A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith
4-17-2008
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| HEBRON (10-2, 3-1 PCC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| HANOVER CENTRAL (9-2, 4-0 PCC) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 8 | 2 |
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 68 degrees in CEDAR LAKE, IN
WP - Jessica Toth (5-2), CG, 5K, 1 walk
LP - Jessica Orris (10-2), CG, 6K, 1 walk
HEBRON (10-2) starters
Stephanie Mosier (CF) 0-for-3
Alyssa Spore (SS) 1-for-3
Jessica Orris (P) 0-for-3
Emilie Higgins (3B) 1-for-3
Courtney Overton (2B) 1-for-3
Brittany Harrison (1B) 1-for-2, walk
Tara Kunst (DH) 0-for-3
Erica Pauer (RF) 0-for-3
Stacy Blank (LF) 0-for-2
HANOVER CENTRAL (9-2) starters
Kara Gilbert (S) 2-for-4 , double, run scored
Morgan Austgen (LF) 0-for-2, sac bunt, RBI
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) 2-for-3, 2 doubles, RBI
Jessica Toth (P) 1-for-2, walk
Tiffany Gibson (RF) 0-for-2, RBI
Lindsay Thompson (2B) 1-for-3
Shannon Kiraly (3B) 0-for-3
Alisha Janes (DP) 0-for-2
Anna Plassmann (CF) 1-for-3, double, run scored
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
| WHEELER (10-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| HANOVER CENTRAL (8-2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 71 degrees in CEDAR LAKE, IN
WP - Jessica Toth (4-2), CG, 4K, 3 walks
LP - Lanay Parks (10-3) CG, 8K, 1 walk
Wheeler (10-3)
Marcy Medina (SS) Single, run scored
HANOVER CENTRAL (8-2)
Tiffany Gibson (RF) Double, run scored
Morgan Austgen (LF) Double
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) Double
Jessica Toth (P) Single, RBI
CEDAR LAKE (4-23-2008) - Hanover Central may have let Hebron off the hook somewhat Wednesday, even though the Lady Cats stayed in first place in the Porter County Conference (PCC) with a 5-0 win over the Hawks in the setting sun at the cow-friendly Cedar Lake softball complex.
It was a business-like win for Class 2A
No. 2 Hanover, which scored five in the
third inning behind sophomore right-hander
Jessica Toth (5-2). But the fact that
Hanover did not wipe out Hebron the way the
Lady Cats did swamp teams like 3A Mishawaka
Marian and 4A Chesterton gives the Hawks
hope for a rematch.
A rematch that is already set. Hebron and
Hanover Central drew each other in the
quarterfinals of the PCC tournament on May
9.
"We really hadn't played anybody like they
have," said Hebron coach Scott Ericks after
watching his team drop to 10-3 on the year
after the 90-minute ball game. "We didn't
know what was going to happen today. And we
could have fallen apart after they got five
runs in the third. It was just one inning
that beat us today. This gives us a
lot of hope for a rematch."
Hanover coach Larry McMillen basically
agreed.
"We took it easy after we got ahead," he said. "We let them stay in it. I'll bet they do think they can play with us."
Hanover scored the only runs of the game in the third inning after Anna Plassmann's leadoff double to the fence in right center field. Kara Gilbert hit a flyball to left that Hebron's Stacy Blank misplayed in the bright sun, putting runners at second and third. Hanover's Morgan Austgen then hit a ground ball to third baseman Emilie Higgins, whose throw sailed over first baseman Brittany Harrison. Two runs scored on the play. HC's Kelsey Jankowski hit a line drive RBI double over the head of Blank in left to make it 3-0 before Jessica Toth's RBI single upped the lead to 4-0. Toth went to third base when her hit got past Blank and rolled to the fence and she scored on Tiffany Gibson's ground out.
Hanover (9-2), which began the season winning six games by six runs or more, is in somewhat of a batting slump with 14 runs in the last five games against Munster, Lowell, Wheeler Hebron and Beecher, Illinois.
The Lady Cats won an eighth-inning 2-1 victory over sectional rival and 2A No. 3 Wheeler when Toth's two-out single drove in Gilbert from second base. Wheeler's Bearcats defeated Hanover in the sectional championship game in 2007 and they are almost guaranteed to meet in sectional play late next month. But it feels like Hanover Central is having a very successful season when the cold, hard truth is, they haven't won anything yet. And to win trophies, HC is going to have to be a much better offensive team than they've shown the last three weeks.
