Lowell, Hanover battle to early season 11-11 baseball tie

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-01-2010

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LOWELL (0-0-1)	0	2	4	0	2	3	0	11	12	6
HANOVER CENTRAL (0-1-1)	3	1	2	0	1	4	0	11	16	3

Friday, 4-02-2010 - 78 degrees, windy at CEDAR LAKE, IN

LOWELL (0-0-1)
Josh Del Rio (CF) 0-for-4
Austin Magley (C) 0-for-3, walk
Evan Ensweiler (2B) 3-for-4, RBI, 3 runs scored
Craig Austgen (SS/P) 3-for-4, double, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored
Josh Henshilwood (DH) 1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs
Jordan Juarez (P/SS) 2-for-3, walk, 3 RBIs
Matt Milcarek (1B) -for-2, walk, RBI
Jimmy Szfranski (PH) 1-for-1
Matt Hillbrich (LF) 0-for-4
Jeff Harbrecht (RF) 1-for-4

HANOVER CENTRAL (0-1-1)
Zach Maciejewski (DH) 2-for-4
Nic Sampognaro (2B) 2-for-5, 2 runs scored
Mike Balich (C) 1-for-4, walk
Danny Stum (3B/P) 2-for-3, walk, 2 RBIs
Andy Wellwerts (SS) 1-for-3, sac fly, RBI
Nick Lang (LF) 3-for-4, double, 3 RBIs, stolen base
Dan Nowak (1B) 1-for-4
Bill Goff (RF) 1-for-4
Nic Myszkowski (CF) 2-for-3 sac bunt

CEDAR LAKE, IN (04-02-2010) I'll tell you a secret. I actually like tie games. Tie games are good for everybody because no one loses. And they're good for the game because the essence of amateur sports is an even regular season game. Especially early in the season. So I'm was OK with Lowell's 11-11 tie with Hanover Central in the sunny and windy Hanover home opener behind the high school. Both teams played hard and were a tad challenged on defense, but neither totally deserved to go home for the weekend with a late inning defeat.

So when Lowell's Craig Austgen got Hanover's Mike Balich to ground out with the winning run at third base in the descending darkness to end the seventh inning, nobody complained when the umpires called it a day.

"They told me before the seventh inning that this was gong to be it," said Lowell coach Tom Stoner. "But I'd have kept playing. We had our 3-4-5 hitters coming up."

"Our guys have some fight to them," said Hanover Central's new coach Doug Nelson, who watched his team fall 9-5 in the season opener at Lake Central 24 hours earlier. "This was a lot like yesterday. Lake Central would score and we'd come back with one. Then they'd score a couple and we'd come back with one more. We kept answering. It was a lot better than last year. We're hitting the ball a little bit."

Everybody was hitting the ball pretty good on this Good Friday. Hanover scored three times in the first inning against Lowell starting pitcher Jordan Juarez. HC freshman Zach Maciejewski singled and moved up on a throwing error. Nic Sampognaro singled to center and scored on a throwing error by Lowell's Josh Del Rio. An RBI single by freshman Danny Stum and a sacrifice fly from HC junior Andy Wellwerts gave HC (0-1-1) a 3-0 edge.

Juarez pounded a two-run second inning single to center to cut the lead to 3-2 and the Devils, who were playing their season opener, took the lead with four runs in the third. Josh Henshilwood lined a two-run triple to right center and scored on a throwing error by Sampognaro, the HC second baseman. When Nick Lang's two-run third inning double tied the game 6-6, the 150 or-so windy day fans settled in for a long afternoon.

RBI singles from Juarez and senior Matt Milcarek pushed the Devils to an 8-6 lead in the fifth inning and RBI singles from Evan Ensweiler and Craig Austgen plus a wild pitch by HC relief pitcher Danny Stum upped Lowell's lead to 11-7 in the sixth.

Hanover scored four time sin the sixth inning to tie the game, with the aid of two throwing errors by Juarez, who was making his debut at shortstop. Lang's third hit of the day, a two-out sixth inning RBI single to left tied the game 11-11. Both teams had two base runners in the seventh inning but failed to score before the umpires decide it was time for everybody to head for home.

"We have a very young team," said Nelson. "But talented. We've just got to get them to get used to playing in important games. Like I told them, I'm still trying to figure out who our best nine are. We've been hitting inside all year."

Stoner said that he knows his team has limitations, some of which were demonstrated in their three-hour day in the Cedar Lake sun.

"We're going to have a rough year pitching," Stoner admitted. "That's where we'll run into problems. We'll hit the ball and even though we made six errors today, I think defensively we'll be all right. We know what we have to work on but that's why we play 28 games before we get to the tournament."

CAT-DEVIL NOTES: Lowell coach Tom Stoner is without one of his main men from the 2009 season.

"Brandon Grubbe is not playing and that's going to hurt us," Stoner explained. "But I don't blame him. I understand his situation and he's doing what he thinks he has to do for his (football at Butler University) future. I understand it. but I can't say it doesn't hurt us."

Hanover finally has erected their new scoreboard. Its an old style inning-by-inning board about 10 feet above (and 10 feet behind) the left field fence.

