Boone ends Lady Wildcats' season 3-1 at Regional semifinal

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

6-01-2008

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HANOVER CENTRAL (20-8)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
BOONE GROVE (22-5)	1	0	2	0	0	0	-	3	5	0

Saturday, May 31, 2008 - 79-degrees, sunny at LaVille Class 2A, Regional Semifinal at Lakeville, IN

WP - Taylor Johnson (15-2) CG, 4K, 4 walks
LP - Jessica Toth (11-5) CG, 7K, 0 walks

HANOVER CENTRAL (20-8)
Kara Gilbert (SS) 1-for-3
Morgan Austgen (CF) 2-for-3, sac bunt
Kelsey Jankowski (1B) 0-for-3
Jessica Toth (P) 0-for-1, 2 walks
Tiffany Gibson (RF) 0-for-2, walk
Lindsay Thompson (2B) 0-for-3
Shannon Kiraly (3B) 0-for-2, HBP
Alisha Janes (LF) 0-for-2, walk
Anna Plassmann (DH) 1-for-2, walk

BOONE GROVE (22-5)
Morgan Doelling (LF) 1-for-3
Lauren Johnson (2B) 0-for-3
Katie Runyan (CF) 1-for-3, HR, RBI
Taylor Johnson (P) 1-for-3
Caitlin Wilcox (1B) 0-for-3
Kristyn Kessler (3B) 1-for-3
Christine Scheiderer (C) 0-for-0, HBP, sac bunt
Lauren Ferber (RF) 0-for-1
Lauren Doelling (SS) 1-for-2

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
BREMEN (22-8)	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	5	9	3
BOONE GROVE (22-6)	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	7	4

Saturday, May 31, 2008 - 72-degrees, sunny at LaVille Class 2A, Regional Championship at Lakeville, IN

WP - Jenni Andrews (16-4) CG, 6K, 2 walks
LP - Taylor Johnson (18-4) CG, 2K, 2 walks

Bremen (22-8)
Jenni Andrews (P) 3-for-4, double, runs scored
Casey Hueni (3B) 0-for-1, 3 sac bunts
Jenny Fraine (C) 1-for-3, sac bunt, double, RBI
Amanda LaFree (CF) 1-for-3, walk
Jessie Creakbaum (DH) 0-for-2, sac bunt, walk, RBI
Nicole Seitz (1B) 1-for-3, sac bunt
Rachel Jensen (2B) 1-for-4
Courtney Bahr (SS) 2-for-3, double
Renee Zeltwanger (RF) 0-for-3

BOONE GROVE (22-6)
Morgan Doelling (LF) 2-for-4, double, RBI
Lauren Johnson (2B) 1-for-4
Katie Runyan (CF) 1-for-4
Taylor Johnson (P) 1-for-4, RBI
Caitlin Wilcox (1B) 1-for-3
Kristyn Kessler (3B) 0-for-3
Christine Scheiderer (C) 1-for-3
Lauren Ferber (RF) 0-for-1, walk
Lauren Doelling (SS) 0-for-2, walk

2A LaVille Regional
Bremen 3, Garrett 1
BOONE GROVE 3, HANOVER CENTRAL 1
Bremen 5, BOONE GROVE 4 (title)

2A State Finals
at North Central high school
6-6 (F) Bremen (22-8) vs. South Spencer (24-3) 6:30 (EDT)
6-6 (F) Cass (19-11) vs. Southwestern (18-6) 8:30 (EDT)

LAKEVILLE, IN (5-31-2008) - Under the present Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) state tournament softball format, at the regional level, there is only one winner and three losers. It's the toughest level of the tournament and the most unforgiving. Porter County Conference (PCC) regular season champion Boone Grove turned back PCC tournament champion Hanover Central in Saturday's LaVille Class 2A Sectional semifinals, but both teams went home in a quiet bus after Bremen held off Boone 5-4 in the regional championship game at Lakeville's Newton Park.

