Dumezich no-hits Westville in opener

WHITING -- Whiting took the first step in defending its state title, riding the spectacular performance of senior Mel Dumezich and defeating Westville 3-0 to move on to the sectional championship against Washington Township, a 13-2 winner in the first game against Marquette Catholic.

Dumezich fired a no-hitter, fanning a total of 17 batters along the way.

Westville knew coming into the game it was facing a very solid team, as well as the premier pitcher in the region, but that did not shake the Blackhawks, as they hung in the game battling to end.

"Mel is the best pitcher in the state and Whiting is a great team, I wish them luck as they go after another state title," said Westville coach Gary Dick.

Westville got very good pitching from starter Ashley Henrich, backed by solid defense to stay close throughout the game. But Dumezich dominated every hitter, as no one was able to hit the ball out of the infield.

Whiting had opportunities to score in the third and fourth, but Westville kept the Oilers from reaching the plate, keeping the game scoreless through four innings.

In the fifth, Whiting got on the board thanks to a clutch hit from Sarah Watkins, who drove in the first run of the game. Elizabeth Murzyn followed up with a shot to center to bring home Watkins, and that was more than enough for Dumezich.

"What a performance by a very good Westville team," Whiting coach Paul Laub said. "They held us scoreless on our field and with the talent we have, they are a very improved team and they should be very proud of their performance tonight.

"I am very pleased to get some key hits from our team when we needed it. You can learn a lot from a game like this and that is what I told our girls as we move on to the next game."

In the first game, Washington Township cruised to victory over Marquette Catholic.

The Senators scored at will through every inning besides the fifth, taking advantage of some key hitting as well as capitalizing on Marquette errors.

Washington Township will face Whiting on Thursday night to determine the sectional champion.

WASH. TWP. 13

MARQUETTE 2

WHITING 3

WESTVILLE 0