4-28-2007
| Team (Record) / Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| BOONE GROVE (9-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| LOWELL (11-3) | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 11 | 9 | 0 |
Friday, April 27, 2007 - 54 degrees, cloudy & wet at LOWELL, IN
WP - Alyssa Reed (6-1) CG, 8K, 0 walks, perfect game
LP - Taylor Johnson (5-1) 3K, 5 walks, 7 ERs, walks (3 innings)
LOWELL (11-3)
Kelly Johnson (SS) 2 doubles, single, 2 RBIs
Kristina Kuzma (DP) Triple sac fly, 3 RBIs
Nicole Roniak (3B) Single, walk, RBI
Katherine Allert (C) 2 singles, RBI
Michelle Johnson (RF) Double, walk, RBI
LOWELL
(4-27-2007) -
I know that Boone Grove is not as bad as Friday's 11-0 loss at Lowell made it
look. And I know Lowell's not that good. You ride a wide roller
coaster of play between your worst game and your best game. The trick is
quality control.
"I've been very impressed with them," said Lowell coach Pete Iussig, who rarely
overloads his girls with praise. "We've played everybody tough and the
teams we should have pounded, we've pounded. We've always had teams that
when they play a tough team, they rise to the occasion. But this team so
far this year in games we were supposed to win, we came out and got the job
done. Boone came in here and their number one pitcher is hurt. Last
year, we had close games with teams like this."
Lowell junior Alyssa Reed pitched her third career no-hitter, a five-inning, perfect game retiring 15 batters in a row as Lowell won by the 10-run rule. Senior Kelly Johnson had three base hits and junior Kristina Kuzma had three RBIs.
Boone (9-4) was playing with five freshman in the starting lineup, but they've done that all season and this was just the Wolves' fourth loss in 13 games and the first time they'd lost by more than one run.
"We were back on our heels," said coach Andy Niksich. "We didn't go aggressively after fly balls and we gave them extra outs. And this (Lowell) is too good a hitting team to do that. We were very tentative. We have to play with more confidence than that. I told them that how they respond on Monday is going to show me how much character we have on this team."
Lowell scored in the first inning when a wild pitch scored Kelly Johnson. But it was the second inning that broke the game open for the Devils (11-3). Nicole Roniak and Kelly Koza walked against Boone freshman right-hander Taylor Johnson (4-2). In the key play of the game, Kaitlyn Bolanowski laid down a bunt. Boone second baseman Lauren Johnson covered first base but she dismissed the throw, allowing Roniak to score to make it 2-0. Lowell's Becca Nida also bunted and Johnson threw late to the plate, allowing the 3-0 run to score.
Johnson then hit a long drive to deep right field. Boone's Cortney Roche drifted back towards the ball but it sliced away from her, falling for an RBI double. Katherine Allert's RBI single moments later made it 5-0, and Kristina Kuzma's sacrifice fly upped the lead to 6-0. Roniak's run-scoring single two batters later completed a six-run second inning and Boone clearly was not going to score seven runs on this day.
Reed, a hard-throwing right-hander, struck out the side in the third inning and
coasted to her sixth win of the season. A five-inning perfect game is
nothing to get excited about, especially against a young and shorthanded squad.
But Reed intimidated the Boone lineup, most of whom were three years older than
the Boone starters.
"We don't get too excited about no-hitters," said Iussig. "But I thought
(Reed) she pitched really well. We've been working with our pitchers to
hit their spots. Low and away. Up and in. Inside corner.
Outside corner. She really did that today. This is nice, but you really
want to build it for the end of the year where she can pitch like this when it
really counts."
Boone is 0-2 since senior pitcher Lauren Dehnert was injured in a collision at
home plate against Plymouth on April 21. The Wolves have two regular
pitchers. Freshmen Johnson and Dehnert (3-2), who was 13-13 with 249
strikeouts last season. Her loss is a big factor and Boone definitely
played as if it was. The Wolves' record (they were 4-1 against 4A schools
before Friday) indicates they are not as weak as they looked at Lowell.
Lowell headed for two games Saturday at Pioneer on a high note and with a
four-game win streak.
"So far, we're halfway through the season and there's no regrets," said Iussig.
"Usually, there's one or two games where I look back and say, 'We should have
won that game.' Or, 'I wish we'd have won that game.'"
