Lady Devils defeat Hanover 7-1 and Griffith 3-2 in girls softball

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

4-22-2006

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

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 75 degrees at Griffith

WP - Ryssa Nord (4-2) CG, 6K 0 walks
LP - Brittany Bridges (6-3) 3K, 2 walks (5.3 inn.)

LOWELL (10-3)
Kelly Johnson (SS) Double, run scored
Katherine Allert (LF) Double, RBI
Becca Nida (CF) Double, HBP
Megan Wilbourn (3B) Sac. Fly, RBI
Carrie Shelhart (2B) Single, 2 walks
Courtney Austgen (C) Single, RBI

Griffith (7-5)
Annie Hernandez (2B) Single, 2 RBIs
Lindsay Bodnar (RF) Single, run scored

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

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 70 degrees at Cedar Lake

WP - Alyssa Reed (1-0) CG, 8K 0 walks
LP - Danielle Hill (4-5) CG, 3K, 2 walks

LOWELL (9-3)
Kelly Johnson (SS) HR, walk, RBI
Katherine Allert (LF) HR, double, RBI
Megan Wilbourn (3B) Double, walk, RBI
Nicole Fletcher (DH) Double, single, RBI
Courtney Austgen (C) 2 singles

HANOVER CENTRAL (6-7)
Jill Sjoerdsma (C) 2 singles, RBI
Kara Gilbert (SS) Single, run scored

GRIFFITH (4-20-2006) - Lowell is a hard team to read as mid-season approaches. They are ranked in the state Top-10 and their record is excellent. The girls are experienced and athletic.

But when you see them play, they don't look that good. I don't know what the problem is. But the level of competence displayed in scoring six late runs to beat Hanover Central 7-1 and holding off a young Griffith squad 3-2 isn't going to get it done in the second half of the season.

"It's not too pretty," admitted Lowell coach Pete Iussig. "It's not the hitting really. I mean, it's not like we're thinking state at this point, but I was over there thinking that Merrillville played those nine or ten 1-0 games the year they won (1996). Everybody's got a good pitcher now. So, you're not going to have those big scoring games."

"But we spend a lot of time on defense and we harp on the routine play. We don't need great plays; we just need the routine plays. There is confusion sometimes and with these girls, I don't know where it comes from."

Lowell led a sub-.500 Hanover Central, a team they've beaten in HC glory years, just 1-0 in the sixth inning before pulling away. Hanover was in the game and could have pulled the upset.

Twenty four hours later, the Devils were grinding down a youthful Griffith team down by Broad St. in Griffith Thursday night, leading 3-0 in the late going. But they couldn't put the game away. Suddenly it's 3-2 and pitcher Ryssa Nord is holding on for the one-run escape.

Lowell took the lead at Griffith when Becca Nida lined a two-base hit to left center and scored one out later on a sacrifice fly by Megan Wilbourn for a 1-0 fifth inning lead. The Devils extended the lead to 3-0 on back-to-back RBI doubles by junior Kelly Johnson and freshman Katherine Allert in the sixth inning against Griffith starter Brittany Bridges (4-2). But Lowell could not score any more and an error by third baseman Wilbourn allowed the Panthers to get two runners on with two out against Nord in the bottom of the sixth. Annie Hernandez then made the game much closer with a two-run single to left center. But Nord, who has improved dramatically from two years ago when she was not considered a top prospect at all, retired the final four Griffith hitters to save the win on an unusually warm April night.

"We have fewer walks by our pitchers this year than anytime I can remember," said Iussig. "You couldn't talk to her tonight as opposed to other nights. The best game she pitched was last year against Munster (a 1-0, 10-inning loss) and you couldn't talk to her that way. She didn't hear anything you said. It was kinds like that tonight. We had a team meal before the game and she didn't say anything. I think she was ready to pitch."

Griffith has high hopes for this season in a sectional they should win and a regional with the likes of Andrean and West Lafayette.

"We have been staying close to the tougher teams," said Griffith assistant coach Dave Powers, "but we sometimes come out lackadaisical against the team we should beat. We'll get it together. Both of our pitchers are throwing really nice now, but they need to mix it up a little more. We have two freshmen in the outfield. We're a little inexperienced."

Griffith and Lowell meet twice in the Lake athletic Conference (LAC) schedule that is now a division double round robin. The Panthers (7-5) play every team in the LAC Black Division twice.

"There's pros and cons about the double round robin," Powers said. "It's nice because our conference has Lowell and Munster, Highland and Andrean. It's not an easy conference. On the other hand, I'd like to play other teams."

"You've got teams like Calumet and their record is much better than ours, but they don't play the teams we play. Still, they get all juiced up because they've been winning and they only have to beat us (at the sectional) once."

DEVILS NOTES: Hanover Central coach Larry McMillen knew his side would take some losses this season with a roster sprinkled with new pitchers and freshmen position players.

