Lady Devils' bats quiet in 4-0 loss to Munster

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

4-18-2006

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Munster (9-1)	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	4	5	3
LOWELL (8-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

Monday, April 17, 2006 - 65 degrees & sunny in Lowell, IN

WP - Jackie Yerga (6-1) CG, 5 K, 3 Ws
LP - Ryssa Nord (3-2) CG, 6Ks, 1 W

Munster (9-1)
Hallie Gibbs (3B) Double, bunt sac, RBI
Megan Paradzinski (CF) Single, sac bunt, run scored
Emily Beezhold (DH) Single, walk
Lauren Parker (SS) Single, sac bunt

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (4-6)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
LOWELL (1-0)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	9	2

Saturday, April 15, 2006 - 56 degrees in Lowell, IN

WP - Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-1) 3K, 0 Ws (6 innings)
LP - Kelsey Rather (0-1) CG, 7K, 2 W

Crown Point (4-6)
Anna Stephens (CF) 2 singles
Allison Adank (LF) 2 singles

LOWELL (8-2)
Katherine Allert (LF) 2 doubles, single, 2 RBIs
Kelly Johnson (SS) Triple, 2 singles
Courtney Austgen (C) 2 singles

LOWELL (4-17-2006) I can't swear that Munster is the No.1 team in the state. The Mustangs are ranked at the top of the big school Class 4A poll and they started the year in the Top-10 based on consecutive 25-3-1 seasons.

But except for a shaky second inning, Munster looked every bit the part of the top-ranked team Monday in the late afternoon sunshine in Lowell. Tall senior Jackie Yerga (6-1) shut down, shut out and no hit the Red Devils while Munster pushed across single runs in four different innings to hold the No. 1 ranking with a 4-0 shutout of 4A No. 6 Lowell.

Yerga, a 5-foot-10 senior, allowed only one ball to be hit out of the infield as she handed the suddenly offensively-challenged Red Devils (8-3) a second shutout loss in four games. At the plate, junior power hitter Hallie Gibbs drilled a run-scoring double to right center to give Munster a 2-0 third inning lead after Lowell left three runners on base in the bottom of the second inning.

Lowell, which lost 7-1 to Andrean in the 'other' really big game so far, was headed downhill after that. The only question was whether Yerga actually had a no hitter. In the fifth inning, Lowell's Krystal Pigg popped up with two out. Shortstop Lauren Parker appeared to call for the ball and third baseman Hallie Gibbs stepped back. Parker stepped back as well and the ball dropped on the infield dirt, allowing Pigg to reach base. There was nothing else even approaching a base hit.

Since either infielder could have made the play with average effort and the shortstop called for the ball, it would seem that the error would go to Parker. A fielder can't move into position to field a routine ball, choose not to touch it and turn it into a base hit. Even though the call would deny her pitcher a no-hit game, Munster coach Beth Vesa saw it differently.

"The way I was taught, " she explained, "if nobody touches it, it's a hit. Just like if the ball was lost in the sun."

Either way, Yerga stifled Lowell with power pitching that denied Lowell's senior-dominated lineup. Yerga, who was 14-1 in 2004 but was injured much of last season, is physically intimidating and just wild enough to keep batters from making solid contact. Lowell had only six base runners.

"She's not where she will be," Vesa said after the game. "She still walks too many. But she's still very effective and I'm very pleased with our defense."

Lowell coach Pete Iussig doesn't understand what's happened to his offense, which was thought to be a major strength in the pre-season. Since a 9-2 win over Portage on May 5, the Red Devils have scored only 15 runs in five games and 10 of them came against Hobart.

"I don't know," said Iussig. "We got nine runs off the girl from Portage (Meghan Gutierrez) and none against the girl (Kristen Chico) from Noll? We scored 10 against Hobart and two against Crown Point and Boone Grove? The Boone Grove pitcher's pretty good but I don't know what it is. I don't have an answer for that."

Lowell had one chance in the second inning when freshman Katherine Allert, inserted in the clean-up slot, worked Yerga for a five pitch walk. Senior Nicole Fletcher laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached base safely when Munster catcher Ashley Moore made a low throw to first base. Next batter Meaghan Austgen also tried a sacrifice bunt and Austgen also reached base when first baseman Molly Youthmont could not handle Moore's throw.

Lowell soph Becca Nida then hit a line drive right at Munster second baseman Jessica Clusserath for the first out. Yerga then struck out Megan Wilbourn on a 1-2 pitch and got Pigg to hit a ground ball to shortstop Lauren Parker for the third out.

"We couldn't get anything done there," said Iussig. "And we gave them a couple of runs. Throwing to the wrong base and that error in the fifth. I don't know. We're not playing well right now."

