Bulldogs embarrass Merrillville 18-2 with 10-run rule in 19-hit ambush

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CROWN POINT (12-3)	3	3	0	10	2	-	-	18	19	2
Merrillville (5-7)	0	0	0	2	0	-	-	2	3	2

5-5-2003 - at Merrillville, sunny, 76 degrees

WP - Adam Vetter (5-0) 3K, 0 walks (3 innings)
Mike Schultz (CP) 2K, 0 walks (2 innings)
LP - Josh Curtis (0-2) 0K, 1 walk, 11 earned runs (3 innings)
Nick Walter (M) 0K, 2 walks (2 innings)

Merrillville (3 singles)
Scott Saberniak (M) Single run scored

CROWN POINT (HR, triple, 7 doubles, 10 singles)
Chad Pierce (CP) HR, triple, 2 doubles, walk, 5 RBIs
Matt Cowan (CP) Double, Sac. Fly, RBI
Eric Gulbrandsen (CP) Double, 2 singles, walk RBI
Kevin Vandas (CP) 2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 RBIs
Jake Pierce (CP) Double, single, 2 RBIs
David Clayton (CP) Single, HBP, stolen base
Craig Horvat (CP) Single, RBI
Dave Guenther (CP) 2 singles, RBI

MERRILLVILLE (5-5-2003) - One of my pet theories of baseball is that anyone can beat anyone on any given day. No matter what level of the game we're talking about. If Crown Point draws Merrillville at the Merrillville Sectional next month, that theory may face the ultimate practical test.

On April 15, Crown Point beat Merrillville 13-2 in six innings. On April 26, the Bulldogs beat Merrillville again 13-0 in five innings. Monday afternoon it got worse. CP rode a 10-run fourth inning to an 18-2 slaughter of the Pirates.

It doesn't totally make sense. Merrillville defeated state-rated Valparaiso 8-7. The Pirates crushed LaPorte 9-1 and LaPorte has won 12 of 16 games. But Crown Point doesn't care. Their new cousins came along at the right time.

"We're trying to get focused," said new coach Steve Strayer after his team held the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) lead. "That's a big problem we need to work on. It's a problem I need to work on."

The Bulldogs (12-3, 7-1 DAC), who had scored 106 runs through 11 games, managed just two runs each against Valparaiso, Chesterton and Lake Central.

"We weren't really into the game until the fifth or sixth inning against Chesterton and we didn't really show up against Valparaiso either. It was nice to see them respond today."

"I'm going to try to get a little more demanding the rest of the way. It's time."

CP played like they wanted to dominate Monday. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the first inning when Chad Pierce, Eric Gulbrandsen and Kevin Vandas lined two base hits over the heads of Pirate defenders in the pro-sized Merrillville outfield. Jake Pierce's sliced single to left field made it 3-0 after six batters.

In the second inning, Merrillville shortstop Jimmy Reitz missed Dave Guenther's ground ball and CP's Dave Clayton lined his sacrifice bunt over the head of starting pitcher Josh Curtis (0-2). Chad Pierce then doubled to left center to make it 5-0. Kevin Vandas' two-out RBI single upped the lead to 6-0.
Chad Pierce can play a thousand more games and he'll have a day like he did Monday. The senior shortstop had four extra base hits including two doubles, a triple and a two-run homer to left field in the fifth inning. With his younger brother Jake watching from center field (after going 2-for-4), Pierce also made a 360-spin and perfect throw on a ground ball behind second base in the fourth inning. He also made a leaping catch of a line drive high over his head with the score 18-2 in the fifth inning.

"That's a good point," said Steve Strayer. "He didn't have to make that play with the score the way it was. He was very much into the game tonight."

Merrillville, which got bombed 14-3 at Lowell Saturday, was very much out of Monday's game. The 10-run Crown Point fourth inning got embarrassing as the first seven Bulldogs batters got base hits. Gulbrandsen and Vandas got two base hits each in the inning against pitchers John Curtis and Nick Walter.

Some of the line drives for CP were hard hit but playable. The game emphasized how much outfield defense is needed in the large Pirate ball park. The Bulldogs will have to win on the Pirates field because it is the site of the Merrillville Class 4A Sectional.

