Lady Bulldogs win 2 out of 3 games at Lakeshore (MI) Tournament

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

5-05-2021
 

Team (Record) / Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chelsea, Michigan (16-2) 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 6 1
CROWN POINT (16-2) 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 5 1
Crown Point's Brinkley Kita struck out nine in a 15-1 win over Edwardsburg, Michigan Saturday and she hit her fifth home run of the season against Lakeshore in the Lakeshore Invitational. (All photos by Mark Smith)
CP's Madi Elish wears a smile around the bases after her second of two home runs against Edwardsburg last Saturday. Elish also pitched a complete game win over host Lakeshore.
Crown Point senior Grace Lucka pitched five shutout innings against Chelsea, Michigan in the Lakeshore Invitational last Saturday. Lucka also hit her first home run of the season against Edwardsburg.
CP freshman Audrey Wroble high fives coach Angie Richwalski at third base during CP's 10-run fourth inning against Edwardsburg. Audrey has moved into the leadoff spot for the Bulldogs.
CP's Katrina Klingberg would recover this hot shot and make the play at first base in the Lakeshore Invitational last week. Katrina smacked a two base hit against Chelsea star pitcher Emilee Underwood.
Crown Point's Morgan Scott gets ready to bat against Chelsea in the Lakeshore Invitational last week. Morgan reached base in all three games.
A happy Chelsea base runner Zoey Monica slides across home plate on a three-run double by teammate Emilee Underwood. The double was the big hit in Chelsea's 5-3 upset of Crown Point.
Crown Point shortstop Anna Holloway has her eyes on this ground ball at it leaves the bat against Chelsea. CP won two out of three games at the Lakeshore Invitational.
Maggie Olaveson (25) looks on as CP's Grace Lucka battles Chelsea in Stevensville, Michigan Saturday. Chelsea (16-2) won for the sixth game in a row, 5-3 over the Lady Bulldogs.
Crown Point's Emily Phillips guards the foul line against Chelsea in the Lakeshore Invitational. CP had an 11-game winning streak broken in a 5-3 loss.
Chelsea outfielder Emily McCalla (11) starts the celebration after her diving catch in the seventh inning sealed Chelsea's 5-3 upset of Crown Point at the Lakeshore Invitational last Saturday.
Don't tell anybody. But part of the reason I go to the Lakeshore Invitational in Stevensville, Michigan is so I can go by Lake Michigan afterwards. Win or lose, call me when you get to the beach. (All photos by Mark Smith)
 
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Revised: May 05, 2021.

Saturday, May 1, 2021 - Sunny, windy and 65-degrees in STEVENSVILLE, MI

Chelsea, Michigan (16-2)
Mya Purdy (SS) 0-for-3, walk, run scored, stolen base
Emilee Underwood (P) 1-for-4, double, 3 RBI
Bekah Zacharich (1B) 0-for-4
Maggie Olaveson (CF) 2-for-3, RBI
Emily McCalla (RF) 0-for-3
Katherine Thoms (1B) 0-for-3
Nicole Roesser (C) 1-for-3
Zoey Monica (2B) 1-for-3, run scored
Jenna Quellette (3B) 1-for-3, run scored

CROWN POINT (16-2)
Audrey Wroble (RF) 1-for-3, run scored
Gianna Fantin © 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Madi Elish (P) 0-for-2, Sac. Fly, RBI
Anna Holloway (SS) 0-for-3
Madi Young (P) 0-for-1
Grace Lucka (PH-P) 0-for-2
Kaleigh Klingberg (1B) 1for-3, double
Morgan Scott (2B) 0-for-2, double
Audrey Williams (LF) 1-for-2
Brinkley Kita (PH) 1-for-1

PITCHING
WP (starter) Madi Young (2-1), 5K, 0 walks (2.3 inn.)
LP (starter) Emilee Underwood (9-1) CG, 5K, 1 walk
 

Team (Record) / Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Edwardsburg, Michigan (7-6) 1 0 0 0 0 - - 1 2 0
CROWN POINT (16-1) 4 0 10 1 - - - 15 14 0

