."

Hanover had hoped to schedule Class 3A No. 1 McCutcheon (23-1) for a game this week but it could not be worked out.

"The only date we had available was yesterday," McMillen said Friday. "We would have had to play them Thursday and start the tournament Friday. We probably will play them next year."

Former Hanover star Amy Granger, a 1995 graduate, was in LaCrosse to watch the PCC finals. Granger was 13-7 with a 1.40 ERA for the Lady Cats in 1995 and she began a run of top-caliber HC pitchers that stretched over eight years through Nicolette Gasior (`96-`98) and the Wendlingers.
Hanover Central has outscored 23 opponents 180-30. Amanda Wendlinger's 12 strikeouts against Wheeler gave her 200 for the season, the top total in northwest Indiana.

Lacrosse should be commended for their handling of the PCC tournament which was well organized and went off on time. The LaCrosse varsity field, a combination softball-Little League diamond, was in good condition and parking and concessions were above average for a high school.

Hanover scored two runs in the first inning and they coasted on to a 2-0 victory over Wheeler in the quarterfinals. Three consecutive bunts were misplayed by the Bearcats giving HC the crucial early lead.

"We were a bit nervous at the start," said Brett St. Germain. "A bit excited. I was impressed the way we came back. We've got two more shots at them and there will be a little more on the line each time."

McMillen said, "There wasn't much of anything for me to be upset about tonight. I thought we played well defensively and Amanda pitched well. She always does."

The last loss by Hanover Central to a PCC team was a 1-0 loss to Morgan Township on May 13, 2000. The PCC title game win over LaCrosse last Saturday was the Lady Cats' 31st consecutive victory over a league team. The last run scored against HC in the PCC tournament came in the fifth inning of Hanover's 14-2 quarterfinals victory over LaCrosse on May 11, 2001. Since that time, HC pitching has held PCC opposition scoreless in tournament play for 60 consecutive innings.

The Cats are aware that they need to play tougher teams than presently reside in the PCC. They were disappointed that the Twin Lakes tournament was rained out on May 10.

"We only played one game," said Myers, "and North White was good but they weren't who we wanted. We wanted to play (Class 3A No. 1) McCutcheon because we played them last year. That was the one we wanted. It would have been a great prep going into sectionals."

McMillen might add Highland to the schedule next season but he doesn't want to overload his schedule. Boone Grove built up their slate during the days of all-stater Chris Sutcliffe and they are getting brutalized now playing five of the big DAC schools and entering big school tournaments like the Valparaiso, (South Bend) Riley and the Twin Lakes Invitationals.

"I don't want to drop all the teams we've been playing," McMillen said. "Some of them need games to play. Plus, we aren't always going to have the pitching we have now. There's eventually going to be a drop off."

If Highland and McCutcheon are added to the Hanover Central schedule, they will join South Central, which replaces Wheeler in the PCC this fall. The strength of schedule trade-off next season is that softball expands to four classes. Hanover Central, which will remain a 2A school, will no longer face Andrean, which will move to Class 3A, in the state tournament. With only two seniors (Cathy Homolka and Cassie Freeman) on the present HC roster, the Lady Cats will be big favorites next year in a sectional that includes Boone Grove, Wheeler, Lake Station and Bishop Noll.

Wheeler's Bret St. Germain is concluding his final season as Wheeler's softball coach. When the season ends, St. Germain begins work as Andrean's new football coach. "We've got Penn as our scrimmage game," St. Gemain says. "I'm excited about getting started." Whoever the new Bearcats softball coach is will inherit an experienced team. Wheeler presently has just one senior.

2003 Porter County Conference (PCC) Softball Tournament
Quarterfinals - Friday, May 16
HANOVER CENTRAL 2, Wheeler 0
BOONE GROVE 16, Washington Township 4
Kouts 5, Washintgon Township 4
LaCrosse 6, Hebron 1

Semifinals (at LaCrosse) Saturday, May 17
HANOVER 8, BOONE GROVE 0
LaCrosse 8, Kouts 7

Championship (at LaCrosse) Saturday, May 17
HANOVER 7, LaCrosse 0 (title)

HANOVER CENTRAL (18-5, 5-0 PCC)
Head coach Larry McMillen (11th year)
2002: 24-5 2001: 28-3 2000: 16-9-1 1999: 23-2

4-3:    11-0 (6) at River Forest (7-14)
4-10    1-2 Chesterton (20-3-1)
4-12: 8-3 Bishop Noll (14-12)
4-12: 2-7 Bishop Noll (14-12)
4-15: 11-0 at North Newton (12-6)
4-16: 11-0 MORGAN TOWNSHIP (6-10)
4-18: 11-0 Clark (0-16)
4-19: 20-1 at HEBRON (9-9)
4-21 (Rain) at WHEELER (12-8)
4-23: 1-2 at Lowell (12-11)
4-24: 1-4 Beecher, Ill (21-4)
4-26: 9-0 LaCROSSE (6-14)
4-28: 5-0 Whiting (11-8)
4-30: (Rain) Morton
5-1:   10-4 at South Newton (6-7)
5-2: 12-0 at KOUTS (3-6)
5-3: 2-4 Crown Point (12-12)
5-5: 12-1 at Renssealer (3-15)
5-8: (6 innings) 11-0 at BOONE GROVE (5-18)

Twin Lakes Invitational (16 teams)
5-9: 5-0 North White (11-6)
5-10 (Rain) Jefferson (17-7)
5-10 (Rain) Pioneer (18-3)

5-13: 14-0 (5 innings) at WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (9-9)
5-15: 5-1 Morton (10-9)

Porter County Conference (PCC) championship (at LaCrosse)
5-16: 2-0 Wheeler (12-8) quarterfinals
5-17: 8-0 Boone Grove (5-18) semifinals
5-17: 7-0 LaCrosse (6-14) championship

5-19 (M) Lake Central (22-2-1) 4:30 p.m.
5-20 (Tu) at Wheeler (12-8) 4:30 p.m.
5-22 (Th) Gavit (9-14) 4:30 p.m.

ANDREAN (2A) Sectional
5-26: vs. Wheeler (12-8) quarterfinals
5-27: semifinals - 4:30 p.m.
5-29: championship - 4:30 p.m.

Twin Lakes (2A) Regional
6-7: vs. Griffith Sectional Champion - 11 a.m.
6-7 (S) Twin Lakes Regional championship game - 7 p.m.