"We haven't talked about that," said Strayer. "It came to my mind. But my job was to get them ready to go. Since we played Valpo, we really haven't been. Today, we were."

DOG NOTES: Crown Point's 19 hits was a season high for the Bulldogs, who scored 19 runs on 14 hits in the season opener April 10 against Highland. Chad Pierce, Eric Gulbrandsen and Kevin Vandas went a combined 11-for-11 with two walks and nine RBIs.

Pirate freshman coach Bill Roberts said that the Merrillville varsity is tough to figure. "We beat Valparaiso and we beat LaPorte," he said. "We've got a lot of guys who have never played before. We graduated 10 seniors last year. They (CP) have a lot of experienced players."

CP's Strayer understood. "We have nine seniors now. We're going to be going through that next year."

Strayer wants his team to be sharper than they've been the last three weeks. We weren't sharp against Valpo (a 2-1 win over the then top-ranked 4A team). We were pumped up. We were excited. But we weren't focused. There's a difference."

Strayer isn't worried that his team has cut short its own playing time by winning five games by the 10-run slaughter rule.

"Not really," he said. "We had a problem pitching tonight. Sparks still has a bit of a sore arm and Vetter was a little sick today. If we need innings, we send Schultz out to pitch on the JV team. We make sure they get innings."

Valparaiso is ranked third in Class 4A this week with Crown Point moving up to number seven and Lake Central in at number eight. Brownsburg and McCutcheon are 1-2 and Penn (14-2) is fourth. Valparaiso was upset Monday night by Michigan City. The Wolves (9-5, 5-3) are the only team that has defeated both Valparaiso and Crown Point this season. Crown Point travels to LaPorte (12-4, 5-3) Wednesday (May 7) and hosts Michigan City Friday afternoon.

Crown Point (12-3, 6-1 DAC)
Head Coach Steve Strayer - 2002: 13-12-1 - DAC Games in CAPS

4-7: (Snow) Hammond
4-8: (Cold) at Gavit (4-9)
4-10: 19-1 (5 innings) at Highland (12-3)
4-11: 8-0 Morton (4-9)
4-15: 13-2 (6 innings) MERRILLVILLE (5-7)
4-16: 8-1 Hebron (6-6)
4-17: 10-1 LaPORTE (12-4)
4-19: 3-2 Griffith (7-8)
4-21: 5-7 at MICHIGAN CITY (7-5)
4-23: 16-3 at PORTAGE (7-6)
4-25: 11-0 (6 innings) at HOBART (6-7)

Munster Invitational
4-26: 2-4 at Munster (11-4)
4-26:   13-0 (5 innings) Merrillville (5-8)   3rd place
4-29:   2-1 VALPARAISO (14-2)
5-1:    2-1 CHESTERTON (5-6)
5-2:    2-4 at Lake Central (11-3)
5-5:    18-2 (5 innings) at MERRILLVILLE (5-8)

5-7 (W) at LaPORTE (12-4) 4:45 p.m.
5-9 (F) MICHIGAN CITY (7-5) 4:45 p.m.
5-13 (Tu) PORTAGE (7-6) 4:30 p.m.
5-15 (Th) HOBART (6-7) 4:30 p.m.
5-17 (S) Munster (11-4) 11 a.m.
5-20 (Tu) at VALPARAISO (13-2) 4:30 p.m.
5-21 (W) Lake Central (11-3) 4:30 p.m.
5-22 (Th) at CHESTERTON (6-6) 4:30 p.m.
5-27 (Ut) Lowell (13-3) 4:30 p.m.
5-29 (Th) Clark (9-3) 4:30 p.m.

MERRILLVILLE (4A) SECTIONAL
6-2 (M) quarterfinals - 5 p.m.
6-3 (Tu) quarterfinals - 5 p.m.
6-6 (F) semifinals - 5 p.m.
6-7 (S) championship (TBA)

South Bend (4A) REGIONAL (at Covaleski Stadium - South Bend)
6-14 (S) semifinals - 10 a.m.
6-14 (S) championship - 7 p.m.

2003 STATE Baseball FINALS (at Victory Field - Indianapolis)
6-20 (F) 4A semifinals - TBA
6-21 (S) 4A championship - TBA