Red Devils 'dimmed' under new lights, lose 7-1 to LaPorte

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

5-27-2007

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LOWELL (13-15)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	2
LaPORTE (20-8)	0	2	1	3	1	0	-	7	8	2

Friday, 5-25-2007 - 61 degrees at LaPORTE, IN

WP - Ian Nielsen (7-4) 6K, 4 walks (82 pitches) 5 innings
LP - Jon Cap (4-6) 2K, 4 walks (71 pitches) 4 innings

LOWELL (13-15)
Jon Stoner (2B) Single, stolen base
Eric Roadruck (CF) 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, run scored

LaPORTE (20-8)
Ian Nielsen (1B-P) Double, HBP, 2 RBIs
Dustin DeMuth (LF) Double, single, RBI
Kyle Rosenbaum (CF) 2 singles, walk
Brad Phillips (SS) 2 walks, run scored
Brandon Goers (3B) Single, sac bunt

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
North Newton (6-16)	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	2	2
LOWELL (13-14)	0	11	3	1	-	-	-	15	14	1

Thursday, 5-24-2007 - 91 degrees at LOWELL, IN

WP - Nick Bolda (5-1), CG, 5K, 2 walks
LP - Matt Arflin (1-4) 1K, 1 walk (2 innings)

LOWELL (13-14)
Jon Cap (RF) HR, 2 RBIs
Nate Korth (SS) Triple, single, 2 RBIs
Brian Gerlach (OF) HR, single, 3 RBIs

North Newton (6-16)
Matt Arflin (P) double

LaPORTE (5-25-2007) It would have been a triumphant success story. A win for Lowell at LaPorte, their first in memory, would have brought the Red Devils from six games under .500 to 14-14 at the end of the regular season. It would have been a major boost to a team with 10 seniors that hopes to pull a major upset at the 4A Munster Sectional next week. It didn't happen. Defeated perhaps by a greater success story. LaPorte, on the final night of the regular season, posted the Slicers' 20th win in 28 games, a 7-1 victory over Lowell.

LaPorte's 20-win season is the standard by which they live. The Slicers have won at least 20 games for an incredible 41 years in a row. In a state where you are allowed a very restrictive 28 regular season games, to win 20 (over 70%) every single year since the mid-60s in an uncontrollable, odds-based sport like baseball stands undisputed as the greatest achievement in all of Indiana high school team sports.

"More than anything else it's just something that everyone here takes pride in," said LaPorte coach Scott Upp. "That's the first requirement here every season. Twenty wins. I don't know what would happen here is we didn't do it. But fortunately it's worked out now for 41 years."

The Slicers' 20th win came as Lowell right-hander Jon Cap struggled with a hand injury, walking four, hitting a batter and throwing two wild pitches. An error and a walk set up LaPorte freshman Dustin DeMuth, who lined an RBI single to center field, a play on which a second run scored when Lowell center fielder Eric Roadruck fumbled the bouncing ball. In the third inning, Cap hit Ian Nielsen with a pitch and walked Darren Kincaid. Two outs later, a wild pitch scored the 3-0 run.

In the LaPorte fourth, DeMuth doubled and Kyle Rosenbaum reached base on an infield single, a ball on which second baseman Derek Brandenburg made a diving stop to temporarily save a run. After Cap walked Brad Philips to fill the bases, a wild pitch scored LaPorte's fourth run and Nielsen's two-run double to left center made it 6-0.

"Three of the runs they scored came on an error, a walk and a hit batsmen," said Lowell coach Tom Stoner. "We've got some mistakes that we have to eliminate. And we need to eliminate them by next Friday if we want to stay in the state tournament."

There is some optimism around Lowell's chances to win the sectional title. The draw obviously points them towards a final game, most likely with 4A No. 10 Munster (22-6). The pitching problems that have limited them this season may be easing.

Senior Nick Bolda (5-1) pitched a two-hit shutout in a 15-0 romp over North Newton Thursday and senior Brian Gerlach, who has had a tough season after being one of the Devils top two starters in 2006, pitched two innings in the late going against LaPorte, allowing a run on a wild pitch after two singles in the fifth, but retiring the side in order with two strikeouts in the sixth.

The Devils, with 10 seniors on the roster and, at least six in every starting lineup, didn't do much against Ian Nielsen (7-2), Mike Walls and Neal Hackett, LaPorte's top three pitchers, but they got valuable late season experience under the lights against a top team.

"We've faced as good a pitching as that in our league," said Stoner. "I was disappointed we didn't hit better tonight. But we've been hitting. I think we have a chance next Friday. When John's got his stuff, he's tough to beat. He two-hit Hanover at the Steelyard and that's a pretty tough team. They won their league."

