Post-Tribune

‘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 …

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 …

New division for P-T Awards Tournament

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:03:39 -0500

Over the years, the Post-Tribune Awards Tournament for women and men has gone through changes, and there are some older Northwest Indiana bowlers who have expressed their displeasure. And I can relate to them since I’ve always been adverse to change — just ask my supervisors over the last 14 years. I can be stubborn, which is also the best word to describe those dissenting region bowlers who used to be regulars in the P-T tourneys, but are hit or miss on attendance lately. Change is part of life, and that especially goes for bowling in which the demographics have …

RailCats win third straight on controversial call

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:05:45 -0500

GARY — Colt Loehrs appeared to make a terrific diving catch in left-center field to end the fourth inning. Or did he? Drew Martinez’s liner was ruled a trap, a two-run double that lifted the RailCats to a 2-1 win over Wichita on Tuesday at the Steel Yard. The game included an excellent start from left-hander Ari Ronick, a productive return for Brian Kolb, and strong work from the bullpen. But that controversial call was a centerpiece in Gary’s second straight win against the Wingnuts and third straight overall. “Several of our guys in the bullpen thought it was down. …

Alain Quijano sparks RailCats victory over Wichita

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:36:00 -0500

GARY — The RailCats were hoping to see the “real” Alain Quijano on Monday night against Wichita. “Hopefully the hoopla is behind us, and hopefully he’ll settle in and be on his game,” manager Greg Tagert said before the game, after the left-hander had allowed seven runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings on Opening Day. Quijano obliged, tossing six scoreless innings as the RailCats topped the Wingnuts 5-1 at the Steel Yard. He allowed five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. “Just getting ahead of those guys was key, keeping them aggressive,” Quijano said. “They have a …

Pulfer is Danny on the spot for RailCats

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:01:57 -0500

GARY — Greg Tagert doesn’t want to be shorthanded and Danny Pulfer doesn’t want to see a teammate go down. But both situations come up during the course of a minor-league season and when they do, the RailCats like to have a safety net. That’s Pulfer’s role right now and he’s cool with it. On Sunday, he started again with Brian Kolb out and scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the ninth as Gary edged Lincoln 6-5 before an announced crowd of 2,031 at the Steel Yard. That gave the RailCats a split of their …

Americans waste no time qualifying for Indy

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:02:06 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS — Bump Day at Indianapolis followed the script. No surprises, no drama and no drivers getting bumped. On a day devoid of tension and rumors, all nine drivers who made attempts on the second and final day of Indianapolis 500 qualifications made it into the 33-car field, led by two young Americans — Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal — who easily had the two fastest cars on the track. “I don’t want to sound too confident, but I knew we would be fine,” Newgarden said after delivering the day’s best qualifying run at 225.731 mph. “I think we would …

Baseball: One hiccup leads to RailCats loss against Lincoln

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:05:54 -0500

GARY — By and large, the RailCats played a crisp game on Saturday night, especially in comparison to Friday’s. But a hiccup opened the door for Lincoln to come away with a 4-3 win at the Steel Yard. On a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth, the hot-hitting Dennis Raben drilled a two-run double up the right-center field gap to snap a 2-2 tie, against Marco Gonzalez. The inning had started, though, when Estevan Uriegas struck out Daniel Carroll on a ball in the dirt, and Ryan Babineau bounced his throw to first baseman Steve Liddle, allowing Carroll …

Indy 500: Ed Carpenter is surprise pole winner

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:07:41 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS — Ed Carpenter beat both the most successful team in Indianapolis 500 history and the one that dominated practice this week to take the pole for the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Saturday. Carpenter, an Indianapolis resident, Butler grad, stepson of former track president Tony George and who formed his own team, watched a couple of furious challenges fall short in the final moments of time trials to claim the top spot with a four-lap average of 228.762 mph in his No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Dallara-Chevrolet. “It’s an honor to win this pole – this is such a competitive field,” …