In the new 14-game Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) round robin schedule, one loss doesn't put you out of the title race, but Lowell now has three league losses. Lowell ends the first half of the LAC season Thursday night (7:00 p.m.) in a rare night game at Griffith. The Devils begin the second half Tuesday at home against Kankakee Valley (6-5).

DEVILS NOTES: Lowell beat Crown Point 2-1 in 10 innings Saturday on a hit by Katherine Allert. Sophomore right-hander Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-1) got her sixth win in relief. Kelly Johnson had three hits for Lowell, which is undefeated in non conference play and 4-0 against the big school Duneland Athletic Conference. Bolanowski's only loss was a 2-0 defeat at Bishop Noll on April 11.

The Red Devils also defeated Boone Grove 2-1 last week and Hobart 10-0. Johnson was 3-for-3 against the Brickies. Nicole Fletcher had a single, double and an RBI. Lowell got only five hits off Boone's Lauren Denhert, but two third inning runs were enough to edge the Wolves at Boone. Ryssa Nord (3-2) allowed just six hits and a walk in seven innings.

Munster coach Beth Vesa has two senior pitchers which is great for 2006 but a source of concern for her team's future.

"We have had some really dominant pitchers,' she said. "We've got a soph and a freshman on JV. The kid who's a sophomore won 22 games last year on the JV. She did a great job. But even before I got here. We had Paradzinski and Jessica Wilson. Then we had the Anjelichs. Now Jackie (Yerga). We've been blessed. I'm not sure the two girls (now on the JV) will be that good. I could be wrong. We'll be good next year because we have almost all of our defense back. Everyone comes back except at left field and first base."

Munster is ready to head for a prime-time weekend.

"We go to Carmel this weekend," Vesa reports. "And we'll see (4A No. 3) Carmel, McCutcheon and Cathedral and if we're lucky enough to win our pool, maybe someone like Penn. That's a great tournament."

Vesa said that her team's pool in the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational in Monticello on May 5-6 includes Boone Grove, Benton Central and 2A No 3 Lewis Cass. But she also adds that two of her starters will be unavailable due to SAT tests back at the school.

Lowell faces 3A No. 3 West Lafayette (10-0) as part of a two-team, double-header on Saturday April 29. The West Lafayette team, whose nickname is also the Red Devils, defeated Lowell last season in Tippecanoe County. Lowell will also take on Class 1A No. 5 Pioneer.

LOWELL (10-3)

Coach Pete Iussig 21-10 in 2005

3/23 (W) 6-0 at Kankakee Valley (6-5)
3/25 (W) 3-2 at Chesterton (10-1)
4/1 (W) 12-0 Valparaiso (3-7)
4/4 (W) 7-5 Highland (4-6)
4/5   (W) 9-2 Portage   (7-4)
4/6 (L)   1-7 Andrean (10-1) (3-6)
4/12 (W) 2-1 at Boone Grove (3-6)
4/13 (W) 10-0 Hobart (5-4)
4/15 (W) 2-1 (10-innings) Crown Point (5-6)
4/17 (L) 0-4 Munster (9-1)

4/19 (W) 7-1 at Hanover Central (5-7)
4/20 (W) 3-2 at Griffith   (7-5)
4/25 (Tu)   Kankakee Valley 4:45 p.m.
4/27 (Th) at Highland - 4:45 p.m.
4/29 (S)   West Lafayette (10-0) 9:00 a.m.
4/29 (S)   Pioneer    12:00 noon

5/02 (Tu)   Andrean (10-1)   4:30 p.m.
5/4 (Th) Bishop Noll (4-6) 4:30 p.m.

5/05 (F) Twin Lakes Invitational   - 5 p.m./ 6:30 p.m.
5/6 (S) Twin Lakes Invitational - a.m. game
5/6 (S) Twin Lakes Invitational - p.m. game

5/8 (M) at Merrillville    - 4:30 p.m.
5/9 (Tu) at Hobart   - 4:30 p.m.
5/10 (W) at Wheeler - 4:30 p.m.
5/11 (Th) at Munster - 4;30 p.m.
5/15 (M) at Morton - 4:30 p.m.
5/16 (Tu) Griffith High School - 4:45 p.m.
5/17 (W)   at Lake Central 4:30 p.m.

Munster (4A) Sectional * site not certain
5/22 (M) sectional quarterfinals
5/24 (W) sectional semifinals
5/26 (F) sectional championship

6/3 (S)   Merrillville (4A) Regional semifinals
6/3 (S)   Merrillville regional championship

6/9 (F) State semifinals (TBA) 6/8 p.m.
6/10 (S) 4A state championship 7 p.m.