By Michael Moreci

LAPORTE - Tied at two heading into the fourth, Chesterton's Evan Parana did what he's done nearly every at-bat in this year's sectional: he drove in a run. It wasn't pretty--a ground out to short that scored senior Jeremy Ross who had doubled earlier in the inning--but it got the job done.

"All season long I was in the box, I was nervous," Parana said. "Now I'm not thinking, just watching the ball come in."

The early innings had the makings of a slug fest with both Chesterton and Valpairso scoring runs in the first frame. Valparaiso strater, junior Matt Krantz (2-3) struggled early but was able to settle in and give the Vikings six solid innings of work.

In the bottom of the fourth, holding on to a tentative 3-2, Chesterton starter Dan Detmar was pulled for junior Kevin Gates, who all but closed the door on Valparaiso.  Gates threw four strong innings and picked up the win, upping his season mark to 7-3.

But Valparaiso fought to the last pitch, show the resilience that has become the hallmark of its season. After scuffling in the beginning of the season then dropping five straight mid-year, the Vikings have come on strong as of late.

"If we would've played the way we've played recently, we would have won 25 ballgames," Coach Mickey Morandini said.

With the win, Chesterton advances to play No. 5 Crown Point on Friday. In their two meetings this season, Crown Point holds a 2-0 advantage over the Trojans.

"It's very hard to beat a team three times," Parana said.