LaPorte opens the state tournament Monday at Covaleski Stadium in South Bend against Michgan City. The Slicers have played their final home game. LaPorte would have to win the regional title game on the road and they'd have to do it with two sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup. But if you can get to that 20-win level, you have upheld the reputation of LaPorte baseball.

"We really questioned ourselves at mid-season when we were poor defensively," said Upp. "We were making four, five and six errors in one game and we couldn't pick it up. We started thinking. 'Oh, no. Here it is. 2007. 18-10 or something like that.' But the kids were resilient. They understand that the 20-win thing is a big situation. It's something coach (Ken) Schreiber started and everybody else has to maintain."

DEVIL NOTES: Lowell plays Gary West Side Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Munster. No one can find results on the Gary West Side baseball team and that's not unusual. The Cougars might not be good preparation for a sectional final because they usually have hard-throwing, but very wild pitching.

Count Lowell coach Tom Stoner as a big fan of playing LaPorte at 7:00 p.m. instead of the traditional afternoon start time of 4:30 p.m.

"When we got the fax that said they wanted to switch the game to 7:00 p.m., I didn't waste any time e-mailing them back and saying 'yes, we want the night game.'"

"When the opportunity was there to play under the lights," said Stoner, "this is the best high school field in the area. To get to play under the lights, too, is a win-win situation. Plus we have a 7:00 o'clock game (at the Munster Sectional) Tuesday and potentially a 7:00 p.m. game again Friday. That's four night games for us this year."

"I like this," Stoner said. "I love coaching under the lights. I don't see any reason to stop it. Tonight's the best we've played here since I've been coach."

LaPorte drew about 150 fans for the game against Lowell. The crowd was estimated at 500 for the first night game on May 22 against Clark. LaPorte coach Scott Upp say that, with the lighted high school varsity diamond, the Babe Ruth state finals, which are always held in LaPorte, may move to LaPorte high school but not until 2009, at the earliest and probably not until 2010.

"We're working on it," he said. "2009 is the goal but that may not be realistic. We're going try to get some other tournaments here, maybe age group tournaments, to help pay for the lights."

The field, set in the middle of a residential neighborhood, takes on a studio atmosphere at night with trees flanking the playing surface and the large scoreboard in left field.

"Its a totally different atmosphere at night," Upp said. "It gives a whole different flavor to the ballpark."

LOWELL (13-15)
Coach Tom Stoner (3rd year) 9-20 in 2006
LAC games in CAPS - all games 4:45 unless indicated

3-30 - Lake Central (Rain) not yet rescheduled
4-5 (W) 6-4 Rensselaer (11-17)
4-9 (L) 2-12 (5 innings) KANKAKEE VALLEY (19-9)
4-11 (cold) at HIGHLAND (13-13)

4-13 (L) 0-7 ANDREAN (19-9)
4-16 (W) 4-2 BISHOP NOLL (10-18)
4-17 (W) 3-2 Hanover Central (13-12) at US Steelyard - Gary.
4-18 (W) 9-7 at HOBART (15-13)

4-20 (L) 2-12 (5 innings) at MUNSTER (22-6)
4-23 (L) 1-8 GRIFFITH (20-9)
4-25 (L) 4-17 at Kankakee Valley (19-9)
4-27 (L) 6-7 HIGHLAND (13-13)

Boone Grove Invitational
4-28 (W) 11-9 Rensselaer (11-17)
4-28 (L) 1-2 at Boone Grove (22-5-1)
4-30 (L) 1-12 at ANDREAN (19-9)
5-1 (L) 3-16 Merrillville (11-13)
5-2 (W) 14-4 (5 innings) at BISHOP NOLL (10-18)
5-3 (W) 7-6 HOBART (13-15)
5-7 (L) 2-12 (5 innings) MUNSTER (22-6)
5-9 (L) 2-4 at GRIFFITH (20-9)
5-10 (W) 8-7 Hebron (11-16)
5-11 (W) 6-5 at Wheeler (17-11)

LAC Tournament
5-14 (L) 10-11 at Morton (19-5)
5-16 (W) 10-0 at Calumet (9-18)
5-18 (W) 10-0 Whiting (12-17)
5-19 (W) ***********
5-22 (L) 0-13 (5 innings) at Crown Point (25-2)
5-24 (W) 15-0 (5 innings) North Newton (8-16)
5-25 (L) 1-7 at LaPorte (20-8)

Munster (4A) Sectional
5-29 (Tu) vs. Gary West Side - 7 p.m.
6-1 (F) vs. Munster (21-6) or LC (15-12) 7 p.m.