Against all odds, the Portage varsity baseball team snapped an 18-year sectional championship drought that dated back to 1994 with a 4-1 stunning of Crown Point in Wednesday night’s sectional championship game in La Porte.
Portage had reached the title game three consecutive years, but this year’s team was the one that finally broke through.
“Some of the best players in the state are on that squad over there (Crown Point) and to be able to scratch out a win against those guys is unbelievable,” head coach Tim Pirowski said.
Pirowski has had his sights set on a sectional title since taking the program over nine years ago. This season’s outlook appeared to be bleak after Portage concluded the regular season at 16-14 with four ten-run rule losses against Duneland Athletic Conference opponents and surprising losses in both games against Michigan City and against Hanover Central.
However, the Indians picked the right time to rap off three straight DAC victories for the first time this season.
“We got hot at the right time,” senior CJ Haupt said. “We just took it game-by-game, first Valpo, then Merrillville and then we got to Crown Point and we knew we were going to shock them. They were obviously supposed to win; it was great.”
Haupt doubled and scored in the fifth before lashing a run-scoring single in the sixth. Haupt’s two hits were the only two collected by Portage as a team.
“He had a huge game,” Pirowski said. “That was his best game of the year and he picked a hell of a time to have his best game, that’s for sure.”
Pirowski said that although the teams that he has coached the past three years have had more consistent players top to bottom, the difference this year was a pitching staff that featured a true ace in Chesterton transfer Kevin Jones.
“We’ve got a better ace,” he said. “We’ve got an ace that can shut down anybody.”
After coming on to record the final out of Portage’s 5-3 sectional semifinal victory over Merrillville to notch the save, Jones out-dueled Crown Point starter Ronnie Plesac in the nightcap to become the winning pitcher. Jones went the distance, allowing just one run on three hits. He battled through a back injury that he suffered after colliding with Crown Point first baseman Jake Jatis in the first inning.
Jones, a junior, is in his first year at Portage High School after transferring.
“I knew in Chesterton that I could come in and win any game that I needed to for my team,” he said. “I just needed a bigger role. I was ready to jump on it.”
The first run of the game came in unorthodox fashion as Ty Kniola struck out, but reached on a throwing error by Bulldogs’ catcher Bobby Morgan. Peter Psomadelis, who had walked, scored on the play, while Kniola motored all the way to third. Pinch runner Anthony Samano crossed the dish moments later on a Patrick Derr sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 in favor of Portage.
The Indians did not pick up their first hit of the game until Haupt’s fourth inning double. Tyler Soberg delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Haupt before Patrick Derr galloped home on Haupt’s sixth inning single. Crown Point’s only tally game in the bottom of the seventh by virtue of a hit batter, passed ball and wild pitch.
Portage dropped both regular season meetings with the Bulldogs, 4-3 in Crown Point on April 25 and 7-1 in Portage on May 16 before turning the tides on Wednesday night.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Haupt said. “I’m on cloud nine right now. We didn’t lose confidence in ourselves; we stayed together as a team. We knew we had to put it together at the end so we could make a sectional run and I knew we had some magic left in this team.”
Portage will need a bit more “magic” on Saturday as the Indians battle Lake Central (22-8) in the Class 4A LaPorte Regional at 10:30 a.m.