Pitching dual turns into 7th-inning scoring fest as Lake Central comes from behind for thrilling 5-4 win over Crown Point

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

5-20-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (14-7, 7-6)	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	4	1
Lake Central (16-5, 10-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	5	9	2

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 76 degrees, partly cloudy in St. John

WP - Brandon Peters (2-1) 0K, 0 walks (2/3 inn.)
LP - Mike Schultz (4-3) 2K, 2w walks , CG #7

Ian Figuly (LC) Double, 2 singles
Brett Summers (LC) Single, RBI
Troy Russell (LC) Single, RBI
Josh Kauffman (LC) Double, 3 RBIs
Matt Long (CP) Double, walk RBI
Adam Quinn (CP) Single, run scored
Nick Bodinet (CP) Single, 2 walks
Matt Jansen (CP) Walk, RBI

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (14-6, 7-5)	1	0	3	0	1	5	0	10	10	1
Michigan City (2-18, 0-12)	0	0	0	2	0	0	4	6	5	2

Monday, May 17, 2004 - 61 degrees, sunny in Michigan City

WP - Matt Jansen (4-3) 6Ks, 3 walks (6 inn.)
LP - Brock Koehler (0-1) 3K, 3 walks. (5 1/3 inn.)

Jacob Mooneyham (MC) Double, RBI
Luke Siegmund (MC) HR, RBI
Matt Jansen (CP) HR, RBI
Jake Pierce (CP) HR, 2 RBIs
Doug Ricard (CP) Triple, single
Tommy Wise (CP) 2 singles

CROWN POINT (5-19-2004) - Most games come and go and you'll forget about it after tomorrow's game.
Wednesday's Crown Point game at Lake Central was not like that. The Bulldogs broke a scoreless tie with four seventh inning runs before LC scored fire times to win a key Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) match by a 5-4 score.

But that wasn't the half of it. CP's senior Mike Schultz, the Bulldogs number one starting pitcher retired the first two Indian batters in the seventh inning with that 4-0 lead.

Even after Lake Central rallied with four hits and a walk, Schultz had an 0-2 count on LC's Josh Kauffman, who was 26 of his first 59 (.441) this year. Kauffman lifted a long drive towards the 360-foot sign at the Lake Central outfield fence. CP center fielder Jake Pierce could not run it down and all three baserunners scored standing up, keeping LC (16-6, 10-3) even with LaPorte (14-4, 10-3) in the DAC race with one game left, LC at LaPorte Thursday afternoon at 4:45 p.m.

"We were losing every close game," said Lake Central coach Todd Iwema. "We were 2-6 in games decided by one or two runs. That is the best way we could have won."

"I don't know what happened," said CP coach Steve Strayer on his way to the team bus. "An 0-2 pitch and he got it over the plate. It was a huge mistake. But they're kids. People make mistakes."

This was an impact game. For Lake Central, it reverses three final inning home runs that beat them this year against Harrison, Valparaiso and LaPorte. For Crown Point (14-7, 7-6 DAC), the loss broke a five-game Bulldog winning streak and put some doubt in their mind 10 days before the state tournament. Last minute losses are more theatrics than they are substance. Losing 10-2 is truthfully much more telling than getting beat 5-4 after leading 4-0. But you blow off the 10-2 loss and you most certainly do not forget losing a game where you led by four runs with one out to go.

"I think Mike was trying to be a little bit too perfect, said Strayer, "and not being aggressive like he had been all game. It was a weird thing. I didn't think of replacing him. We still had the lead and he had him (Kauffman) 0-2."

This was a well played game between two teams that have history going back to rival Little Leagues when these boys were 10 years old. Brian Blastick's running catch near the left field foul pole with the bases loaded took a multiple-RBI hit away from Crown Point's Matt Cowan with two out in the second inning.

The Bulldogs' freshman shortstop Matt Ernest started an inning-ending double play on LC star Mike Couwenhoven in the bottom of the fourth inning. LC second baseman Matt Dorado started an inning-ending double play against CP's Tommy Wise in the fifth inning.

In the seventh. Nick Bodinet walked and moved to third base on pinch hitter Adam Quinn's one out single. Cowan then bounced a one hop ball back to the relief pitcher Milan Brown. Brown's attempt to start a double play produced a wild throw into center field, allowing Bodinet to score the first run of the game. CP's Matt Long them dropped an RBI-double in left center to make it 2-0 and influence LC coach Iwema to pull Brown for right-hander Brandon Peters.

Peters then hit Jake Pierce with a pitch and CP's Matt Jansen smacked a ground ball to first base. Mike Couwenhoven made a diving stop but Cowan scored to make it 3-0. When Brett Gerlach could not handle Dave Dickerson's hard grounder, Pierce scored to make it 4-0.

