Lady Wildcats give up 3 in 7th, fall to Whiting 4-3 in softball showdown
A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith
5-19-2007 

Friday, May 18, 2007 - 72 degrees at CEDAR LAKE, IN

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 54 degrees at CEDAR LAKE, IN

WP - Jessica Toth  (11-5) CG, 3K, 1 walk
LP - Michelle Madden (12-4) CG, 7K, 0 walks

1A No. 3 Morgan Township (15-5)
Stephanie Hamilton (C) Double, RBI

2A No. 8 HANOVER CENTRAL (18-8)
Samantha Plant (CF) Single, 2 RBIs

Monday, May 14, 2007 - 85 degrees at CEDAR LAKE, IN

WP - Meagan Gutierrez (18-4) CG, 11K, 2 walks
LP - Jessica Toth (10-5) CG, 1K, 0 walks

2A No. 8 HANOVER CENTRAL (18-8)
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) Single, double

PORTAGE (18-6)
Samantha Griffith (C), 2 runs scored

With two out and runners at second and third base in the seventh and final inning, Hanover led 3-2.  Whiting junior Sam Plavec hit a fly ball almost at left fielder Anna Plassman, usually a sure-handed defensive outfielder.  Plassman took a step towards the ball and then threw up her hands to shield the sun from her eyes, letting the ball drop for a two-run single and a 4-3 Whiting win.

"I always tell them," said a happy Whiting coach Paul Laub of his players, "that if you can put the ball in play, good things can happen."

What happened here was that the Oilers (21-3) stole a win from a Hanover team that never trailed until two out in the seventh.  Whiting never really hit HC starting pitcher Jessica Toth (11-6).  But two errors, a walk and a sunshine base hit gave the visitors the victory in a 5:00 p.m. Friday game.

"We've just got to play the game until the end," said HC coach Larry McMillen.  "We played well below our standards.  I was really embarrassed."

Hanover didn't play badly the entire game, just when it counted most.

In the third inning, HC's Molly Fairhurst reached base with two out when she struck out but beat the throw to first as Whiting catcher Adi Cruz couldn't hold the fast ball from Whiting all-stater Mel Dumezich (20-3).  HC freshman Kelsey Jankowski then sliced a three base ht to the wall in left center field to make it 1-0.  When freshman Morgan Austgen slapped a bouncing ball to third and beat it out, Hanover led 2-0.

After the Lady Cats, who have lost to Whiting in extra innings in each of the past two seasons, left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Whiting cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth.  Sarah Watkins walked, went to second base on a wild pitch and took third on catcher Ashley Wornoff's passed ball and scored on a ground out by Victoria Franco.

HC appeared to ice the game in the sixth when Shannon Kiraly lined a one out single off the third baseman's glove.  Brittany Ribicki hit a soft tap in front of the plate that Dumezich threw over the shortstop's head into center field.  Kiraly came around to score when Whiting center fielder Watkins' throw got away and HC led 3-1.

But Whiting, which was 33-0 last season, rallied when HC third baseman Shannon Kiraly fumbled Mendez' ground ball.  Toth, a hard throwing right-hander, struck out the next two batters before she walked Dumezich, who hit nine home runs last season.  With two on and two out, Adi Cruz hit a sharp ground ball to the right of HC second baseman Lindsay Thompson, who got in front of the ball, but had it go between her legs for an error.  Plavec then hit the sun-kissed fly ball to left field.

"We still could have gotten the lead run at home plate," McMillen said of the missed final out, "but she threw the ball up the first base line."

"I like a close game,' said Plavec. "It's more worth winning.  It's more intense.  This fires us up.  Knowing we can come back."

Whiting plays Morgan Township (16-4) in the opening quarterfinal game of the Whiting 1A Sectional next Tuesday and the Oilers seem to welcome that.

"When we played Morgan Township the first time," Plavec said, "our hitting wasn't there.  We lost four good seniors from last year.  But we should have lost that game.  Stupid stuff. Stupid errors.  I'm so fired up to play them.  I want to play them now."

Hanover will benefit from facing the 5-foot-10 Dumezich, who has over 300 strikeouts, should they see Wheeler freshman Lanay Parks (16-2) in the sectional championship game.  Parks, a 5-foot-10 basketball player, also averages over 10 strikeouts a game.

"This opens our eyes a little bit," said McMillen.  "We've got to be more aggressive when we've got the lead.  It's a seven-inning game and you can get your butt kicked.  We've faced good pitching all year long.  We're not afraid of anybody.

"Parks is a lot like Dumezich.  She throws a lot of rise balls (rising fastballs) and we do have a problem laying off them."

The game was played in front of 150-200 fans who gathered to see the 1A state champions who do not play many games outside north Lake County.  Hanover led all the way and should have won, but Whiting did not quit and they took advantage of a surge of Lady Cat mistakes.

"I was proud of the way the girls didn't quit," said Laub.  "It looked like both teams didn't want to win for a while, but we played a good team today and we beat them."

