Bulldogs bounce back
Crown Point regroups, tops Lake Central behind efforts of Pettit, Curiel and Phillips
Crown Point wasn’t in a good place after a loss to Highland on Saturday.
So the Bulldogs regrouped Monday with a long practice and a renewed focus.
The reboot definitely was worth it for Crown Point after its 11-3 win against visiting Lake Central in the Duneland Athletic Conference opener Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0) did a little of everything right against the Indians (2-2, 0-1), who are ranked No. 4 in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Class 4A poll.
Will Pettit (2-0) pitched 4 ⅓ solid innings, striking out six while walking two. Gabe Stout was solid in relief, and Cal Curiel and Jayden Phillips had timely hits.
Curiel, a senior shortstop, had a two-run single in the first inning, and Phillips had a two-run double in the fifth that put the game out of reach. Phillips came in as a pinch hitter to get the key hit.
Phillips, a senior who usually starts in the infield, was out of the lineup because Crown Point coach Steve Strayer wanted to get at-bats for some other kids.
Phillips said he was trying to be productive.
“I just came in to do my job,” he said. “Anybody can step up at any time. We had a lot of guys step up.”
Pettit was one of those guys. Strayer called him a pitcher who gives the team some grit. The senior was the starting quarterback for Crown Point’s football team.
“He just gets in there and goes to war and battles for us,” Strayer said.
Pettit’s biggest asset was his ability to throw strikes. He was rarely behind in the count.
“They have a really good lineup,” he said of the Indians. “We knew it was going to be a battle. The big thing was to throw two pitches for a strike.”
Pettit said it was important to play well after the loss Saturday.
“That was a rough one,” he said. “We knew we were better than that, and it left a bad taste in our mouth. We were looking forward to this game for a long time. They are a good team, and we wanted to bounce back.”
Lake Central coach Mike Swartzentruber said it was just one of those days.
The Indians played in Kentucky last week, winning two of three games. They lost to Louisville Trinity, which was ranked No. 1 in Kentucky, according to Swartzentruber.
He said Lake Central led 2-1 in the sixth inning against Trinity but then came “unraveled.”
He felt like the loss to Crown Point was a carryover from the weekend.
“I just didn’t have us ready to play,” he said.