"You don't like to lose, but in my mind, Portage beat us," recalled Iussig. "Chesterton beat us. I think that three runs (Lowell scored against Chesterton's senior Dawn McClellan) is the most runs that girl has given up all year. And Munster just beat us. And that's our only three losses."
DEVIL NOTES: Boone Grove's Lauren Denhert said she will be back this year. Denhert tripped over the Plymouth catcher trying to score after a wild throw and broke her fall with her right arm. What was thought to be fractures turned out to be just bruises and ligament damage.
"I really can't stand not playing," she said. "I think I'll be back in two weeks."
Not everyone was that optimistic. Denhert could pinch run now and she could bat in two weeks, but the right-hander, who wants to attend St. Francis in Fort Wayne, might not be able to pitch until the sectional tournament (the week of May 21-26), if then.
Lowell coach Pete Iussig had some non-softball praise for his team as well Friday. Lowell's prom was April 21 and coach Iussig was happy that his team didn't' let that event get in the way of playing varsity softball.
"It never came up once," Iussig said with some surprise. "That has always happened before. I even told the girls the Tuesday before the prom, 'I'm going to tell you this and I don't want the flood gates to open, but I really appreciate he way you guys have focused this week.' There was no prom talk. No talk about leaving early to get their dress. Are we practicing Saturday? They want op get their nails done. There was none of that. They really concentrated on softball."
Boone Grove's other losses are 4-3 to Morgan Township, 7-6 to South Bend Adams and 4-3 to Griffith.
Lowell's Kelly Johnson had three hits to up her batting average to .425 (20-of-47) for the first half of the season. Katherine Allert's two hits bumped her up to .447 (17-of-38). Freshman Jacki Fletcher, who did not play Friday, is at .400 (16-of-40).
Junior pitcher Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-2) has 22 strikeouts and just six walks in 45 2/3 innings. She has allowed 15 earned runs. Junior Alyssa Reed (6-1) has 47 strikeouts and 16 walks in 45 1/3 innings and she has allowed 10 earned runs.
(4A) LOWELL
(11-3,
6-1 LAC)
Varsity
Coach
Pete Iussig,
(23-7 in 2006)... all
games at
4:30
unless
otherwise
indicated... LAC
games in
CAPS
3-22 (W) 9-3
Kankakee
Valley
(4-8)
3-29 (L) 4-8
Chesterton
(15-1)
3-31 (W)
5-0 at
Valparaiso
(2-10)
4-2
(L) 2-4
at
Portage
(10-5)
4-3
(W) 2-0
at
HIGHLAND
(8-7)
4-5 (W) 2-1
(8
innings) ANDREAN
(11-1)
4-10
(cold)
BISHOP
NOLL
(4-12)
4-12 (W)
8-2 at
HOBART
(9-6)
4-14
(W) 6-4
(9
innings)
at Crown
Point
(9-7)
4-16 (L)
2-3 at
MUNSTER
(14-1)
4-18 (W)
6-1
Hanover
Central
(8-5)
4-19 (W) 12-5 GRIFFITH (9-7)
4-24 (W) 10-0 (5 innings) at KANKAKEE VALLEY
(4-8)
4-27 (W) 10-0 (5 innings) Boone Grove (9-4)
4-28-7 (S) at Pioneer - 9:00 a.m.
4-28-7 (S) vs. West Lafayette (2-9) at
Pioneer (TBA)
4-30-7 (M) HIGHLAND
5-1-7 (Tu) at ANDREAN (12-1)
5-3-7 (Th) BISHOP NOLL (4-12)
Twin Lakes Invitational (3-5 games)
5-4-7 (F) Frontier (6:30 p.m.)
5-5-7 (S) Twin Lakes (9 a.m.)
5-5-7 (S) Maconaquah (1:30 p.m.)
5-7-7 (M) Merrillville
5-8-7 (Tu) HOBART
5-9-7 (W) Wheeler
5-10-7 (Th) MUNSTER
5-14-7 (M) MORTON
5-1-5-7 (Tu) at GRIFFITH - 7 p.m.
5-16-7 (W) Lake Central
Lake Central (4A) Sectional
5-21-7 (M) quarterfinals - TBA
5-23-7 (W) semifinals - TBA
5-25-7 (F) championship -
TBA
Copyright ©
2007 USA-365.com and Meyer
Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights
reserved.
Revised: April 29, 2007.