It's somewhat unfair to call Boone Grove and Hanover losers because both won sectional titles, which is the line in the sand for a successful team's sports season. But both the Wolves and Lady Cats had higher goals than just the sectional and that quest must wait for another season.

"We had a good season," said Boone coach Andy Niksich after his team's late rally fell short in the setting sun of St. Joseph's County late Saturday. "We won a regional game for the first time I think. But our goal was to get to the state finals. My goal is to win the state title and I won't be satisfied until we do it."

Boone was understandably disappointed. After scoring solid well-played wins over four foes, Boone (22-6) played a bad game with a trip to the state finals on the line, committing four errors and going hitless until they were behind 3-0.

Winning pitcher Jenni Andrews slapped a left-handed single to left leading off the game. The Bremen senior, who was a freshman on the Lions' 2005 state finals' team, scored on Amanda LaFree's two-out infield hit. In the fourth, LaFree walked and went all the way third base on a passed ball. Jessie Creakbaum's squeeze bunt made it 2-0 and Courtney Bahr's two-out double to left upped the count to 3-0.

In the fourth, Andrews slapped a double down the left field line and Casey Heuni bunted her to third. Boone second baseman Lauren Johnson dropped the throw to first and she was surprised as Andrews rounded third and scored without a play.

"We had multiple innings when we gave them more than three outs," said Niksich. "You can't do that against a good team and Bremen obviously is a good team. They had slappers who placed the ball really well."

Boone scored two in the fourth on Morgan Doelling's two-out RBI double and a single by junior Katie Runyan. But Bremen, which defeated No. 10 Fairfield and No. 3 Jimtown at the sectional level, made it 5-2 in the seventh on Jenny Fraine's RBI double to the left field fence.

"All the tough teams we've played during the year," said Andrews. "Penn. Marian. That just made us better for the teams we're playing now in the state tournament."

The game actually should have ended 5-2, but a throwing error by Hueni at third base gave Taylor Johnson one last chance and she smacked an RBI single to left. When the ball went between the legs of Bremen left fielder Toiresa Schultz, a fourth Boone run scored and Johnson pulled into second base. That brought up Boone home run leader Caitlin Wilcox who swung at the first pitch. The crowd jumped to their feet as the ball drove Bremen center fielder LaFree back a step or two but she caught it 30 feet in front of the fence to end the game.

"One more biscuit for breakfast," said Niksich, who laughed at his own cliches. "I told her at the start of the inning that we were going to get her one more at bat and we did. She had a good swing."

Hanover had a lot of good swings in the second semifinal but they didn't get many of them when they needed them.

"Boone was a better team than we were," said Larry McMillen, who was back at the regional for the second time since Hanover won the 2A state title in 2004. "How many did we leave on base?"

Hanover, which was undefeated against all 2a teams but Boone and third-ranked Eastern this season, had base runners in every inning but the sixth. Morgan Austgen had two hits and Jessica Toth walked twice, but Boone's Lauren Johnson got every key batter she needed to get. Hanover's only run scored on a first inning wild pitch.

The Lady Cats, who defeated 4A schools Lowell, Jefferson and Chesterton filled the bases in the fifth, but freshman Tiffany Gibson was called out on a 1-2 pitch. In the seventh, Anna Plassmann walked and McMillen asked lead off batter Kara Gilbert to bunt her to second base even though HC was two runs behind.

"I did want to make sure that Kelsey Jankowski got to bat," McMillen explained. "But that didn't happen."

Jankowski, who had a Hanover school record nine home runs this season, was on deck as Austgen, HC's only slap hitter, battled through a 10-pitch at bat. The left-handed hitter finally lined a pitch into shallow left but Boone's Morgan Doelling, who was playing shallow, made the catch. Plassmann may have forgotten how many outs there were during Austgen's long at bat and she broke off second base when the ball sailed over the infield. Doelling easily doubled her off second base to end the game.

"They just were more ready to play than we were," said McMillen. "Jessica (HC starting pitcher Jessica Toth) did a great job under the circumstances. We just left too many on base and they got a homerun and a hit with people on base. We just could not get any hits when we needed them."

