Post-Tribune

Baseball: Daniel Pobereyko does it all for Bishop Noll; Wheeler cruises to rout

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:05:07 -0500

WHITING — After being postponed a day, thanks to inclement weather, Class 2A Sectional 33 got underway with a doubleheader Thursday evening. In the nightcap, Bishop Noll topped Whiting 9-1. Whiting struck first on an RBI single from A.J. Veloz. Matt Dvorscak for the Oilers gave a nice pitching performance early, and finished with six strikeouts. Bishop Noll broke the game open in the fourth inning when starting pitcher Danny Pobereyko cranked an RBI double to the gap in left-center to tie the game 1-1. Noll took the lead 3-1 in the fourth when Angel Figuera brought in Poberereyko on …

Softball: Ashley Yoways, Melissa Balkema make adjustments, lead Hanover to win; Andrean cruises

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:05:24 -0500

WHEATFIELD — Up until the second season began, Hanover Central’s Ashley Yoways struggled throwing outside pitches, while teammate Melissa Balkema had a glitch in her swing. Yet each athlete spent extra time trying to overcome their struggles. The extra work paid off handsomely for the Wildcats in a 1-0 win over Kankakee Valley (23-7) in the first semifinal game of the Class 3A Kankakee Valley Sectional on Thursday night. Defending state champion Andrean (19-8) whipped Rensselaer in the second game, 10-0, and will face Hanover Central (16-9) in the title game at 5 p.m. Friday. Yoways spent time working with …

Softball: Wheeler avenges last year’s loss to Lake Station

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:05:33 -0500

LAKE STATION — Wheeler coach Bob Bruner admitted having flashbacks to last year midway though his Bearcats’ Class 2A sectional semifinal duel with Lake Station. Caitlin Acker, the same Caitlin Acker who Bruner says “hits about .700 against our pitching” hit a home run to give Lake Station the lead in the fourth inning. That’s where the flashbacks come in. It was Acker’s RBI double, which barely missed being a homer, led the Eagles to a win over Wheeler in last year’s sectionals. But the Bearcats (16-7)came back this time to score three runs in the fifth to take a …

Boys volleyball: Hebron players convince coach to put off retirement

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:05:44 -0500

After her Hebron boys volleyball team finished second in the state last year, head coach Kelly Dickensheets was ready to retire from coaching after more than 30 years despite the fact that she would have four solid returning players for the following spring season. However, in the subsequent months, those returning players and their parents persuaded their beloved coach to come back for just one more season, and she followed their wishes. What followed was an undefeated 14-0 fall season and a current spring season that has the state’s top-ranked Hawks boasting a 23-3 record, an undefeated mark in Indiana …

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 …

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 …

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. …

Softball: Abby Bondi delivers for Oilers in 8th at Lake Station Sectional

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:33 -0500

LAKE STATION — As hits go, it was certainly the biggest of Abby Bondi’s career. The Whiting senior delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Oilers a 3-2 victory over Bishop Noll in the opening round of the Class 2A Lake Station Sectional. “It’s probably my only big hit,” cracked a smiling Bondi. “I was pretty nervous. But we had an opportunity to score and we had to take advantage of it. I didn’t want to go another inning.” Whiting’s Michaela Brown set the table by doubling to right-center field with one out …

Softball: Kougars slam Calumet, 21-0, in KV Sectional

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:13 -0500

WHEATFIELD — Calumet leadoff hitter Jazzmin Haygood started the game with a smash off the left-field wall for a double against host Kankakee Valley in the opening game of the Kankakee Valley Sectional. It was the extent of the Warriors offense as the Kougars won 21-0 in five innings. Calumet starter Miranda Jackson (4-10) lasted only two-thirds of an inning as Kankakee Valley plated 14 runs in its half of the first. The Kougars’ No. 1 and 2 hitters batted three times each in the inning. The Kougars began pinch hitting for their starters. In the bottom of the second, …

Softball: Hobart edges MC in CP Sectional opener

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:22 -0500

CROWN POINT — It was a defining moment for Hobart and senior pitcher Dana Claussen. The Brickies were up by one run in the bottom of the fifth inning against Michigan City and the Wolves had the bases loaded and just one out. She could embrace the moment or let the moment define her. Two strikeouts later, Hobart was out of the jam on on its way to a 3-2 victory in Tuesday’s first game at the Crown Point Sectional. The Brickies (16-10) advance to face Valparaiso, which defeated Merrillville 10-0 in the nightcap. Claussen also struck out the final …

Softball: Westville pulls out sectional win in 12

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:42 -0500

UNION MILLS — In a three hour, 12 inning marathon, McKenzi Gardner walked to the plate to lead off the 12th inning with an 0-for-5 afternoon. She slapped a little ground ball that didn’t even reach third base. By the time the dust had settled and two throwing errors later, Gardner’s slap infield single looked like a towering home run as Westville (18-8) defeated rival South Central 9-7 to advance to Thursday’s championship. Gardner’s run broke a 7-7 stalemate. The game took so long that the second game between Triton and Culver was postponed until Wednesday. “When I came out …

Softball: Boone hangs in, but falls to hosts at Rochester Sectional

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:51 -0500

ROCHESTER — Against a tradition-rich, quality softball team like Rochester, taking advantage of opportunities is a must. Boone Grove failed to do that Tuesday in its 9-2 loss to host Rochester in the Class 2A sectional. North Judson just could not create any type of offense, falling behind by seven in the second inning, and lost to Winamac 16-0 in five innings, ending an 0-20 season. The Zebras led the Wolves 4-2 going into the final inning, and Boone had opportunities in the fifth and sixth innings that did not work out. Zebras junior Karli Murphy put an exclamation point …

Girls track: Vaulters lift Lake Central to regional title

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:49:01 -0500

CHESTERTON — Lake Central coach Ron Fredrick has one change he’d like to see for scoring the regional track meet. Announce the field events earlier. Of course, it can’t really happen that way since it takes the longest to finish events like the high jump, the pole vault and the discus. But Fredrick was perhaps the least concerned person on the track at the Chesterton Regional when his team was in second place, behind Merrillville for most of the night. He knew his girls were going to clean up when it mattered most. They did, particularly in the pole vault, …