Bishop Noll beats Hanover Lady Wildcats 4-0 in Lake Station Sectional Semifinal

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

5-25-2006

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Bishop Noll (13-15)	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	8	1
HANOVER (16-14)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 - Class 2A Lake Station Sectional Semifinal

WP - Kristen Chico (10-12) CG, 6K, 0 walks
LP - Danielle Hill (12-11) CG, 2K, 1 walk

HANOVER CENTRAL (16-14)
Heather Rebenack (CF) 2 singles

Bishop Noll (13-15)
Allison Rokosz (1B) 2 singles, RBI
Meghan Jajielski (RF) Double, single
Mandy Miles (C) Double, RBI
Kristina Garay (SS) Single, walk

LAKE STATION (5-24-2006) It wasn't really a big surprise. Bishop Noll had defeated Hanover Central 5-0 earlier in the season. Noll had a senior catcher and pitcher and the right-hander Kristen Chico, had won that earlier shutout. Bishop Noll scored three runs in the first inning Wednesday afternoon and held on easily to beat Hanover Central 4-0, ending the Lady Cats' streak of four consecutive sectional championships.

The key play came early. With runners at second and third and two out in the top of the first inning, Noll's Jessica Miles sliced a slow-roller to the first base side of the mound towards second baseman Lindsay Thompson. HC pitcher Danielle Hill and first baseman Vickie Wigsmoen also stepped towards the ball, leaving first base unprotected. Thompson grabbed the ball and appeared to tag the runner Miles. The problem was, the game was being officiated by just two umpires. One was behind home plate and the other was in the middle of the diamond. Neither saw Thompson tag Miles and as Hanover protested the play which scored Allison Rokosz from third base. Kristina Garay, who had been at second base, also scored to make it 2-0.

"She tagged her,"' said HC coach Larry McMillen. "She told me she did and freshmen don't have any reason to lie. She was crying in the dugout because the umpire didn't believe her. But they didn't see it. The base umpire didn't see it and he checked with the home umpire and he didn't see it either. What am I gonna do? Neither of them saw the play. That's the human aspect of the game. "

It was all Noll from that point on. Mandy Miles' RBI double to left field made it 3-0 and Meghan Jajielski doubled and scored in the fourth inning. That was it.

Hanover Central (16-14), which started four freshman in their first playoff game, panicked once they fell behind and began swinging at almost every pitch, making it easy for Chico to toss a three-hit shutout.

"We went into that seventh inning mentality in the first inning," McMillen admitted.

For Bishop Noll, it was a long time coming. In 2004, HC beat Noll 4-0 in the sectional championship game on the way to the state title. The Lady Cats also beat Noll last year. HC and now University of Indianapolis graduate Beth Wendlinger threw a no-hitter against Noll in the playoffs on May 26, 2001. The win Wednesday was Noll's first playoff win over Hanover since Sarah Alonzo shut out the Lady Cats 2-0 at the Griffith Sectional on May 29, 2000.

"The seniors gave the team a pep talk before today's game," said Laramie. "I don't know what they said, but apparently it worked. "It's good to beat Larry. He's beaten me the last two years."

Chico was the second runner to score on the disputed 'tag' in the first inning. She broke on her own when she saw the Hanover girls distracted.

"She's played for four years," said Laramie, "and she wanted to win badly. Especially since they've beaten us the last two years."

The game progressed very quickly in front of a crowd of about 100 friends of the programs. Chico retired 10 batters in a row in the early going. Andria Trock's hard smash was turned into a double play by Noll shortstop Garay. In the last inning, a single by Heather Rebenack and an error on Garay brought the tying run into the on-deck circle. But Wigsmoen popped up to the pitcher to end the game.

"We have played a tough schedule," said Laramie. "It should matter. But nothing matters until you get on the field."

There were few, if any tears from the Hanover girls. Truth be told, Hanover could have crumbled this season. They didn't have anyone who pitched at the varsity level coming into this year. Not only did both of Hanover's starting pitchers graduate after 2005, but a half dozen girls either did not come out for softball this season or were ineligible. Hanover's 16-14 record was probably more of an achievement than last year's 26-5-3 squad.

"The ones who didn't come out, we didn't miss them one bit," said McMillen. "Should we have played better today? Yeah. If we'd played earlier like we played in the fifth, sixth and seventh inning, we'd have been fine. We played good ball late, but we didn't make the plays early. They hit the ball in the first inning.

After the first inning, we played good ball. We didn't do what we needed to do today. They've got a good team. We didn't lose, we got beat. They beat us."

SECTIONAL NOTES: As they drift into the off-season, Hanover girls might be interested in knowing that they faced three teams that finished the season in the No. 1 position in the state polls.

Chesterton (25-1), which beat Hanover 11-1, ended the regular schedule as the 4A No. 1 team, and Whiting (27-0) finished as the top Class 1A team. Hanover lost to them 2-1 in 10 innings. And HC lost 8-0 at Beecher, Illinois (34-0), which ended the regular season as Illinois' top-ranked small school team.

Long time Noll coach Ralph Laramie, who had two freshman and four seniors on the field in the playoff opener, said it's easier to have freshman than it is seniors.

"Freshmen don't know what's going on," Laramie said. "They've got three more years. They don't really feel the pressure. Seniors know this is it. The freshmen don't let much bother them."

Of the five teams at the Class 2A Lake Station Sectional, Bishop Noll had played the toughest schedule. The 2A Warriors faced the entire Lake Athletic Conference Black Division (Andrean, Munster, Lowell, Highland, etc.) twice each. Hanover had played Munster, Chesterton, Lowell and Beecher, Ill (34-0) once but Noll had been through war after war.

Noll has lost sophomore pitcher Ramona DelGado for the season with a leg injury, but Laramie says that senior Kristen Chico was going to start every game now anyway.

"She (Chico) pitched every conference game," said Laramie. "Ramona wouldn't have pitched unless Chico got hurt."

Coach Larry McMillen said he expected all of his underclassmen to play summer softball with the possible exception of left fielder Jordan Kramer, who is the starting point guard on the basketball team and will be playing with HC's summer basketball team, especially with a new head coach about to be hired.

Hanover had four seniors and five juniors on the varsity in 2006. The playoff roster had five sophomores and nine freshmen. Junior Samantha Plant, who missed the entire 30-game season with a leg injury, may not be able to play this summer but hopes to return to basketball and softball in 2007.

Left-handed pitcher Molly Fairhurst, who pitched an early season victory over Bishop Noll before suffering a leg injury, was healthy at the end of the year and figures to be playing this summer.