Lowell beats Crown Point girls 6-4 in 9-innings of softball
A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

4-16-2007

Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 41 degrees at Crown Point, IN

WP - Kelsey Rather (4-2) CG, 9Ks, 0 walks
LP - Janelle Jordan (4-2) 2K, 0 walks, 0 ERs (4 innings)

North Newton (4-2)
Jamie Kiebler (1B) 2 singles, stolen base
Jessica Kiebler (C) Single, RBI

CROWN POINT (5-4)
Jessica Martinez (SS) Triple, RBI
Allson Adank (2B) 2 singles, run scored
Amber Pierce (DP) Sac Fly, RBI
Heather Robisnon (RF) Single, walk, stolen base

 Friday, April 13, 2007 - 49 degrees at HOBART, IN

WP - Alyssa Reed (2-1) 6Ks, 1 walk (5 innings)
Kaitlyn Bolanowski (SAVE) 0K, 2 walks
   LP - Mikayla Hatch (3-1)  5K, 0 walks  (2  2/3 innings)
Brittany Spears (H) 5K, 4 walks (4 1/3 innings)

LOWELL (5-2)
Jacki Fletcher (2B) 2 singles, 2 runs scored
Nicole Roniak (3B) 2 singles, run
Kelly Johnson (SS) 3 singles, 2 runs scored

Hobart (6-2)
Sarah Adams (C) HR, single,RBI
Alise Richardson (OF) 2 singles, RBI

Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 41 degrees at Crown Point, IN

WP - Alyssa Reed (3-1) 1K, 1 walk, 0 earned runs (2 1/3 innings)
LP - Jackie Bielfuss (1-3)  CG, 5K, 3 walks, 4 earned runs

LOWELL (6-2)
Jacki Fletcher (2B) 2 singles, walk
Katherine Allert (C) Double  2 singles, walk, RBI
Kristina Kuzma (DP) 2 singles, RBIBecca Nida (CF) Triple, run scored
Michelle Johnson (RF) Single, 2 runs scored
Kelly Johnson (SS) triple, RBI, walk 2 runs scored

CROWN POINT (5-5)
Jessica Martinez (SS) 2 singles, walk
Allison Adank (2B) 2 singles
Amber Pierce (LF) Single, walk, RBI
Anna Stephens (CF) Double, single
Kara Gulvas (3B) 3 singles, runs scored
Aimee Favia (RF) Single, RBI, run scored

Friday, April 13, 2007 - 49 degrees, Duneland Athletic Conference at VALPARAISO, IN

       WP - Kelsey Rather (4-2) CG, 3K, 1 walk
LP - Casey Crozier (0-5) 6K, 1walk

Valparaiso  (0-5)
Haley Leuthart (OF) 3 singles, 2 runs scored
Brooke Cygan (OF) 2 singles, 2 RBIs

CROWN POINT (5-4)
Amy Fairchild (C) double, 2 singles,
Aimee Favia (RF) 3 singles, 2 RBIs

CROWN POINT (4-14-2007) - You could say that Crown Point didn't deserve to beat Lowell under cold, gray skies at the  south end of Crown Point Saturday afternoon because the Bulldogs committed five errors.  You could also say that CP did deserve to win because they rallied from a 4-1 deficit, smacked out 13 base hits and had the winning run on base in the seventh and eighth innings.  But the record will show that Lowell did win, pushing across two runs on Michelle Johnson's ninth-inning single to beat the Bulldogs 6-4 on the wind swept wide open spaces behind the new high school.

The Bulldogs' search for a big win, one over a quality team, fell just short in the 41 degree chill after CP scored three times in the sixth inning to tie the game 4-4. But CP appears to be closing the gap between themselves and the top teams and that fact is not lost on new coach Brett Crutchfield.

"We played a great game against a great program, " he said after the game. "I couldn't have asked for more. A couple of base hits here or there and its a different story."

Lowell coach Pete Iussig, who watched his highly-regarded team win for the fourth consecutive game, returned the compliment.

"I was really impressed with Crown Point," he said.  "I think he (Crutchfield) is doing a great job with them.  The second girl in the lineup is a really good slapper and the three and four hitters are good hitters.  They've gotten a lot better."

Crown Point made some defensive mistakes in regulation time, but the final rally was clean.  Lowell junior Becca Nida pulled a triple far over the head of CP right fielder Aimee Favia to lead off the ninth inning.  Crutchfield ordered semi-intentional walks to the next two hitters, Lowell's all-stater Kelly Johnson and cleanup batter Katherine Allert.  With the bases loaded and nobody out, CP freshman Jackie Bielfuss got Kristina Kuzma to ground into a force play at home.  But, with an 0-2 count, Johnson hit a hard ground ball to the left of CP shortstop Jessica Martinez, who had no chance to knock it down.  The two-run hit decided the game.

