Lady Wildcats shut out South Central 2-0 to capture 4th straight PCC Tournament Championship

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

5-18-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (20-6)	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	1
South Central (18-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1

May 17, 2004, 81 degrees, sunny - PCC final at LaCrosse

WP - Amanda Wendlinger (15-3) CG #15, Shutout #11
9K, 0 walks
LP - Chantal Gross (14-5) CG #19
1K, 1 walk

Amy Bolakowski (SC) 2 singles
Andria Trock (HC) 2 singles
Rachel Williams (HC) Single, run scored

LaCROSSE (5-17-2004) - It was not a great performance and it was not a thrilling game. But it was all that it needed to be. In 80-degree weather and 20-mile-an-hour winds, Hanover Central maintained their domination of the Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament with a 2-0 shutout of Class 1A No. 9 South Central.

"We really aren't hitting," said 12th-year coach Larry McMillen of the game that won his programs' sixth league championship in seven years. "I guess I shouldn't complain."

The results were far more impressive than the game. Hanover won the PCC with shutouts of Boone Grove 1-0, LaCrosse 2-0 and South Central 2-0. It was the sixth consecutive PCC tournament shutout for Hanover junior right-hander Amanda Wendlinger (14-5) who shut out all three tournament foes last year. In 2002, Amanda's older sister Beth Wendlinger, who just finished her sophomore season at the University of Indianapolis, shut out all three foes in the 2002 PCC tournament.

In total, Hanover has won 12 PCC tournament games in a row, four tournament titles in succession, and no one has scored off Lady Cats pitchers in 81 PCC tournament innings.

"Amanda really hasn't given up a run in PCC games this year," said McMillen. "I've tried to get the girls to concentrate on their league. They've got to realize that teams are making adjustments to beat us. They've got to understand that. First time we beat Boone it was 8-0. Last time it was 1-0."

This title game had an anticlimactic finish. You'd hope that a title game would end on an RBI hit. This one was decided by a bunt.

It the top of the seventh inning, Hanover junior Rachel Williams slapped a ground ball to shortstop and beat the throw by South Central shortstop Chelsea Rowe. Then, Amanda Wendlinger, who had fouled off two bunt attempts, was instructed to bunt with a 1-2 count by McMillen. Big catcher Beth Harrold jumped out in front of the plate and grabbed the ball but her hard throw, not only got past South Central second baseman Stella Meyers, who was covering first base, the ball also bounced past right fielder Nicole Schmizzi, who was trying to back up the play.

Williams never stopped running and scored all the way from first base and Wendlinger, after racing around to third base, hesitated and then scooted home standing up to give Hanover a 2-0 lead.

"Those are plays that you learn from," said South Central coach Bill Fryar. "Those are two freshmen (Meyers and Schimizzi) and hopefully you learn from plays like that. What better way to get ready for the sectional than to play games like this?"

Hanover fans get on McMillen sometimes because he bunts a lot to try to steal a run for his elite pitcher. This time, the bunt, even with two strikes, won the game.

"I usually depend on my two slappers (Trisha Sheehy and Rachel Williams) to get on base," said McMillen. "But they haven't been doing that a lot. Amanda is the best bunter we have by far. She got it down and they made an error."

South Central is not error prone by nature. This was a strong defensive game, especially for freshman shortstop Chelsea Rowe, who gobbled up five ground balls in the first six innings. Junior right-hander Chantal Gross (14-5) shut out Hanover until the seventh inning, getting the Lady Cats on 10 infield grounders and six infield popups.

"I don't mind grounding out to shortstop," said McMillen. "But we just can't pop the ball up like that. They're a good team, but we should have hit her better than that."

"Down at Twin Lakes (HC was 2-1 in pool play) we put the ball in play on the ground. Up here we've stopped doing that. My slappers are popping it up and there's a video that shows you how to slap. It shows what they're doing wrong. It's at the house and I can't find it. I'm going to tear that place up until I find that thing."

South Central coach Bill Fryar said he doesn't second guess himself on a daring base-running play in the bottom of the third inning. Schmizzi bunted and reached base when HC third baseman Andria Trock's strong throw bounced off the base runner's arm. After Meyers struck out, South Central leadoff batter Angela Ward chopped a swinging bunt in front of the plate for another hit.

Rowe tried to sacrifice both runners, but Wendlinger fielded the ball and fired to Trock at third for a force out. Gross was the next hitter and she topped a slow bouncing ball to third base. With the play at first in front of her, Trock turned around and looked at third base where no one was covering. As the South Central fans celebrated an apparent bases-loading situation, Ward tried to take advantage, zipping around third base with Fryar's blessing and racing up the line to try to score. But HC senior catcher Megan Meyers blocked the plate and tagged Ward out easily, ending South Central's biggest threat.

"That was about 70-30," Fryar said later. "You're going to score 70 percent of the time with Angela running on that one. The big play was the play before that where Amanda gets the force play at third instead of throwing to first. If we (already) have a runner at third, we score on that play."

South Central, a 1A school in suburban LaPorte, which has lost only five times in 23 games indicated that they are now a major player in the PCC.

Chantal did a great job," Fryar said of his pitching star. "She gave up four hits and three were in the last inning. She can't do a lot better than that."

