Nauracy leads Crown Point over Trojans

Updated: April 6, 2011 3:26PM

Nick Nauracy was uncomfortable enough as it was, trying to answer unfamiliar questions from unfamiliar reporters in an unfamiliar setting.

Then Steve Lowe snuck up from behind his Crown Point teammate and smushed his face with a towel loaded with shaving cream.

Welcome to high school baseball, kid.

Nauracy announced his presence on the region baseball scene on Monday night, outdueling Purdue-bound Jordan Minch, striking out 11 batters and allowing just three hits in Crown Point's 4-1 victory over Highland.

Nauracy's a senior and has been a standout for Crown Point in Babe Ruth and other summer leagues, but it's his first year of high school ball after never managing to stick with the team.

"I never really got looked at," he said.

Well, with a fastball in the high-80s and a nice mix of pitches, he won't be unknown for long.

"I feel like I have to work my way up, and prove myself," Nauracy said while trying to claw the shaving cream off his tongue. "I need to show what I've got, what I can do."

Going up against Minch - who was also very sharp, striking out 13 Bulldogs - Crown Point coach Steve Strayer wasn't very optimistic coming into the game against a very good Highland squad.

"I'm happy as can be to beat a team like Highland," Strayer said. "I didn't think we'd come out here and get a win. Everybody's new on our team, so to beat Minch is great. A lot of that had to do with the way Nick pitched."

Both pitchers dominated as this week's Northwest Indiana Challenge - which annually pits the Duneland Conference against the Northwest Crossroads Conference - added a new twist this year, eschewing aluminum bats in favor of wood ones. The Hoosier Bat Company sponsored the series and provided all the bats.

The wooden bats have a significantly slimmer margin of error - a batter really needs to hit the sweet spot to drive the ball - so it levels the offensive playing field a bit.

"I like it, because we don't hit very well," Strayer said with a smile.

The Bulldogs hit just well enough in this one. With the score tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Jake Lindeman (who had an RBI single in the third) led off with a walk, stole second and scored the go-ahead run when Mike Manion found the sweet spot and cracked (not pinged) a liner over second base. A hit batsman and a bunt single loaded the bases, Manion scored on a two-out error, and Brett Bayer scored on a passed ball to give the Bulldogs (3-0) some insurance.

Nauracy gave up a leadoff single to Michael Urban in the top of the seventh - just the third hit he allowed - but got the next three in order, catching the last batter looking for his 11th and final strikeout.

Highland's best chance to get to Nauracy came in the top of the sixth. Down 1-0, Will Kerber walked and Jake Klocek singled to lead off the inning, and a wild pitch put them at second and third with nobody out. Matt Knesek then grounded out to shortstop, scoring Kerber with the tying run. But Klocek was thrown out trying to move to third on the throw, and Nauracy struck out the next batter to wriggle out of the jam.

"You don't get many chances with a kid throwing it as hard as he was, and mixing it up as well as he was," Miller said. "We're not good enough to just say, ‘We'll get them next inning.' Shoot, that was the best inning we had."

Minch allowed just five hits and struck out 13. In fact, the first seven outs he recorded were strikeouts. With Valparaiso's highly touted Jerrick Suiter likely to be on the mound in Crown Point's league opener, Strayer was glad to go up against one of the region's best in Minch.

"Yes I was," he said. "I had never seen him before, but I had heard how awesome he was. And he's as good as advertised."

Few had heard of Nauracy - who also got the win in Crown Point's opener against Warsaw, though Strayer said he was a little shaky in that one - before this one. If he keeps this up, that'll change quickly.

"He really picked it up a notch," Strayer said. "He's very talented, and he's keeping his emotions in check. He's done a nice job."

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