"I wasn't going to let the three and four hitters beat us," Crutchfield said later.  "It had to be someone else.  And that girl (Michelle Johnson) put a good swing on the ball.  We made some mistakes, but they force you to do that.  They put a lot of pressure on the defense."

Lowell led 2-0 in the first inning after Jacki Fletcher reached base on an error by shortstop Jessica Martinez.  After a sacrifice bunt, Lowell's Kelly Johnson drove a triple over the head of Pierce in left field.  Katherine Allert's single made it 2-0 after five minutes of play.

Crown Point scored in the third inning after Aimee Favia reached base on a bunt single and Lowell pitcher Kaitlyn Bolanowski made a bad throw on a ground ball by CP's Allison Adank.  Bolanowski struck out Pierce, but Martinez smacked a ground ball into center field for an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.

Lowell scored twice in the fifth inning on RBI singles by Bolanowski and Fletcher, but CP rallied in the bottom of the sixth.  With one out, consecutive singles by sophomore Kara Gulvas, freshman Katrina Klingberg and junior Lindsey Gurnenz filled the bases.  Favia hit a grounder to second base for an RBI, but Adank popped up for the second out.  Pearce walked with the bases full to make it 4-3 and Lowell changed pitchers.  Martinez also walked with the bases loaded against Lowell relief pitcher Alyssa Reed and the game was tied.

CP had chances to win in the seventh and the eighth.  Gulvas singled with one out in the seventh, but Reed, a hard throwing right-hander who pitched five innings in Lowell's 8-2 win at Hobart Friday night, retired Gurnenz on a ground ball to first base after Klingberg bunted the winning run to second base.

In the eighth, Adank slapped a single to left with one out, but Pearce struck out and Adank was thrown out stealing by Lowell catcher Katherine Allert.  After Johnson's single gave Lowell the lead in the top of the ninth inning, CP hit four consecutive balls at Fletcher at second base in the bottom of the ninth.  The Lowell freshman infielder made a charging play on the first one, consecutive diving stops on two more, getting one out and she grabbed the last grounder off the bat of Gulvas to end the game.

"That second baseman was standing on her head out there at the end," said Crutchfield.  "If she doesn't make all those plays, we tie it up again.  I have a lot of respect for that program and our girls battled them for nine innings."

Crown Point (5-5) needs a win to believe they can beat good teams.  After 10 games, CP had defeated five teams that were inferior to them and they had lost to five who, with the possible exception of Hobart (6-2), have a superior squad.

"I think we did that today," said Crutchfield.  "I think we may have turned that corner today.  I thought we fought the whole game.  We're coming together."

"I think we exposed what we can do to ourselves.  Eventually we're going to get one of these big teams."

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell's center fielder Becca Nida made a diving catch of a sinking line drive by CP's Amy Fairchild that would have driven in two runs in the fifth inning.  Nida then doubled Alison Adank off second base for the third out of the inning.  There was some controversy on this play as it appeared that Adank had tagged up and the two game umpires missed it.

Crown Point beat North Newton 6-1 earlier Saturday morning behind sophomore right-hander Kelsey Rather (4-2), who struck out nine.  Allison Adank had two base hits and Jessica Martinez smacked an RBI triple.  Rather also pitched a complete game victory over winless Valparaiso (0-5) Friday night.  Junior Aimee Favia had her first career three-hit game while Amy Fairchild was 3-for-4.

It is unusual to see a freshman batting leadoff in high school softball but Jacki Fletcher, the younger sister of 2006 grad Nicole Fletcher, is not a stranger to the Lowell program.

"I've know her since she was in first grade," said Lowell coach coach Pete Iussig.  "She was a right handed hitter and we turned her around in first grade.  When Nicole was 12 year old, I went and watched her and that group play in a tournament in Ohio in travel ball.  Jacki comes up to me and says 'Hey coach, let's play catch.'  There's photos of me and her playing catch with her the year after she was in kindergarten.  It was no leap of faith to have her lead off.  I've been with those guys since they were little.  That's why I'm going out (retiring at the end of their senior year in 2010) with those guys.

Lowell's Kelly Johnson will attempt to walk on to the softball team at Purdue.  The Red Devil shortstop is trying to convince the Purdue coaching staff to give her a chance.

"I sent a letter to them and they answered back right away," Kelly said Saturday.  "They asked for a video (of her playing) and things like that.  We made one but we're trying to get some live game action on it.  We're going to send it in and I'll try to walk on.  By the time I was sure about what I wanted to do, I had already been accepted to Purdue so I decided I would go there first and try to play there."

Johnson might be able to convince someone from Purdue to come and see her play on April 28 when the Devils play West Lafayette and Pioneer at Pioneer on May 4-5 when the Devils play in the Twin Lakes Invitational.