Boone tied the semifinal game when Katie Runyan hit a long homerun to left center in the bottom of the first. In the third inning, Lauren Doelling laid down a bunt single and Lauren Johnson slapped a sharp one-out grounder to the right of Gilbert, the HC shortstop, who made a diving stop. But Gilbert's throw to second baseman Lindsay Thompson sailed over her head into right field, putting runners at first and third. Toth struck out Runyan but Taylor Johnson, Lauren's twin sister, hit a two-run single to left center for a 3-1 lead. That would be all the scoring in the game as Toth gave up two singles the rest of the way.

Hanover graduates five seniors including catcher Danielle Sampognaro, who caught most games for HC the last two years. But shortstop Gilbert and second baseman Lindsay Thompson will be four year veterans in 2009 and Austgen, Jankowski and Toth will be three-year veterans.

Boone and Hanover Central will both start next season ranked in the Top-10, but McMillen laughed at the concept that a regional loss spurs you onto bigger and better things the next season.

"Did you say that to Wheeler last year?" he smiled.

Wheeler lost 3-1 to Jimtown in the 2007 LaVille regional and lost the opening sectional game in 2008.

REGIONAL NOTES: The Wolves seemed to lose any competitive edge they had in the four hour break before the semifinals and the finals. Boone had played more than one game in the same day this season but the 'lunch break' that teams go through at the regional is unique.

"That's part of experience," Niksich said later. "We have not been here before and they have. It's a learning process for the girls and the coaching staff."

"We're losing three great seniors," said Niksich of Kristyn Kessler, Lauren Doelling and Allie Audrey. "They're all great young ladies and they are going to be missed."

Hanover Central is now 6-3 in regional play. This is the first time they have ever lost a regional semifinal. HC lost 1-0 to Bremen in the 2005 LaVille Regional semifinals.

2A Hanover Central (20-8)
Coach Larry McMillen (17th year) 20-10 - PCC games in CAPS

(W) 12-2 at Chesterton (17-10)

Queen of Diamonds Tourney - at LaVille
(W) 15-0 Clinton Prairie (12-15)
(W) 11-0 Maconaquah
(W) 10-1 Mishawaka Marian (26-3) finals

(W) 14-1 at LaCROSSE (3-20)
(W) 7-1 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP
(L) 1-6 Munster (27-6)
(W) 3-2 (9 inn.) Lowell (20-10)
(L) 3-4 at Beecher, Ill (29-5)

Four Class Tourney
4-19 (rain) Andrean (19-11)
4-19 (rain) Crown Point (18-10)
4-19 (rain) South Central (12-12)

(W) 2-1 (8 innings) Wheeler (18-7)
(W) 5-0 HEBRON (16-8)
(W) 11-0 (6 inn.) South Newton
(W) 5-0 KOUTS (6-12)
(W) 13-1 (5 inn.) Rensselaer (0-26)
(W) 10-0 (5 inn.) SOUTH CENTRAL (12-12)
(L) 2-3 (8 inn.) BOONE GROVE (22-6)

Twin Lakes Invitational
16 teams - pool play - at Monticello, Ind.
5-2 (L) 3-5 Andrean (19-11)
5-3 (L) 4-5 Eastern (21-6)
5-3 (W) 11-1 Jefferson (5-20)

5-6 (W) 7-1 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP

PCC Championship
5-9 (W) 4-0 Hebron (17-7)
5-10 (W) 10-0 (6 inn.) South Central (12-12)
5-10 (W) 5-3 Boone Grove (22-6)
5-16 (L) 0-3 at Whiting (32-0)
5-17 (L) 2-5 at Crown Point (18-10)

Lake Station (2A) Sectional
5-21 (W) 11-1 (5 inn.) Lake Station (4-22)
5-23 (W) 7-3 (8 inn.) Bishop Noll (19-11)

LaVille (2A Regional
5-30 (L) 1-3 Boone Grove (22-6)