The game appeared to be ending when Schultz, who had a three-hit shutout through six innings and six complete games on the season, retired the first two LC batters.

But Ian Figuly doubled and Brian Blastick singled. Junior Brett Summers drove in Figuly with an RBI single. Iwema picked Troy Russell to pinch hit for Gerlach and Russell slapped an infield hit to the left side. Matt Dorado walked to fill the bases and Kauffman drove the ball to the center field fence.

"I was just saying, 'Get out. Get out,'" said Iwema, "because I thought it was going to be a home run. Thank goodness that their center fielder was playing shallow to try to throw out the tying run on a single."

Crown Point was coming off a 10-6 victory Monday in a make-up game at Michigan City (that was originally scheduled for Thursday, May 14, but was rained out). The Bulldogs led 10-2 in the seventh before MC put up some consolation runs. Jake Pierce and Matt Jansen both hit home runs inside a 10-hit Bulldog attack.

But an 0-2 pitch to LC's Kauffman, who, despite walking five Bulldogs, pitched five scoreless innings to start the game sent CP home unhappy.

"One of my assistant coaches on the bench said that if we got to Kauffman, we'd win," said Iwema. "It's great for him. He works as hard as anybody here and the harder you work the more good things happen to you. He's actually a good pitcher. It was a great win. We were lucky and it was a great win. I mean, how many two out hits did we get?"

One too many for Crown Point.

BULLDOG NOTES: This was the first time all season that Crown Point had allowed the winning run in the seventh inning. The only other five-run inning against CP all season in 21 games came in a 13-11 loss to Valparaiso on April 15.

Lake Central had suffered through three last inning shocks. On April 24, Cory Stelter's three-run home run completed an eight-run seventh inning and gave Harrison an 18-17 victory over LC. On April 29, LaPorte's Kyle Scroggin hit a two-out grand slam in the seventh inning to give the Slicers a 10-8 win over LC. Just four nights later, Valparaiso's Brian McMillan hit a grand slam homer in the seventh inning to allow the Vikings to come-from-behind and beat LC 8-6.

LC's rained out game against Munster (19-3) will be made up Monday, May 24 at LC. It will be the Indians' final home game and their 'Senior Night'.

2004 CROWN POINT (14-7, 7-6)
Coach Steve Strayer 23-10-1 in 2003
All games at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated; DAC games in CAPS

4-3 (W) 35-0 (5) at Hammond (4-18)
4-4 (W) 4-3 Gavit (10-11)
4-6 (W) 4-2 Highland (12-12)

Kankakee Valley Invitational
4-10 (W) 13-1 Knox (4-15)
4-10 (L) 4-5 Kankakee Valley (11-10) title

4-13 (L) 2-3 PORTAGE (9-11)
4-14 (W) 20-6 at Hebron (6-17)
4-15 (L) 11-13 at VALPARAISO (8-12)
4-17 (W) 8-4 at Griffith (14-10)
4-19 (L) 0-1 at LaPORTE (19-5)
4-21 (L) 4-7 CHESTERTON (13-5)
4-23 (W) 12-2 MICHIGAN CITY (2-20)
4-26 (W) 4-3 Rensselaer (11-7)
4-27 (L) 1-5 LAKE CENTRAL (16-6)
4-29 (W) 16-3 at MERRILLVILLE (12-8)
5-3 (W) 7-3 at PORTAGE (9-11)
5-5 (W) 5-4 VALPARAISO (8-12)
5-7 (W) 1-0 LaPORTE (19-5)
5-11 (W) 9-7 CHESTERTON (13-5)
5-17 (W) 10-6 at MICHIGAN CITY (2-20)
5-19 (L) 4-5 at LAKE CENTRAL (16-6)

5-20 (Th) MERRILLVILLE (12-10)

Terre Haute North Invitational
5-22 (S) Lawrence Central (18-4)
5-22 (S) Terre Haute North (19-3)

5-25 (Tu) at Lowell (8-13)
5-27 (Th) at Clark (21-2)
5-28 (F) (Lafayette) Jefferson (13-8) 7 p.m.
5-29 (S) Washington Township (12-6) 11 a.m.

MERRILLVILLE 4A Sectional
5-31-4 (M) quarterfinal
6-2-4 (W) semifinals
6-4-4 (F) Championship

4A Regional
6-8-4 (Tu) one game

Lafayette 4A Semi-State
6-12-4 (S) semifinals
6-12-4 (S) championship

4A State Championship (at Victory Field - Indianapolis)
6-19-4 (S) 7 p.m.