Johnson batted .468 last season with 19 RBIs.  She hit .444 with 30 RBIs as a sophomore and Johnson batted .427 in 2004 as a freshman.  Since Twin Lakes and Pioneer are both within a half hour of Lafayette and she's going to attend that school anyway, it's a safe bet someone on the Boilermaker coaching staff will get a look at her.

CP coach Brett Cructhfield praised freshman pitcher Jackie Bielfuss (1-3), who was the loser against Lowell Saturday in winter-like conditions.

"Well," he said,  "I think the girls are getting used to that.  Freshmen to come up against that team, she did a great job.  She missed a couple of sports, but she battled for nine innings."

CP's first two hitters are slap bunters, something that Lowell specializes in.  It's probably no accident that the top of CP's order is beginning to look like Pete Iussig's batting orders at Lowell.

"Pete teaches them so well," said Crutchfield.  "I don't know anyone who teaches the art of a slap hitter the way he does.  He'll take a good hitter and turn her around to give her even more options."

Lowell has used only two pitchers all season, but both of them, juniors Alyssa Reed and Kaitlyn Bolanowski appear in most games.

"Those two are really working well together," said Pete Iussig.  "Alyssa got in trouble yesterday (Friday) against Hobart and Kaitlyn came in.  Today, Kaitlyn went as far as she could as Alyssa came in.  This situation has worked very well for us so far."

LOWELL (6-2, 4-0 LAC)
Varsity Coach Pete Iussig... All games at 4:30 unless otherwise indicated... LAC games in CAPS

3-22  (W) 9-3 Kankakee Valley  (2-4)
3-29  (L)  4-8 Chesterton (8-0)
3-31 (W) 5-0 at Valparaiso (0-5)
4-2    (L) 2-4 at Portage (4-2)
4-3   (W) 2-0 at HIGHLAND (4-3)
4-5    (W) 2-1 (8 innings) ANDREAN  (4-1)
4-10 (cold) BISHOP NOLL
4-11 (cold) Boone Grove
4-12 (W) 8-2 at HOBART (6-2)
4-14 (W)  6-4 (9 innings) at Crown Point (5-5)

4-16-7 (M) at MUNSTER (4-1)
4-18-7 (W) Hanover Central (2-2)
4-19-7 (Th) GRIFFITH  (3-5)
4-24-7 (Tu) at KANKAKEE VALLEY
4-26-7 (Th) HIGHLAND

4-28-7 (S)  at Pioneer  - 9 a.m.
4-28-7 (S) vs. West Lafayette at Pioneer (TBA)

5-1-7 (Tu) at ANDREAN
5-3-7 (Th) BISHOP NOLL

Twin Lakes Invitational  (3-5 games)
5-4-7 (F)  pool play game (5 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.)
5-5-7 (S) pool play game (9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m.)
5-5-7 (S) pool play game (12 noon or 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



2007 CROWN POINT (5-5, 2-2 DAC)
Coach Brett Crutchfield  -  DAC games in CAPS  - all games 4:30 unless otherwise indicated

3-27   (L) 1-7  Hobart (6-2)
3-27   (L) 3-7  at New Prairie  (4-2)
4-2    (W) 17-0 (5 innings) at Morton (3-5)
4-3    (W) 2-0 MICHGAN CITY  (0-5)
4-5    (L) 4-2 PORTAGE  (5-3)
4-7    (W)  16-0 West Central (0-5).
4-10  (L) 2-10 LAKE CENTRAL  (7-1)
4-12  (W) 8-2 at VALPARAISO  (0-5)
4-14  (W) 6-1 North Newton (4-2)
4-14  (L) 4-6 (9 innings) Lowell (6-2)

4-16-7 (M) at CHESTERTON (8-0)
4-18-7 (W) at MERRILLVILLE
4-20-7 (F) at LaPORTE
4-21-7 (S) at Elkhart Central - 11 a.m.
4-24-7 (Tu) at MICHGAN CITY
4-26-7 (Th) at PORTAGE
4-28-7 (S) Morgan Township - 10 a.m.
4-30-7  (M) at LAKE CENTRAL

5-2-7 (W) VALPARAISO
5-4-7 (F) CHESTERTON
5-5-7 (S) Morton - 10 a.m.
5-8-7 (Tu) MERRILLVILLE
5-10-7 (Th) LaPORTE
5-14-7 (M) at Boone Grove
5-16-7 (W) at (South Bend) Riley
5-18-7 (F) Highland
5-19-7 (S) at Hanover Central

4A Sectional
5-21-7 (M) quarterfinals (TBA)
5-23-7 (W) semifinals (TBA)
5-25-7 (F) championship (TBA)

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Revised: April 16, 2007.