Hanover's title game celebration was subdued, as might be expected after a fourth consecutive title. But the numbers are not at all quiet. Hanover has won 12 PCC tournament games in a row, 29 regular season games in a row and 44 games in a row against PCC foes. The Lady Cats' senior class have set a record that cannot be broken with four titles in four years. The five senior starters Megan Meyers, Trisha Sheehy, Jaclyn Kienzle, Shannon Phillips and Bess Copak become the standard other four year classes will be judged by.

"They don't realize that," smiled McMillen. "I don't think they think that deeply."

This was not cutthroat competition. After the game, Wendlinger and Gross, summer leagues teammates in the same age group, talked and posed for pictures.

Both teams didn't know that much about each other but recognized a quality foe.

"What grade is she," McMillen said of Gross. "A junior? Well, we all get to come back and do it all again next year."

LADY CAT NOTES: Hanover's state tournament game against Boone Grove is scheduled for 4:30 next Tuesday (May 25), the same day and time as the girls tennis regional semifinals and the girls track regional. Many students will not be able to watch their school's softball team because of that crunch of scheduling. If Hanover reaches the Wheeler 2A sectional championship game, the starting time will be 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27.

The last PCC tournament game lost by Hanover was a 1-0, 10-inning quarterfinal loss to Morgan Township on May 13, 2000. The last PCC regular season loss for Hanover was 1-0 in 11 innings, also to Morgan Township on May 2, 2000.

The 20th victory for Hanover gave the Lady Cats a fourth consecutive 20-win season. HC is 97-21 over that time.

South Central's days of winning the PCC are on the horizon. The Satellites do not have a senior on the varsity softball roster. The SC girls basketball team also did not have a senior. Hanover Central has outscored the opposition 136-41 in 26 games.

Wendlinger, who struck out 28 and walked none in 21 PCC playoff innings, is 48-10 in three seasons. Chantal Gross was 14-4 last year and was 14-5 after Monday's game.

Hanover athletic director Dave Seils made the drive to LaCrosse to watch the Lady Cats' victory Monday. Principal Joe Fetty made the early morning trip to Boone to watch HC win Saturday at 10 a.m.

PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE (PCC) Tournament
LaCrosse 11, Washington Township 5
HANOVER CENTRAL 1, BOONE GROVE 0
South Central 11, Morgan Township 2
Kouts 2, HEBRON 1

Semifinals - 5-15-4
South Central 13, Kouts 2
HANOVER CENTRAL 2, LaCrosse 0

Championship - 5-17-4
HANOVER CENTRAL 2, South Central 0 (title)

DEFENDING PCC CHAMPIONS
2004: HANOVER CENTRAL, 2-0 over South Central
2003: HANOVER CENTRAL, 7-0 over LaCrosse
2002: HANOVER CENTRAL, 4-0 over Wheeler
2001: HANOVER CENTRAL, 1-0 over BOONE GROVE (11 inn.)
2000: Morgan Township, 1-0 over BOONE GROVE (8 inn.)
1999: HANOVER CENTRAL, 3-0 over Wheeler

2004 HANOVER CENTRAL (19-6, 7-0 PCC)
Larry McMillen 25-8 in 2003, 24-5 in 2002, 116-27-1 (last 5 years)

4-1-4 (W) 13-3 (5 innings) River Forest (8-13)
4-2-4 (L) 5-6 at Chesterton (19-5)
4-3-4 (L) 0-5 Munster (22-2)
4-10 (L) 1-3 at Bishop Noll (13-12)
4-14 (W) 10-0 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (8-12)
4-13 (W) 13-0 (5) North Newton (4-16)
4-17 (W) 9-0 HEBRON (15-6)
4-19 (W) 2-1 (8 inn.) Wheeler (12-12)
4-21 (L) 1-4 Lowell (14-7)
4-22 (L) 1-5 at (Ill.) Beecher, Ill. (27-2)
4-24 (W) 11-0 (5)at LaCROSSE (4-10)
4-26 (W) 7-4 at Clark (2-10-2)
4-28 (W) 6-0 at Morton (15-8)
4-29 (W) 4-0 South Newton (6-13)
4-30 (W) 3-0 KOUTS (6-11)
5-3 (W) 15-3 (5) Rensselaer (6-14)
5-4 (W) 1-0 SOUTH CENTRAL (18-4)
5-5 (W) 10-0 Griffith (12-13)
5-6 (W) 8-0 BOONE GROVE (7-18)

Twin Lakes Invitational (in Monticello)
5-7-4 (W) 4-0 Pioneer (12-8)
5-8-4 (W) 4-1 Lewis Cass (14-4)
5-8-4 (L) 3-4 McCutcheon (24-5)

5-11-4 (W) 11-1 (6) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (5-15)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
5-15 (W) 1-0 at Boone Grove (7-18) quarterfinals
5-15 (W) 2-0 LaCrosse (5-13) semifinals
5-17 (W) 2-0 South Central (18-5) championship

5-19-4 (W) at Gavit (5-16) 4:30 p.m.
5-21-4 (F) at Whiting (16-5) 5 p.m.

Wheeler (2A) Sectional
5-25-4 (W) Boone Grove (7-18)
5-29-4 (S) vs. Wheeler or Noll

LaVille (2A) Sectional
6-5-4 (S) semifinals
6-5-4 (S) championship

State 2A Finals
6-11-4 (F) semifinals at North Central - 6:30 p.m.
6-12-4 (S) 2A State championship at Carmel - 1 p.m.