Saturday, May 1, 2021 - Sunny, windy and 55-degrees in STEVENSVILLE, MI

Edwardsburg, Michigan (7-6)
Ella Castelucci (LF) 0-for-3
Caitlin Tighe (SS) 2-for-3, double, stolen base, run scored
Samantha Baker (1B) 0-for-3, RBI
Abby Bossler (C) 0-for-2
Jersie Dawson (RF) 0-for-2
Alyssa Gerhart (3B) 0-for-0 2 walks
Averie Markel (P) 0-for-0, 2 walks
Lexi Shimpa (2B) 0-for-2
Haley Masten (CF) 0-for-2

CROWN POINT (15-1)
Audrey Wroble (RF) 0-for-2, 2 walks, 2 runs scored
Gianna Fantin (C) 0-for-2, sac bunt
Bo Turpin (PH) 0-for-1
Madi Elish (CF) 3-for-4, double, 2 HRs, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored
Anna Holloway (SS) 3-for-3, single, double HR, 3 runs scored
Madi Young (DP) 1-for-3, double, 2 RBIs
Kaleigh Klingberg (2B) 1-for-2, walk, RBI
Grace Lucka (P) 3-for-3, HR, 3 RBIs
Morgan Scott (2B) 1-for-2, double, RBI
Emily Phillips (3B) 0-for-2, 2 runs scored

PITCHING
WP – (starter) Brinkley Kita (2-0) 7K, 4 walks (4 inn.)
LP - (starter) Averie Markel (0-2) 0Ks, 4 walks (2 inn.)
 

Team (Record) / Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Lakeshore (12-1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 8 2
CROWN POINT (14-1) 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 3 9 1

Saturday, May 1, 2021 - Sunny, windy and 50-degrees in STEVENSVILLE, MI

Lakeshore (12-1)
Gianna Kieshbaum (P) 0-for-3
Anna Chellman (SS) 2-for-3, stolen base
Hannah Stankiewicz (DP) 1-for-3
Pallos Dannon (2B) 2-for-3, run scored
Shelby Grau (C) 1-for-3
Reneigh Sandman (1B) 1-for-3
Natalie Spenner (3B) 1-for-3
Anna Prosser (RF) 0-for-2
Olivia DenDooven (PH) 0-for-1
Eden Gray (LF) 0-for-2
Gabby Solloway (PH) 0-for-1

CROWN POINT (14-1)
Audrey Wroble (RF) 1-for-4, run scored
Gianna Fantin (C) 1-for-3
Madi Elish (P) 2-for-3
Anna Holloway (SS) 2-for-3, stolen base, RBI
Madi Young (P) 1-for-3
Audrey Williams (RF) 0-for-4
Morgan Scott (2B) 1-for-3
Brinkley Kita (RF) 1-for-2, HR, walk
Emily Phillips (3B) 0-for-3

PITCHING
WP (starter) Madi Elish (5-1), CG, 7K, 0 walks
LP (starter) Gianna Kierschbaum (6-1), 9K, 1 walk (5.3 inn.)


2021 Lakeshore Invitational
5-1-21 in Stevensville, Michigan
CROWN POINT 3, Lakeshore 1
Chelsea 9, Edwardsburg 4
CROWN POINT 15, Edwardsburg 1 (5 inn.)
Lakeshore 11, Chelsea 10
Chelsea 5, CROWN POINT 3
Lakeshore 9, Edwardsburg 6


STEVENSVILLE, MI (05-01-2021) Stevensville seems like a wonderful, small town place in southwest lower Michigan.

And despite some frosty morning winds, Crown Point was very much enjoying their visit last Saturday. Right up till the end.

CP was living the good life after knocking off undefeated Lakeshore 3-1 in their first of three tournament games in the annual Lakeshore Softball Invitational. The Bulldogs rolled over outmanned Edwardsburg 15-1 before lunch and they were then looking forward to a three-game sweep of a tournament they have dominated in recent years.

That was when Chelsea, a relatively small school from the suburbs of Ann Arbor, jumped to a 5-0 lead and handed CP only their second loss of the season, 5-3 in the afternoon Michigan sunshine. I did not see this coming and I wasn’t alone.

Chelsea (16-2) is having an outstanding year in the Ann Arbor area in Division 3 (there are four classes) of Michigan softball. But they are a school of less than 1,000 probably similar to Boone Grove or Hanover Central in Northwest Indiana. Crown Point shouldn’t be losing to ‘Hanover Central’ a few days before their Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) championship showdown with second-ranked 4A superpower Lake Central (20-0).

