No-hitter by Radosevich leads HC Wildcats to 8-1 baseball win over River Forest

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
River Forest (2-4)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
Hanover Central (2-2)	1	0	3	0	4	0	-	8	7	1

4-16-2003 in Cedar Lake - sunny, 58 degrees

WP - Jon Radosevich (1-1) CG, 10Ks, 3 walks
LP - Aaron Gutierez (0-2) 3K, 1 walk (4 2/3 innings)

River Forest - 0 hits, 3 walks, 10 Ks
Mike Carver (RF) Sac. Fly. RBI

Hanover Central - 2 triples, 5 singles, 6 stolen bases, 4Ks, 2 walks, 2 HBPs
Billy Rickey (HC) 2 singles, 2 stolen bases
Todd Szayni (HC) Triple, HBP, RBI, 2 stolen bases
Jon Radosevich (HC) TRiple, single, 2 RBIs
Danny Kozlowski (HC) Single, stolen base, walk
Zac Wajvoda (C) Single, 2 RBIs

CEDAR LAKE (4-16-2003) Hanover Central's baseball field has been in poor condition in recent seasons and the Wildcats team hasn't been much better. But if you were out west of the high school last Wednesday (4-16-20033) in Cedar Lake, both of them looked like winners.

On a mound that had just been built earlier in the week, Hanover senior Jon Radosevich pitched his first career no-hitter Wednesday, overwhelming River Forest 8-1 to get back to the .500 mark for the season.

"The mound just got done yesterday," Radosevich said. "We had a company come out and do that. But we've been working on the field. We take infield and then we work on the field for about an hour and a half."

"I paid $700 for that mound," said coach Ron Szayni. " Mostly just moving the clay over. Jon christened it with a no-hitter. How about that?"

It was almost all positive through four games for Hanover Central. Despite losses to Lowell (they trailed 3-2 in the fifth before losing 12-2) and state rated Clark, the Wildcats (2-2) are about ready to head into the Porter County Conference (PCC) season, which begins next week against Washington Township and Morgan Township.

"I'm hoping to throw Radosevich in one game and Todd (Szayni) in the other. I think we're doing well. We still do some stupid things occasionally. But we're all right."

Hanover didn't do any stupid things against River Forest (2-4). Danny Kozlowski, the losing pitcher in the 2-0 loss to Clark the day before, gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead with a single to left field against Aaron Gutierrez in the first inning.

In the third inning, Radosevich lined a two-run triple into right center and scored on Zac Wajvoda's hard grounder off the pitcher's glove to second baseman John Clark. Leading 4-0, Radosevich took it to the end, allowing a run only on a walk, an infield throwing error and a flyball by Mike Carver in the seventh inning.

"I've seen him since he was eight years old," said Szayni, " and that's the first no-hitter I've ever seen him pitch. His curve. That's his money pitch. When he's getting that over, he's tough."

Radosevich, a 5-10 right-hander, struck out 10, mostly with the curve.

He and Catcher Todd Szayni realized early in the game that the Ingots, who have a 5-4 win over Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) member Hobart, could not handle his curve off the high new mound.

"Yeah, we saw that," Radosevich said. "They started swinging funny. I just kept throwing it outside."

The ultimate compliment to the Hanover pitcher was River Forest batters Jaime Wally and Robert Richardson both attempting bunts leading off the sixth inning, even though the Ingots were down 8-0.

"I've never had a no-hitter. Not even in Little League. Somebody always broke it up."

Hanover scored four more times in the fifth inning. Todd Szayni tripled in one run and Wajvoda's infield hit made it 6-0. A wild pitch scored a seventh run and a double steal where freshman Todd Sheehy intentionally got caught off first base allowing Todd Szayni to score during the rundown."
Hanover hopes to challenge Wheeler and Boone Grove for the PCC title.

"I think that this is going to be our best year in high school. For Todd and I, I think we're going to be pretty good. If we can get everybody healthy."

Hanover played without two players who often start, catcher Larry Pempek, who was to be back by the end of the week, and Luke Besse, who got spiked in the 12-2 loss to Lowell but should be back before the end of the month.

CAT NOTES: In the 2-0 loss to Clark, Dan Kozlowski allowed four hits in five innings. but Clark senior Russ Gould pitched all seven innings and struck out a career-high 16.

Hanover will play two games against Beecher, IL (6-4) on April 26 and they'll probably see freshman Jayson Koehn, who struck out 10 in a 13-3 win over Gardner-South Wilmington last week.

Hanover doesn't have a new scoreboard but they have one that works this season. The power to the small, ball and strike board behind the first base dugout was cut last year accidentally and no one discovered that fact until this spring. Once the power was hooked back up, the scoreboard, which was thought to have malfunctioned, was fine.

The new, high mound will obviously aid pitchers. Hanover's mound was vandalized in the off season and the new pitching surface was built this week.

2003 HANOVER CENTRAL (2-2)

Ron Szayni (6th year) 2002: 9-18-1 - 2001: 9-13

PCC games in CAPS
4-11 - 2-12 (5 innings) at Lowell (5-2)
4-12 - 10-5 Gavit (1-3)
4-15 - 0-2 at Clark (5-1)
4-16 - 8-1 River Forest (2-4)
4-17 (Th) Whiting (5-0) 4:30 p.m.
4-21 (M) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - 4:30 p.m.
4-24 (Th) MORGAN TOWNSHIP - 4:15 p.m.
4-26 (S) Beecher (2) 10 a.m.
4-28 (M) at BOONE GROVE- 4:30 p.m.
4-29 (Tu) Hammond - 4:30 p.m.

5-1 (Th) Gary West Side - 4:30 p.m.
5-5 (M) at South Newton - 4:30 p.m.
5-6 (Tu) at Wirt - 4:30 p.m.
5-8 (Th) at East Chicago - 4:30 p.m.
5-9 (F) KOUTS - 4:15 p.m.
5-12 (M) at HEBRON - 4:30 p.m.
5-13 (Tu) Calumet - 4:30 p.m.
5-14 (W) LaCROSSE - 4:45 p.m.
5-15 (Th) at Morton - 4:30 p.m.
5-19 (M) at North Newton - 4:30 p.m.
5-20 (Tu) Lew Wallace - 4:30 p.m.
5-21 (W) at WHEELER - 4:15 p.m.

PCC Tournament
5-24 (S) quarterfinals - (TBA)
5-26 (M) semifinals - 4:30 p.m.
5-28 (W) PCC championship - 4:30 p.m.

5-29 (Th) at Lake Station - 4:30 p.m.
5-30 (F) Gary Roosevelt - 4:30 p.m.

Lake Station (2A) Sectional
6-2 (M) quarterfinals (TBA)
6-5 (S) Semifinals (morning)
6-6 (S) Championship (afternoon)

Jimtown (2A) Regional
6-13 (S) semifinals (morning)
6-13 (S) championship (night)