Nerves weren’t a problem for Crown Point junior right-hander Logan Johnston on Monday night.
The 6-foot-6 Indiana commit entered the Class 4A Lake Central Sectional championship game against the host Indians in the fifth inning with a one-run cushion — and maybe too much excitement.
“There was a little bit of adrenaline,” Johnston said. “But once you get used to that, you can settle down, block everything out and start pounding the zone.”
Johnston did just that as he stymied defending state champion Lake Central over the final three innings, allowing only one hit, in Crown Point’s 7-2 win in St. John.
Johnston’s work in relief helped the Bulldogs (27-4), who were ranked No. 3 in 4A in the final coaches poll, oust the No. 5 Indians (25-6) and advance to the regional championship game against No. 8 Valparaiso on Saturday.
“The kids worked their tails off for this,” Crown Point coach Steve Strayer said. “They saw LC get it last year, and they wanted it too. We’ve got a long way to go yet, but it was nice to get this one.”
Johnston entered the game after junior second baseman Caden Matusak, a Michigan commit, scored on a wild pitch to give Crown Point a 3-2 lead. After Johnston pitched two scoreless innings, junior right fielder Sean Dunlap, a Tennessee commit, provided insurance with a grand slam in the top of the seventh.
“That was a good feeling,” Johnston said of Dunlap’s homer. “It made my job a lot easier, and that’s what they’ve been doing all season.”
Johnston pitched around an infield hit in the bottom of the seventh to secure Crown Point’s win. He didn’t allow an earned run in five innings against Lake Central on May 13 and followed a similar script.
“Just throw strikes,” he said. “As a pitcher coming in, that’s my job, throwing strikes and pounding the zone to make them hit it. I faced them earlier, did the same thing, and it worked. So I just kept with the same plan.”
Those two games are part of an impressive stretch for Johnston, who wasn’t at his best earlier in the season.
“He’s been one of our best pitchers these last few weeks,” Strayer said. “He was beating himself up on the mound, but he quit doing that. Instead of thinking about what has happened, he’s thinking about what he has to do, and he’s really taken off.”
Johnston also blamed mechanical flaws for his struggles.
“The start of the season was a little rough for me,” he said. “But the coaches here know what I do best, and practicing the mechanics with them has always helped me. Bullpens, long toss — I just kept throwing, trying to bring that mechanical stuff back.”
In Johnston’s last seven appearances, he has allowed only one earned run over 28 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 1.14. He’s 3-1 with two saves.
Crown Point senior catcher Jase Horton has noticed the difference in Johnston’s more recent appearances.
“He started getting dialed in the more he got on the mound throughout the year,” Horton said. “By the end of the year, he was pretty much untouchable.”
Just like Johnston was against Lake Central on Monday.
“He was lights out,” Horton said. “That’s all I can say.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