"We should have scored five or six runs," said McMillen of the win over Wheeler. "We had five doubles and we scored two runs. (Wheeler soph right hander Lanay) Parks struck out eight of us which was more than I thought she would. Our girls don't know how good they are. They don't now how good they can be."
LADY CAT NOTES: Hebron pitcher Jessica Orris had pitched every inning for two seasons until the night before the Hawks played Hanover Wednesday. On Tuesday, the senior was replaced on the mound with the Hawks leading 7-0 after three innings against 1A North White. Hebron ended up winning 9-8. Very small schools have to force underclassmen into varsity games. Hebron, like LaCrosse and Washington Township, have no JV team.
Hanover junior Victoria Wigsmoen, a first baseman who bated over .300 as a freshman in 2006, but who did not play last year due to injury, probably will not play on the varsity this season either, due to a bad back. She usually keeps the scorebook in the HC dugout.
"Some days are good days," Wigsmoen reports. "I was playing on the JV a little and I was fine for a few days. But then, I could hardly stand up. I don't know if I'll be back this year. I hope so."
Hanover Central will travel to Crown Point
for a 7:00 p.m. game Friday night after HC
hosts Kouts at 4:30 p.m. Hanover would like
to schedule Andrean sometime in May. HC was
supposed to play South Central, Andrean and
CP at Crown Point's tournament last Saturday
(4-19-2008) but the entire day was rained out. HC will not make up the game with South
Central because they will meet South Central
in PCC play.
Larry McMillen says not to get too excited
about Hanover being rated No. 2 state wide
in Class 2A.
"A couple of people who vote in the poll saw us pay at LaVille (April 5) where we beat Marian, who was third in 3A," explained the HC coach. "Suddenly we're No. 2 in the state when we weren't even honorable mention before that. Are we the second best team in the state?" he asked. "Probably not. Is Wheeler the third best. Probably not."
Scecina Memorial (12-1) is the undisputed
top-ranked Class 2A team and they already
have a 4-3 victory over 1A No. 1
Indianapolis Lutheran. Hanover knows Scecina
is no joke. Scecina was the 2A state champion
last year with a record of 31-1 and when Hanover won the 2A state title in 2004 the
school they defeated in the state semifinals
was Scecina.
2A Hanover Central (9-2)
Coach Larry McMillen (17th year) 20-10
PCC games in CAPS - weekday games start
at 4:30 p.m. - unless otherwise indicated
(W)12-2 at Chesterton (7-4)
Queen of Diamonds Tourney - at LaVille
(W) 15-0 Clinton Prairie
(W) 11-0 Maconaquah
(W) 10-1 Mishawaka Marian
(W) 14-1 at LaCROSSE
(W) 7-1 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP
(L) 1-6 Munster (11-4)
(W) 3-2 (9 inn.) Lowell (10-3)
(L) 3-4 at Beecher, Ill (17-4)
Four Class Tourney
4-19 (rain) Andrean
4-19 (rain) CP
4-19 (rain) South Central
(W) 2-1 (8 innings) Wheeler (12-3)
(W) 5-0 HEBRON (10-3)
4-24 (Th) South Newton
4-25 (Fri) KOUTS - 4:30 p.m.
4-25 (Fri) at Crown Point - 7:00 p.m.
4-28 (M) Rensselaer - 5:00 p.m.
4-29 (Tu) SOUTH CENTRAL - 5:00 p.m.
5-1 (Th) BOONE GROVE
Twin Lakes Invitational
16 teams - pool play - at Monticello,
Indiana
5-2 (F) pool play - 5:00 p.m.
5-3 (S) pool play - a.m.
5-3 (S) pool play - p.m.
5-6 (Tu) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
PCC
Championship
8 teams - single-elimination - at LaCrosse
5-9 (F) quarterfinals vs Hebron - 5:00 p.m.
5-10 (S) Semifinals - a.m.
5-10 (S) Championship - p.m.
5-16 (F) at Whiting - 5:00 p.m.
Bishop Noll (2A) Sectional
5-21 (W) semifinals
5-23 (F) championship
LaVille (2A Regional
5-30 (S) semifinals - a.m.
5-30 (S) championship - p.m.
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Revised: April 25, 2008.