Illiana Speedway: Veteran Mike White holds off youngster for late-model win

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:42:26 -0500

SCHERERVILLE — Mike White got some help from lapped cars. When it came time, however, to finally step up in Saturday night’s 30-lap late-model feature at Illiana Speedway, the veteran helped himself. With youngster Paul Shafer Jr. breathing down his neck, White was able to get underneath race-long leader John Nutley as they roared down the backstretch on lap 22. By the time they reached the starter’s stand the pass was complete. Shafer made it interesting over the final six laps, but White eventually prevailed by three car-lengths in the Ray Wroblewski-owned No. 14. White showed some early signs that …

Auto racing: Andretti drivers have been fastest during Indy 500 practices

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:03:50 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS — Rain or shine, Andretti Autosport emphatically stamped itself as the favorite to win the pole during qualifying Saturday for the 97th Indianapolis 500. A fierce mid-afternoon storm cut short Friday’s practice session by about three hours. Just about an hour after the track opened, E.J. Viso cut a tow-aided lap of 229.537 mph, fastest of the month. The Venezuelan, seeking his sixth 500 start, became the fourth member of the five-driver Andretti Autosport team to be the fastest in a session. Viso joined Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe and rookie Carlos Munoz — who turned the trick twice this …

Railcats fall to Saltdogs, 10-4

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:02:51 -0500

GARY — Any chance the RailCats had of fashioning a second straight comeback pretty much burned up in a ragged sixth. Without the benefit of a hit, Lincoln scored four runs in that inning on its way to a 10-4 win on Friday night at the Steel Yard. In an inning in which Takahiro Matsuka made a less-than-spectacular RailCats — and American — debut, the Saltdogs used three hit batters (they were hit a total of five times in the game), a walk, a sacrifice fly and two errors by second baseman Chase Tucker on the same play to break …

Fantasy NASCAR: Readers benefit from popular drivers’ finishes

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:03:24 -0500

It was pretty obvious last weekend’s race at Darlington would be a high-scoring week for the readers in our sixth annual Fantasy NASCAR contest as soon as the white flag was waved. When the top seven are all popular drivers — unlike in every restrictor plate race — you know it will be one of those nice weeks. The parade of popular drivers was led by Matt Kenseth, who not only got a reprieve last week on much of his previous penalty from NASCAR — he got back about half of what he was penalized on an appeal — but …

Illiana Speedway: Jeff Cannon back in driver’s seat

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:03:34 -0500

Veteran Illiana Motor Speedway super late model driver Jeff Cannon says that it’s “dumb luck” that he’s leading the super late model division. Because his car hasn’t run anything like he hoped it would in two races this season. So he’s hoping the third time is the charm. Cannon, who won super late model division titles in 2007, ’09 and ’10, finished third in both features this season but still leads the division with 243 points. He said his goal isn’t to win the division title; he wants to win every single race. “We’ve been racing the crate car; we’ve …

RailCats veterans lead rally for win in opener

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:16:00 -0500

GARY — On Opening Day, it seemed somehow appropriate that a pair of veterans propelled the RailCats to a win. Mike Massaro started a comeback, and Adam Klein completed it, as they edged Lincoln 9-8 in 11 innings on Thursday night at the Steel Yard, after they had fallen behind by four and five runs in the first two innings. “It feels great not only to win, but to win in the fashion that we won. … To come all the way back, to me, is really impressive,” Klein said. “It’s very indicative of the character of this ballclub, something …

RailCats preview: Cats looking to reach American Association playoffs for first time

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:30:10 -0500

GARY — Since joining the American Association for the 2011 season, the RailCats have yet to make the playoffs, including last season’s 50-50 record. They seem confident that they will break through this season. Alain Quijano will start on Opening Day for the RailCats against Lincoln on Thursday night at the Steel Yard. Ari Ronick, Stephen Hiscock and Will Krout were expected to follow in a rotation that includes two left-handers (Quijano and Ronick) and two righties. Hiscock and Krout could switch to give the former an extra day, depending on the state of his pitching hand, in which he …