“Maybe we’ve had it a little too easily lately,” said CP coach Angie Richwalksi. “Maybe we were getting an illusion of invincibility.

“We didn't know anything about any of these teams. I would hope we get a little grit out of the girls. They need to buckle down when we fall behind. We have high expectations and we’ve had a bit of an easy ride the last week or so and I think there may have been a little bit of an invincibility complex.”

Richwalski wasn’t as concerned with the deficit as the lack of a late rally.

“I was convinced up until the end that we’d pull it out because we usually do. For Wednesday night (against Lake Central), I hope this makes us come out a little more hungry.”

“This was a big win for us,” said Chelsea coach Bob Moffett. “We play a lot of smaller schools and we’ve been winning but we didn't know what was going to happen today. Our girls hung in there. We made just enough plays to win. And we were shorthanded. Our third baseman is a hockey player and she’s away at a hockey tournament. We played a freshman there today.”

Chelsea surprised CP after starting pitcher Madi Young (2-1) had dominated the first two innings, striking out five.

Chelsea’s Nicole Rossner started the top of the third with a check swing single to left and Zoey Monica followed with a base hit to right and Jenna Quillette smacked a ground ball single to center. With nobody out, lead off batter Mya Purdy hit a hard ground ball to short. It was a play that CP’s Anna Holloway usually makes, but it bounced off her glove for an error, scoring the first run.

Then Chelsea star Emilee Underwood smacked a long double over the head of CP right fielder Audrey Wroble, scoring all the base runners and making the score 4-0. Maggie Olaveson’s single made it 5-0 and the Bulldogs were further behind in a game than they had been all season.

Chelsea sophomore right-handed pitcher Emilee Underwood (9-1) was not overpowering (only five strikeouts) but her windmill delivery kept CP off balance just enough. The defensive star of the game was Chelsea shortstop Mya Purdy who grabbed five grounders without error and was involved in a sixth inning double play. Right fielder Emily McCalla made a diving catch in right field off a drive by CP’s Emily Phillips to end the game.

In the opening game, Crown Point’s Madi Elish (5-1) pitched a complete-game victory over undefeated Lakeshore 3-1. Elish and Anna Holloway had RBI singles while junior Brinkley Kita hit her fifth home run of the season. CP senior first baseman Kaleigh Klingberg was a part of two double plays and grabbed three line drives down the line. Lakeshore (12-1) pitcher Gianna Kerschbaum (5-1) struck out nine but allowed nine CP base hits.

Lakeshore coach Denny Dock liked his teams effort.

“We love to play Crown Point when they come up here,” he said. “They’re a quality team. If we can hang in with them, we’re going well. The home run didn’t beat us. We made a little mistake. We had three starters out for two weeks because of Covid but we got them back today. I thought we hit their pitcher pretty darn good. We put the ball in play. I thought we fought hard and that’s one thing we want to see against that level of pitcher. That’s why we do this. Now, when we see somebody later, maybe we’ll say, ‘Well, she’s not as good as the Crown Point girl”.

Lakeshore, a school of just 900, has just two seniors in 2021. They are a perennial small school power that lost in the Division 2 (the equivalent to Indiana’s Class 3A) state title game 7-3 to two-time champ Escanaba in 2019 when softball was last played. Denny Dock won his 1,000th game in 2014 and under Dock, Lakeshore has won seven state titles.

DOG NOTES: Despite a cold weather forecast of 50 degrees and windy conditions, Crown Point expects a large crowd for Wednesday night's game with undefeated Lake Central (20-0). Fans need to arrive early or they’ll be standing as CP’s softball stands hold about 750.

When softball teams have really strong rosters, they get tired of winning 10-0 and start looking far and wide for teams that can beat them. Crown Point has found one in Marist (16-0) a south side Chicago high school rated No. 2 in Illinois’ Class 4A and No. 13 in the nation.

Among 16 victories, Marist has won 10 games this season by shutout scores of 10-0 or more. Senior right-hander Abby Dunning, who will play next fall at Boston College, is obviously also undefeated and, although she is listed at being just 5-foot-4, Abby has been clocked consistently at 66-67 miles and hour, making her a force in the circle.

