Post-Tribune

Baseball: Crown Point takes advantage of eight bases on balls in sectional opener

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:05:08 -0500

LAPORTE — Crown Point didn’t collect a hit in the second inning of Tuesday’s Class 4A sectional opener against LaPorte. Usually, that’s not newsworthy. It is when a team still finds a way to score three runs in the inning. The Bulldogs took advantage of eight LaPorte walks on the way to a 6-0 victory against the Slicers. LaPorte pitchers surrendered five walks and also hit a batter during the Bulldogs’ three-run second inning. “You can’t do anything with ball four,” LaPorte coach Scott Upp said. “That kind of sums up the story, ball four.” Crown Point pitcher Ronnie Plesac …

Baseball: Evan Garthus leads Hanover past Rensselaer in KV Sectional opener

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:05:18 -0500

WHEATFIELD — A two-run single by Evan Garthus broke a tie in the bottom of the six inning, leading Hanover Central to a 3-1 victory over Rensselaer in the opening game of the Kankakee Valley Sectional. “We got the hits when we had to,” said Hanover coach Doug Nelson. “Our approach has to be better. But any win in the postseason is a good win; it beats the alternative.” Garthus drove in all three runs for Hanover, adding an RBI single in the second inning. “It was a tight game the whole way, I knew we had to get something …

Boys track: LaPorte’s Anthony Didion has eye on state

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:05:51 -0500

A couple seasons ago, it looked like Anthony Didion was gearing up to be the next distance ace for LaPorte. “Freshman year he was very good,” LaPorte co-coach Tim Beres said. “Last year he was off the radar.” It wasn’t that Didion wasn’t good. But he definitely wasn’t healthy. “Last year I was, like, sick all year,” he said, citing bouts of mononucleosis and pneumonia. “It was a drag.” So instead of joining with then-senior Mitch Hubner to give the Slicers a dynamic duo in the middle distances, Didion was left to look ahead to better times. Those have arrived …

Girls tennis: Munster blanks improved Whiting squad

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:04:47 -0500

HIGHLAND — Heavy rain clouds loomed in the skies over Highland High School throughout Wednesday’s regional. But not a drop splashed onto the courts. For victorious Munster, the No. 14 team in the state, the setting was reminiscent of some of the hurdles the Mustangs have overcome in 2013. But the Mustangs say they’re not done fighting. “I think everyone is playing at the top of their game and that’s what it’s going to take to be competitive with a team like (possible semistate opponent and No. 1 ranked) Carmel,” Mustangs coach Bill Heuer said. The top NCC team (19-4) …

Girls tennis: Penn tops Valparaiso to advance to semistate

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:04:56 -0500

LAPORTE — A couple of downpours early didn’t damper Penn in any way as the Kingsmen were strong in capturing a 5-0 victory for the regional crown over Valparaiso, advancing to the semistate round in LaPorte next week. Though Valparaiso suffered the defeat, the Vikings won the praise of their coach for their overall performance. “They (Penn) were exactly what we expected and we fought hard and battled to the end and sometimes it’s the fight that means more than the win, I am very proud of the effort all the girls gave tonight,” Valparaiso coach Tim Shideler said. “We …

Boys golf: Valparaiso wins with 2nd straight strong round

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:04:32 -0500

CHESTERTON — Valparaiso coach Wayne Lichtenberger was worried about the dreaded letdown. The Vikings had played a marvelous round of golf on Tuesday, shooting a school-record 140 for nine holes at Forest Park in a Duneland Conference match against Lake Central and Merrillville. It’s hard to be really good two days in a row. It’s also hard for the Vikings to be good at the DAC tournament. Last year, Valparaiso imploded and finished in fifth place in the conference meet. Wednesday, the Vikings followed up with a round that was just as impressive as their Tuesday score, shooting a 295. …

OSIPOFF: RailCats off to solid start after first homestand

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:32:01 -0500

GARY — Wichita won the Central Division in each of the RailCats’ first two seasons in the American Association. Last season, the Wingnuts went 59-41, posting the second-best record in the league. In 2011, they went 55-45, edging Gary by one game in the division. “It gives us a little bit of a benchmark,” manager Greg Tagert had said of Wichita before the start of the RailCats’ just-completed three-game series, comparing the Wingnuts to teams such as Fargo-Moorhead and Winnipeg. “It will give us an early indication of where we’re at, and where we need to be.” Yes, it is …

Kent’s Run 5K set for Saturday in Valpo

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:04:20 -0500

In its sixth year, the Kent’s Run 5K will kick off on Saturday in Valparaiso to honor the legacy of an adventurous boy and continue to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The race is set to start at 8 a.m. at Boone Grove Middle School (325 W. 550 S., Valparaiso). Kent’s Run 5K was established in memory of Kent Ribordy, a 16-year-old who died of Leukemia on June 17, 2007. In five years, Kent’s Run has raised more than $150,000 to help fight blood and related cancers. Interested runners can register for the event online through Thursday …

‘Killer’ first inning dooms RailCats in series finale

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:05:42 -0500

GARY — In about the blink of an eye, the RailCats were trailing Wichita on Wednesday. And they never recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Wingnuts at the Steel Yard. The first four batters of the game reached against Stephen Hiscock — hit batter, single, single and CJ Ziegler’s crushed three-run homer to left field, his American Association-leading fifth long ball of the season. After that rough first, Hiscock actually pitched relatively well for the remainder of his five-inning outing, allowing just an unearned run. But the damage had been done. “We’re obviously going to have to get better …

Praise together: Bears family salutes Brian Urlacher

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:31:51 -0500

Although his talent, intelligence, accomplishments on the field and overall value to the Bears always said superstar, Brian Urlacher always just wanted to be one of the guys. “You always knew you could call ‘Lach and he would do whatever he could to abide that,” former Bears fullback Jason McKie said. “He was the type of guy who would take the shirt off his back if you needed it. ““He never put himself above anybody. He always went out of his way to speak to everybody in the building, whether you were an undrafted guy, a tryout guy, a first-, …