Dramatic delivery
Knopf ’s 2-run double in 8th lifts Lake Central over rival Munster in back-and-forth sectional semifinal
Lake Central senior Ethan Knopf exhaled and attempted to put the rivalry with Munster into context.
“I can’t tell you,” he said. “Ever since I came in as a freshman, we don’t like Munster, they don’t like us. It’s always rowdy. But it’s great. It’s a great environment to play in.”
The latest environment came in the semifinals of the Class 4A Highland Sectional on Saturday, when Knopf hit the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning as Lake Central emerged with an 8-5 win against the Mustangs.
“I just wanted to put it in play and see where it goes,” Knopf said.
Garrett Weber, who earlier had a key tying homer and threw out a runner at the plate from left field, started the inning with a single. Joey Carra followed with a walk. After Knopf ’s double, Tennessee recruit Matt Santana added a run-scoring double.
Lake Central coach Mike Swartzentruber praised coach Mike Mikolajczyk and Munster after the game.
“I’ve coached a long time, and I can’t take much more of it myself,” Swartzentruber said. “I gave coach a hug. Obviously it’s easy for me to do. We won. But he showed a lot of class. These guys, that’s a damn good team. It’s two great teams.”
Lake Central (23-5), which won the Duneland Athletic Conference title this season, advances to the sectional championship game against Highland (16-8) on Monday. The Trojans topped Merrillville 10-3 in the other semifinal.
The loss was an emotional end to an emotional season for Munster (21-5), the co-champion of the Northwest Crossroads Conference and the ninth-ranked team in the state coaches poll. Mikolajczyk is in his first season after Indiana Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Shinkan stepped down following his 35th year and died of breast cancer on Feb. 24.
Munster ended Lake Central’s 2021 season with a 2-1 walk-off win in a sectional final. The Indians won the teams’ most recent matchup 10-5 on April 29.
“It’s just Ali-Frazier,” Mikolajczyk said. “It’s just two great programs. Both teams had opportunities. Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short. They’re well-coached. They’re a good program. Best of luck to them moving forward.
“These kids know each other through high school ball, through travel ball. So they’re buddies. But they’re rivals too. They compete. It’s just a heck of a high school baseball game.”
Griffin Tobias, an Indiana commit, earned the win in relief as both teams used three pitchers. He went three shutout innings, allowing three hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
“Tobias is a sophomore, but he’s a special sophomore,” Swartzentruber said. “He has ice in his veins. He loves the big moments. He competes. He’s a keeper, for sure.”
Lake Central scored three runs in the sixth to grab a 5-3 lead. Weber crushed a homer to left with two outs, Carra reached on an error, and Owen Williams tripled and scored on a throwing error.
Swartzentruber described Weber’s homer as the biggest hit of the game.
“We were on life support,” Swartzentruber said. “He put a charge into one, and we’re right back in it.”
Munster responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Kevin Hall had a run-scoring single, and Indiana State commit Brady Ginaven’s fly ball managed to fall to drive in the tying run.
DePauw commit Jake Thometz went 4-for-4 with a home run to lead the Mustangs, and Tyler Lukowski and Tyler Blair each drove in a run.
Columbia commit Hunter Snyder and Josh Adamczewski each had RBI singles for Lake Central.
“We looked dead a couple of times, and we rose,” Swartzentruber said. “They looked dead, and they rose. It was a hell of a game.”