"We've been close in a lot of our games," he said. "Just like today. It's 1-0 in the sixth inning. That was just like our game against Munster (a 12-1 loss). We led 1-0 in the fifth inning. I don't know how we lost to Morgan Township. We were down 8-0 before we started playing. I don't know where we'd be without Jill (catcher Jill Sjoerdsma). Ever since a couple of colleges showed a little interest in her, she hitting and she's doing a great job with the pitchers."

Sjoerdsma will play at Division II South Dakota State next year.

Hanover Central missed a couple of fly balls in left field that would have made the Lowell game much closer.

"Danielle (pitcher Danielle Hill) is doing a good job," said McMillen. "She's just not going to strike a lot of people out. We've got to make the plays."

Hanover, in a very rare lineup scenario, has four freshmen and four seniors on the field in many games.

"Our freshmen are really stepping up," said Sjoerdsma, who was a varsity reserve on the 2004 state championship team. "All of them. I've been lucky. I got to play on a championship team. I'm just hoping we can help them in some way. Show them what to do."

Before she hit a sixth inning home run against Hanover and a fifth inning RBI double against Griffith, Kelly Johnson was batting (15-34, .441). Johnson, a junior, has hit over .400 her first two seasons in high school. One of the dark secrets of high school sports is that kids get old by the time they are seniors. In their final days in high school, the spirit is willing but sometimes the body isn't. Lowell third baseman Nicole Fletcher and catcher Courtney Austgen won't be playing every pitch of every game during the rest of the regular season.

Lowell would like to rest Austgen, who has bad knees after years of catching. And the Devils have gone to playing Nicole Fletcher as the designated player (softball's shape-shifting version of baseball's designated hitter) using Megan Wilbourn at third base because Fletcher just isn't 100% healthy.

"She does her stretching routine every day," said coach Pete Iussig, "but some days it (her shoulder) just tightens up on her. That hurts us because I'd like to get the freshman (Katherine Allert) behind the plate more. If she went behind the plate Austgen could DP. But when Fletcher can't play, then she has to DP."

Allert had 10 hits in her first 25 at-bats before Wednesday's home run and double against Hanover and her RBI double Thursday night at Griffith. The right-handed hitter has 12 RBIs after 13 games and she's been moved to the cleanup spot between all-area No. 3 hitter Kelly Johnson and St. Xavier College recruit Nicole Fletcher.

Iussig doesn't talk about kids much until they actually do something at the varsity level, but he'll tell you he knew Allert was coming.

"I've known about her since fourth grade," she said. "She plays for the Orland Park Sparks which is one of the top summer programs in the Midwest and she's one of their top players. So when you're one of their top players, you have to be fairly decent."

Lowell folks might be interested in knowing that after Tuesday's 9-1 win over Frontier (6-1), West Lafayette improved to 12-0 on the season. West Lafayette and Pioneer come to Lowell for a three-way play date next Saturday (April 22) starting with Lowell's 9 a.m. game with Pioneer which is the No. 3 Class 1A school. Pioneer then plays West Lafayette and the day ends with West Lafayette taking on Lowell at approximately 1:00 p.m.

Hanover Central got smoked as expected Thursday 8-0 at Beecher, Illinois. Beecher (18-0) is the top-ranked team in the entire Chicago metropolitan area and they won the 2004 Illinois Class A state title. Beecher Division I right-hander Jalyn Shearer (11-0) struck out 11 and allowed two HC singles.

Sophomore Lowell pitcher Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-1, 1.47 ERA) won't pitch until May after she was injured in a one car accident. Kaitlyn apparently drove off the road trying to avoid a small animal crossing the highway. Bolanowski was not seriously injured but she was banged around enough to require some quiet time. Kaitlyn's car was totaled but the good news is... the raccoon she destroyed her car to avoid, reportedly made it home safely.

Freshman Lowell right-hander Alyssa Reed made her varsity debut against Hanover and looked good, allowing four hits and no walks in seven innings.

HC has worse problems because left-hander Molly Fairhurst, who won her first start against Bishop Noll, injured a leg playing first base this month and may be out for the year. Fairhurst, HC's fist ever left-handed pitcher, reportedly pulled a hamstring stretching for a throw at first base. Freshman Alisha Janes made her varsity debut in the 8-0 loss at Beecher, but right-hander Danielle Hill will almost certainly pitch every PCC game now for the Lady Cats.

Hanover Central (5-7) travels to Morton Wednesday (4-26-2006) afternoon at 4:45 p.m. and they'll host South Newton Thursday (4-27-2006) and Kouts Friday (4-28-2006), both at 4:30 p.m.

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 (3-9)
4/4 (W) 7-5 Highland (4-6)
4/5   (W) 9-2 Portage   (7-4)
4/6 (L)   1-7 Andrean (10-1)
4/11 (L) 0-2 Bishop Noll
4/12 (W) 2-1 at Boone Grove (4-7)
4/13 (W) 10-0 Hobart (5-4)
4/15 (W) 2-1 (10-innings) Crown Point (6-8)
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 (14-0) 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 (5-8) 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.