HC athletic director Dave Seils said, "It's been here for two years, but we couldn't get it up for a lot of reasons. It looks good."

The board is located in a spot where boys can easily hit it with home run balls.

There is a softball field (no grass yet) sitting empty about 100 yards west of HC's baseball field. It will sit empty this year as the Lady Cats, who defeated Chesterton 8-3 in Chesterton Friday, continue to play at the Hanover Little League complex 1/8 of a mile southwest of the high school.

"We might be there next year," said Seils. "But there's no JV field here. Then we have the problem of the varsity being here and the JV being at the park."

Lowell's Devin DeBoer will become the first freshman in recent Lowell history to reach the varsity in basketball and baseball. DeBoer, who is also a good football prospect, is expected to bat in the second slot in the order to begin with.

"Evan has worked his tail off over the winter in the cage. Craig's dad Mike Austgen, is working with our hitters and it's making a difference."

2010 LOWELL (0-1-1)
Coach Tom Stoner (1st season) 9-18 in 2009 - NCC games in CAPS
4-2-10 (Tie) 11-11 @ Hanover Central (0-1-1)
4-5-10 (M) Lake Central - 4:30 p.m.
4-6-10 (Tu) @ Crown Point - 4:30 p.m.
4-8-10 (Th) @ Portage - 4:30 p.m.
4-9-10 (F) @ Merrillville - 4:30 p.m.
4-13-10 (Tu) ANDREAN - 4:45 p.m..
4-15-10 (Th) @ KANKAKEE VALLEY - 4:45 p.m.
4-16-10 (F) vs. Bishop Noll @ RailCats Stadium - Gary - 4:45 p.m.
4-19-10 (M) @ MUNSTER - 4:45 p.m.
4-21-10 (W) HIGHLAND - 4:45 p.m.
4-23-10 (F) HOBART - 4:45 p.m.
4-26-10 (M) @ Rensselaer - 5 p.m.
4-28-10 (W) Hamond - 5 p.m.
4-29-10 (Th) @ GRIFFITH - 4:45 p.m.

Boone Grove Invitational
5-1-10 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-1-10 (S) finals (p.m.)

5-3-10 (Tu) @ ANDREAN - 4:45 p.m.
5-5-10 (Th) KANKAKEE VALLEY - 4:45 p.m.
5-7-10 (S) MUNSTER - 4:45 p.m.
5-15-10 (S) @ LaPorte - 10 a.m.
5-17-10 (M) Valparaiso - 4:45 p.m.
5-19-10 (W) GRIFFITH - 4:45 p.m.
5-20-10 (Th) Morton - 4:45 p.m.
5-21-10 (F) @ North Newton - 4:45 p.m.
5-24-10 (M) Wheeler - 4:45 p.m.

Munster (4A) Sectional
5-27-10 (Th) quarterfinals (p.m.)
5-29-10 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
5-31-10 (M) championship (p.m.)

2010 HANOVER CENTRAL (0-1-1)
Coach Doug Nelson (1st season) 6-20 in 2009 - PCC games in CAPS
4-1-10 (L) 5-9 @ Lake Central (2-0).
4-2-10 (Tie) 11-11 Lowell (0-1)
4-5-10 (M) South Newton - 4:30 p.m.
4-7-10 (W) @ Calumet - 4:30 p.m.
4-8-10 (Th) Wheeler - 4:30 p.m.
4-13-10 (Tu) Covenant Christian - 5 p.m.
4-15-10 (Th) at Whiting - 4:45 p.m.
4-17-10 (S) vs. Hebron @ Railcats Stadium - 1 p.m.
4-19-10 (M) @ BOONE GROVE - 5 p.m.
4-22-10 (Th) @ Andrean - 4:45 p.m.
4-23-10 (Sat) @ LaCROSSE - 5 p.m.
4-24-10 (Sat) @ Beecher, Illi (2 games) 11 a.m.
4-26-10 (M) KOUTS - 4:30 p.m.
4-29-10 (Th) @ River Forest - 5 p.m.
4-30-10 (F) @ SOUTH CENTRAL - 5 p.m.

5-3-10 (M) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - 4:45 p.m.
5-4-10 (Tu) Highland - 4:30 p.m.
5-7-10 (F) MORGAN TOWNSHIP - 5 p.m.
5-8-10 (Sat) Hobart - 11 a.m.
5-10-10 (M) Merrillville - 5 p.m.
5-13-10 (Th) @ Morton - 4:30 p.m.
5-17-10 (M) Clark - 5 p.m.

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
5-19-10 (W) quarterfinals (home sites) 5 p.m.
5-22-10 (S) semifinals (TBA) @ South Central
5-24-10 (M) championship @ South Central - 5 p.m.

5-25-10 (Tu) North Newton - 4:40 p.m.

Bishop Noll (2A) Sectional
5-27-10 (Th) quarterfinals
5-28-10 (F) semifinals
5-29-10 (S) semifinals
5-31-10 (M) sectional championship - 5 p.m.

North Judson (2A) Regional
6-5-10 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
6-5-10 (S) championship (p.m.)