Munster HRs in 7th result in first loss for Hanover Central, 6-1 in girls softball

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

4-15-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
MUNSTER (6-2)	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	6	13	1
HANOVER CENTRAL (6-1)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2

Monday, April 14, 2008 - 50 degrees & sunny in CEDAR LAKE, IN

WP - Grace Ispas (1-2) CG, 8K, 2 walks
LP - Jessica Toth (3-1) CG, 3K, 2 walks

MUNSTER (6-2) starters
Ashley Moore (C) 1-for-4
Kara Curosh (2B) 2-for-4
Erin Moss (SS) 3-for-4, RBI

Phoebe Conner (3B) 2-for-3, walk
Kelly Mashura (LF) 0-for-3, walk
Katelyn Hovanek (CF) HR, 4 RBIs

Laura Henning (1B) 3-for-4, HR, RBI
Jamie Lissy (DH) 1-fior-4
Emily Becha (RF) 0-for-2

HANOVER CENTRAL (6-1) starters
Kara Gilbert (SS) 1-for-3, run scored
Morgan Austgen (3B) 0-for-2 sac bunt
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) 1-for-2, sac fly, RBI

Jessica Toth (P) 0-for-1, 2 walks
Tiffany Gibson (RF) 0-for-3
Lindsay Thompson (2B) 0-for-3

Alisha Janes (LF) 0-for-3
Danielle Nowak (DH) 0-for-2
Anna Plassman (CF) 0-for-2

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (6-0, 1-0 PCC)	0	1	2	1	0	0	3	7	12	0
MORGAN TOWNSHIP (1-4, 0-1 PCC)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	3

Thusday, April 10, 2008 - at MORGAN TOWNSHIP

WP - Jessica Toth (3-0) CG, 13K, 3 walks
LP - Michelle Madden (1-4) CG, 2K, 1 walk

MORGAN TOWNSHIP (1-4)
Sara Thompson (OF) 2 singles

HANOVER CENTRAL (6-0)
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) HR, double 2 RBIs
Jessica Toth (P) Triple, single
Kara Gilbert (S) Double, single
Lindsey Thompson (2B) 3 singles, 2 runs scored

CEDAR LAKE (4-14-2008) Sometimes when the winning team breaks open a tie game in the final inning you wonder if the better team actually won. Monday afternoon in Cedar Lake was not one of those times. Munster's Mustangs, losers only to powerhouses Lake Central and Lowell, kept leaving runners on base in their twice-postponed nonconference showdown with undefeated Hanover Central.

But all that was forgotten when Katelyn Hovanek's bases-loaded flyball left the yard down at the Cedar Lake Softball complex. The seventh-inning grand slam home run lifted Munster to a 6-1 win in Hanover's 2008 home opener.

This may have been Munster's best game of the year. The Mustangs (6-2) rolled up 13 hits. They made just one error defensively and pitcher Grace Ispas (1-2) had total control the vast majority of the game.

"I'm very happy with this," said Munster coach Beth Vesa. "I'm happy when they hit the homers. I don't have to think. It makes it easy on me."

Hanover coach Larry McMillen told his team, "There are some games you lose and there are others where you get beat. When they get 13 hits and you get one hit and two walks, you got beat."

In the seventh-inning with one out, Kara Curosh sliced a base hit to right field and Erin Moss lined a single to left. Pheobe Conner, batting clean-up, hit a long fly ball to left center that neither HC's left fielder Alisha James or center fielder Anna Plassman could get to. The ball fell near the fence, but Curosh held up in the base line and could only advance to third base. The base-running miscue looked costly as HC pitcher Jessica Toth (3-1) got Munster's Kelly Mashura to pop up to shortstop. But Hovanek, who was 0-for-3, hit a deep drive to left field that cleared the fence about 210 feet away, scoring everybody for a 5-1 edge.

Left-handed batting Laura Henning then hit the first pitch over the centerfield fence to make the final score 6-1.

Hovanek, who also made a couple of nice catches in center field, walked off with the hero's mantle.

"Her sophomore year she was probably our more productive player," said Vesa, who had all-area players Hallie Gibbs and Megan Paradzinski at the time. "She had some health issues last year, but she's OK now and she's a big time player."

"She came up with big hits and made nice plays in the outfield and she's probably only 70% healthy now. She's really that good."

Hanover did not play badly. Shortstop Kara Gilbert and second baseman Lindsay Thompson turned a ground ball double play, a softball rarity, in the fourth inning, and Thompson made a kneeling throw to first base on a deflected ground ball in the second inning.

It was not Toth's best game. The sophomore right-hander, who had 23 strikeouts in 21 innings coming into the game, struck out only three and was fortunate to be tied 1-1 with two out in the seventh.

"She was behind in the count all day," said McMillen. "We played pretty well defensively. We made some good plays. But with a single and two walks, you can't get much done."

Hanover (6-1) scored in the first inning when Kara Gilbert hit a slow bouncer to short and beat the throw from Munster's Erin Moss. Morgan Austgen bunted the runner to second base and Gilbert took third on a wild pitch. Kelsey Jankowski's sacrifice flyball to deep left field gave CP a 1-0 lead on a sunny, 50-degree day. The Lady Cats, who started a six-game week, had only two base runners the rest of the day. Ispas faced just 25 hitters, recoding her first win of the season and Munster's fourth consecutive victory over HC.

Hanover had not played in six days since a 7-2 win over Morgan Township, but Munster had faced teams like Lake Central (6-2) and Lowell (7-1) while Hanover had faced four teams that were either 1A or 2A.

"This was good for us," said McMillen, who hinted this week, which includes Lowell, Andean and Illinois state champion Beecher (5-1) could be trouble for his girls. "They (Munster) showed us we aren't as good as we think we are."

CAT NOTES: There has been no schedule released for Saturday's Four Class Challenge, but the Andrean softball web site says that Hanover and Andrean will play the opening game at 10:00 a.m. and the 59ers will play Crown Point in the finale of the four team round robin tournament at 2:00 p.m. That means that Hanover faces Crown Point (5-3) in the second game at 12 noon and South Central (4-3) in the third contest at 2:00 p.m. The Lady Cats figure to be on the junior varsity field for the 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. games. Fans should beware. Crown Point's junior varsity diamond is about 300 yards from the parking lot. You can't park anywhere near the JV playing field.

Munster coach Beth Vesa wasn't sure this game would be played Monday after being postponed twice before.

"I assumed it would be played," said Vesa. "Larry said he was still draining water off the field early this afternoon. But it was dry yesterday (Sunday) so I assumed we'd play."

Hanover's double play team of Kara Gilbert and Lindsay Thompson will not be able to attend the final day (May 3) of the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational in Monticello because the two juniors will have to take their ACT college exams that day. The two three-year starters will be able to play Friday night, May 2.