Crown Point evens the score with Chesterton, splits series by scoring four runs in the seventh inning to win 5-4

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

After two days and 14 innings of tension-packed baseball, Crown Point and Chesterton both showed an abundance of talent and grit, but failed to answer one question: Which school has the better baseball team?
Coming from behind and winning in the seventh inning, 5-4, the Bulldogs took the bus back to Crown Point wearing smiles after gaining a series split.
The previous night, the Trojans took a festive bus ride back to Chesterton after winning it in the seventh inning, 1-0.
Five runs in the series for Chesterton. Five for Crown Point. One win apiece.
Which is the better team?
The 4A coaches poll says Crown Point, which is ranked second, compared to Chesterton’s No. 2 ranking, but if polls were trusted to answer such debates then the college football playoffs never would have come to life.
The DAC standings that show Chesterton with a 9-1 conference record say Chesterton is one game better than the Bulldogs (8-2), but since the schedules have not been even yet, that evidence wouldn’t stand up in a court of law. Chesterton’s remaining home-and-home DAC series are against Portage and Valparaiso, in that order. Crown Point faces Lake Central and then Michigan City.
Chesterton was better than Crown Point on Tuesday, however slightly. Crown Point was better Wednesday, barely.
Both schools would welcome a chance to settle the score in the postseason because that would mean they advanced all the way to the semi-state round.
The winners of the Crown Point and Chesterton sectionals do not meet in the regional round. The winner of the Chesterton sectional (Chesterton, Hobart, Merrillville, Portage or Valparaiso) will face the winner of the Mishawaka sectional (LaPorte, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Penn, South Bend Adams or South Bend Riley) in a regional.
Chesterton was on the verge of solidifying itself as the top team in the DAC on Wednesday, taking a 3-1 lead into the seventh before Crown Point scored four runs in the seventh and Chesterton one.
Trojans senior right-hander Dylan Bradford cruised through six innings, complementing his live fastball with three different breaking balls (curve, slider, sweeper) all of which he was throwing for strikes. To that point, he was throwing a one-hitter, had allowed one unearned run, in the first, one walk and had struck out five. His pitch count was low and nothing indicated he was growing tired.
It was his third consecutive dominant start. Counting his four-hit shutout at South Bend Adams on April 19, his one-hit home shutout vs. Lake Central and the first six innings vs. Crown Point, these were Bradford’s totals: 20 innings, six hits, one unearned run, seven walks and 21 strikeouts. Dominant numbers for anyone, especially so for a No. 2 starter.
“I found it early and everything felt good today,” Bradford said. “I was throwing everything out there today but the strikeout pitch was a sweeper, for sure.”
Afterward, Bradford said he felt as though he could pitch another game right then and there.
“I really wanted to keep going with that game but I think he made the right choice pulling me after getting those two runners on,” Bradford said. “It happens.”
Chesterton coach John Bogner sent Bradford back to the mound for the seventh. The excellent command Bradford displayed in the first six innings didn’t make the trip with him from the dugout to the mound.
To start the inning, Bulldogs No. 3 hitter Sean Dunlap walked and so did cleanup hitter Connor Gaines.
“I really wanted to keep going with that game but I think he made the right choice pulling me after getting those two runners on,” Bradford said. “It happens.”
Closer Rob Czarniecki, who had not allowed a run all year, came in from center field in search of his second save in as many nights. Crown Point executed a double steal to bring the tying run 180 feet away. The visitors cut halfway into the deficit when Andrew Long grounded out to Gary Kirkland for the first out and Dunlap scored. Czarniecki then struck out Logan Johnston and was one strike away from putting the game to bed and giving the Trojans a two-game lead in the conference race.
That’s when Czarniecki’s 2-2 offering to Carson Payne that started low and outside the strike zone drifted in and caught enough of the plate for Payne to hit it hard on the ground. A few feet in either direction, it’s groundout and a sweep is in the books. Instead, it took such a hard hop off the mound it landed in the outfield, bringing home Gaines with the tying run.
Brody Langhans walked and Nokimos Zaronias followed with a double to the corner in right field, scoring two runs to put Crown Point up 5-3. Czarniecki struck out Nathan Sheets and the Trojans went to work in trying to catch up.
Bulldogs coach Steve Strayer made a similar decision to that made by Bogner when he decided to let the pitcher who had been cruising stay in the game instead of going to his hard-throwing closer, Caden Matusak.
Khalin Figurski had thrown three consecutive scoreless innings and similar to Bradford, he didn’t bring his control to the mound for the seventh. He hit Chesterton’s first two batters, Troy Barrett and Eli McClelland with a pitch and then Strayer handed the ball to Matusak.
Caden Hackett bounced into a force play to put runners on the corners with one out for Kirkland, who also hit into a force play, driving in Barrett. Matusak struck out the next batter to secure the save.
When it was over, the biggest lament for the team that fell a run short was not about the final inning, rather the third, when the Trojans couldn’t turn two walks and a single into a run because a baserunner strayed too far off second and was picked off, and too far doesn’t have to be all that far when Dunlap is the one catching. He’ll be making his throws for Tennessee next year, unless he signs a professional contract after getting drafted.
Matusak’s best throw didn’t come from the mound, rather on a relay from short, cutting down a runner at the plate on Ethan Glassman’s double to the gap in left-center in the second inning. Matusak’s throws will be for Michigan next season. Nate Redman followed with a single to make the lead that could have been bigger just 2-1.
Chesterton fell behind 1-0 in the first on an unearned run, but Bradford didn’t trail for long. Czarniecki, who will play for Kentucky a year from now unless he signs with a Major League contract, belted a home run well over the fence in left-center, his fifth.
The big guns flexed their muscles in different ways in the entertaining series and there were plenty of positives that Chesterton could take out of the series, including Glassman continuing his hot hitting. He went 3 for 5 in the series and is batting .400 with 21 RBI and seven doubles. Bradford coming through with another superb start was as big a positive as any.
But there were also reasons for the Trojans to feel as if they let one slip away.
After the loss, Bogner bemoaned the team’s baserunning and failure to get down bunts.
“Yes, they won it, but we had some opportunities,” Bogner said.
As is typical when coaches have options and choose one that does not work out, Bogner questioned whether he made the right pitching decision.
“Dylan was good,” Bogner said. “We let him take the seventh. I hate to let Rob inherit the go-ahead run at the plate, but Rob’s Rob. He’s the guy. He’s the right guy to have in there. It just didn’t work out.”
Then he paused and said, “I’ll second-guess should I have let him come in and start the seventh because Rob comes in with nobody on and it’s his show. I don’t know. I’ll second-guess myself all the way home.”
And then he’ll turn his attention to the rest of the season for the 16-5 Trojans.
“That’s the beauty of it,” Bogner said. “Don’t have time to pout too long. We’ve got Illiana Chirstian on Friday (at home) and they’re pretty good.”