The Marist Red Hawks will be in Crown Point Thursday afternoon, May 13 and Marist will also visit the Hoosier state to play at Lake Central on Monday, May 17.

CP coach Angie Richwalski said that her girls have given thought to facing undefeated Lake Central pitcher Peyton Pepkowski (10-0), who defeated them 4-2 at Lake Central last month.

“We’ve been working on that a little,” Richwalski said. “She got into a pattern (of pitch location) on us last time and we couldn’t adjust to it.”

“We’ve practiced against it and we need to lay off her rise-ball when it's out of the zone and put it in play when it is.”

Crown Point has two pitchers that Lake Central has never seen in a high school game, senior Grace Lucka and junior Brinkley Kita. But Madi Elish is CP’s senior team leader and it will be difficult not to eventually give her the ball against CP’s arch rival.

“When she’s on the mound,” Richwalski says “Adrenaline kicks up. You can see it. She goes to another level. That’s what you need on a big game.”

Elish hit two home runs and came up just short of a third in the 15-1 win over Edwardsburg. Madi had three hits and drove in five runs. Anna Holloway was 3-for-3 and hit her fifth home run of the season in 18 games. Senior Grace Lucka was 3-for-3 including her first career varsity home run.

In Class 4A this week in the state rankings, Lake Central is No. 2 behind New Palestine. Crown Point is rated fifth and Munster is ranked 13th.


2021 CROWN POINT (16-2, 9-1 DAC)
Coach Angie Richwalski (1st year)
29-5 in 2019, 25-6 in 2018, 30-2 in 2017, 28-2 in 2016, 29-3 in 2015, 29-1 in 2014
Duneland Athletic Conference games in CAPS
All games begin at 4:30 p.m. CDT unless otherwise indicated


April 3 (W) 6-0 at Andrean
April 6 (W) 13-0 (5 inn.) MICHIGAN CITY
April 7 (W) 5-2 PORTAGE
April 8 (W) 3-2 Munster
April 13 (W) 9-1 at CHESTERTON
April 14 (L) 2-4 at LAKE CENTRAL
April 16 (W) 5-1 at Penn

April 17 (W) 2-1 (10 innings) Hamilton Southeastern
April 17 (W) 12-2 (6 innings) at (West Lafayette) Harrison

April 21 (W) 7-4 at VALPARAISO
April 22 (W) 6-0 LaPORTE
April 23 (W) 15-1 (5 inn.) MICHIGAN CITY
April 22 (Th) at Hanover Central (cancelled)
April 27 (W) 21-0 (5 inn.) at MERRILLVILLE
April 28 (W) 13-0 (5 inn.) at PORTAGE

Lakeshore Invitational at Stevensville, (Michigan) times are not certain
May 1 (W) 3-1 (Stevensville, Michigan) Lakeshore (14-1)
May 1 (W) 15-1 (5 inn.) Edwardsburg, Mich. (7-7)
May 1 (L) 3-5 Chelsea, Mich. (16-2)

May 4 (W) 5-0 at CHESTERTON
May 5 (We) 0-0 LAKE CENTRAL (20-0)

May 8 (Sa) Boone Grove 9 a.m.
May 8 (Sa) New Prairie - 12 noon

May 10 (Tu) at Kankakee Valley
May 11 (Tu) at MICHIGAN CITY
May 12 (We) at LaPORTE
May 13 (Th) (Chicago) Marist (17-0)

May 15 (Sa) Carmel (2 games) 10 a.m.

May 18 (Tu) VALPARAISO
May 19 (We) Lowell

CROWN POINT (4A) Sectional
At Crown Point high school = $6 per night, $10 for the entire tournament

May 24 (Mo) Valparaiso vs. Chesterton - 5 p.m.

May 25 (Tu) Hobart vs. Portage - 5 p.m.

May 25 (Tu) Lowell vs. Michigan City - 7 p.m.

May 26 (We) CROWN POINT vs. Valpo or Chesterton - 5 p.m.

May 26 (We) Hobart or Portage vs. MC or Lowell - 7 p.m.

May 28 (Fri.) Sectional 2 championship game - 6 p.m.

4A Regional
The Sectional 2 winner here will be on the road the night of Tuesday, June 1 for the regional championship game at Sectional 1 champ (probably Lake Central).