Hanover got five hits and a walk against Dumezich, who had a 0.42 ERA and 346 strikeouts last season, going 32-0.  HC swung the bats very well against her.  McMillen had a post game talk with his girls telling them they need to 'add on' runs and close out games when they are ahead.

"I also told them don't fault the umpires for this game," said McMillen.  "Some of our parents talked about the called third strike on Toth that ended the game.  But the umps didn't commit those errors.  We made those errors all by ourselves.  If you don't play with confidence, you're not going to win.  I thought in the middle of the game we were playing like we were losing and we were ahead."

CAT NOTES:  Whiting coach Paul Laub does not appreciate anyone saying his team plays a soft schedule.

"We play a 1A schedule," he says.  "Last year, we played 10 of the top 15 teams in Class 1A."

The Oilers dropped Noll, Lowell, KV, Munster, Andrean, Griffith and Highland from their schedule when the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) went to a double round robin for the LAC Blue division two years ago.  Laub doesn't like to hear the theory that Whiting's 33-0 record last year is a direct result of two things: Freshman hard-throwing right-hander Mel Dumezich and 2.) The fact that Whiting altered their schedule so they faced no one from the tough LAC Black division or the big school Duneland Athletic Conference.

"We play the schedule the athletic director lays down for us," said Laub, "And I'm the athletic director.  We don't have to play those other schools.  We don't want to put ourselves into a position where we'd be overwhelmed by our schedule."

Laub acknowledges that Whiting formerly played those seven LAC Black teams and still made the state finals three years ago.

"When we used to play them," he said, "our record against them wasn't that good.  Bishop Noll is a 2A school.  We're 1A. Do you think Bishop Noll is going to play those teams next year when they don't have to?"

HC coach Larry McMillen has always had the exact opposite philosophy.

"We'll play anybody," said the coach, who has taken his 2A squad against six 4A schools (Lowell, Chesterton, Munster, McCutcheon, Portage and Crown Point) this season.  "Next year, we're adding Griffith.  We're not afraid to play anybody.  That's how you get better."

For the record, both Hanover (2004) and Whiting (2006) have won state titles.

Hanover first basemen Victoria Wigsmoen won't be back for the Class 2A Wheeler Sectional.

"She's been cleared by the doctor, but she needs 10 practices and she's only had four (as of Friday).  She's not ready yet."

Whiting second baseman Kelly Jansky missed the Hanover game with an injury.  Laub said they hope to have her back next week for the playoffs.  Hanover shortstop Kara Gilbert returned to the lineup after missing five games with a leg injury.  The HC sophomore was 0-for-4 and didn't have a ball hit to her in the field.

(2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (19-9, 7-0 PCC)
Varsity Coach Larry McMillem, PCC games in CAPS

3-29 (W) 22-1 at River Forest (4-17) 5 innings
3-30 (L) 0-7 Chesterton (18-5)
3-31 (L)  1-2 at Munster (22-4)
4-10 (W) 2-0 at North Newton  (7-14)
4-11 - MORGAN TOWNSHIP (cold) to be rescheduled
4-13 - at Bishop Noll  (cold)
4-14 (W) 2-0 at HEBRON (13-6)
4-17 (L) 0-2 at Wheeler  (21-3)
4-18 (L) 1-6 at Lowell (25-6)
4-19 (L) 1-5 Beecher, Ill. (24-3)

LaVille Invitational  (at Lakeville, In)
4-21 (W) 7-3 Eastside (12-15)
4-21 (W) 6-3 Winamac (17-9)
4-21 (W) 3-1 Eastside (12-15) championship

4-25 (W) Morton  (10-15) canceled
4-27 (W) 12-0 at KOUTS (5-12)
4-30 (W) 10-0 at Rensselaer (5-15)
5-1  (W) 10-0 LaCROSSE (4-16)
5-2  (W) 4-1 at SOUTH CENTRAL (12-10)
5-3  (W) 7-0 at BOONE GROVE  (15-10)

Twin Lakes Invitational  (at Monticello)
5-4 (L) 1-2 (Howard Co.) Eastern (20-4)
5-5 (L) 0-4 McCutcheon (24-4)
5-5 (W) 5-4 Western (12-12)
5-7 (W) 3-0  at Bishop Noll (5-15)
5-8  (W) 10-0 Washington Township (10-8)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Finals 
5-11 (W) 10-0 (5 innings) LaCrosse (4-16)
5-12 (W) 1-0 Hebron (15-8)
5-12 (W) 4-0 Boone Grove (15-10)

5-14 (L)  1-2 at Portage (18-8) 
5-16 (W) 3-1 MORGAN TOWNSHIP (16-4) 
5-18 (L) 3-4 Whiting (21-3)

5-19 (W) 3-1 Crown Point (15-11) 

2A Wheeler Sectional 
5-22 (Tu) Lake Station (3-12) 4:30 p.m.
5-24 (Th) Wheeler (21-3) or Boone Grove (15-10) 4:30 p.m.

2A Regional (at LaVille)
6-2 (S) semifinals vs. Westview sectional champ (TBA)
6-2 (S) championship - (TBA)

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Revised: May 19, 2007.