VALPARAISO — Andrean hit the halfway mark of the 2018 high school baseball season having won but one of its first 14 games.

The 59ers came in a game on Thursday, April 26 at Valparaiso’s Viking Field ranked No. 1 among Class 3A schools.

Still, Andrean coach Dave Pishkur had yet to see his team swing the bats the way he knows they can.

The 59ers rapped nine hits with a home run and two doubles in besting the Vikings 11-1 in six innings.

“It was a little better approach for our guys,” said Pishkur after his team moved to 14-1. “We’ve not had a really good offensive year.

“We’ve been the victim of a lot of strikeouts and called strikes and not very timely hitting.”

A team meeting was called on Wednesday with the idea of getting the players re-focused.

“They played much better today,” said Pishkur. “The second baseman (freshman Charlie Jones) made a really nice play (with a backhand stop and throw to retire Valparaiso senior Charlie Healey in the second inning.”

Junior right-hander Mikey Doolin moved to 4-0 for Andrean.

“He had good stuff,” said Pishkur. “He has to pick something up from each start. He’s 17 years old. He doesn’t know it all yet. Every time he goes out there it’s an opportunity to learn something about his craft.”

Valparaiso coach Todd Evans talked about Doolin and his team’s offensive approach.

“He was throwing first-pitch strikes,” said Evans. “We probably needed to do a better job of attacking that first pitch because that was the best pitch we were going to see.”

The Vanderbilt University commit struck out 12, walked two and yielded four hits. He also drove in two runs.

“This is one of the better games we played all year,” said Pishkur.

“The record indicates we’re good. But the they we’ve played doesn’t.

“Maybe this is the start of things to come?”

The bottom of the batting order started a three-run rally in the third inning as the 59ers broke a scoreless tie against Valparaiso senior right-hander Connor Brinson (loss; 4 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 4 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts).

Sophomore Jake Mullen, batting eighth, led off with a single to left field and junior Matt Lelito followed with a walk.

Senior Nick Fushi then walked to load the bases.

With one out, Doolin cracked a double to center field that plated Mullen and Leltio.

Fushi scored the third run on a sacrifice fly to right by senior Clay Thompson.

Andrean picked up three more runs in the fifth.

Mason Sannito led off with a walk and eventually scored on a passed ball.

With one out, senior right-hander Matt Jindra (1 inning, 5 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) relieved Brinson.

Jindra gave up an infield single to sophomore Tyler Nelson and walked senior Joe Rycerz. Junor Rigo Martinez then socked a two-run single to center to drive home Nelson and Rycerz.

Valparaiso spoiled Doolin’s shutout bid with a run in the bottom of the fifth.

Junior Logan Spillers lashed a one-out double to right field, moved to second on a single to center by Jindra and scored on a passed ball.

The 59ers responded with five runs in the sixth.

With one out, Fushi produced an infield single and later scored on a double to right by Sannito.

An infield hit by Nelson drove in Sannito.

Doolin (walk) and Nelson were on base when Rycerz turned a 2-1 delivery from junior right-hander Michael Jovanovic (2/3 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout) into a three-run home run to left.

The Vikings (7-5) were playing their third game in three days, having come off back-to-back Duneland Conference games against Lake Central.

“Pitching-wise, we probably didn’t have the staff we wanted to later in the game,” said Evans. “But hats off to (Andrean batters). They continued to hit the ball.

“They were sitting in some good hitter’s counts. We put ourselves in those positions. Walks and wild pitches is not the best recipe for a win.”

Pishkur has more than 900 wins in his Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame career. But Thursday’s game marked his first-ever at Valparaiso. While the 59ers and Vikings have not met that much on the diamond, Andrean was 0-3 on Valpo’s field.

“The last time we came in here two years ago, they shut us out,” said Pishkur. “In 1980, we came here and were up 3-0 and my kid had a no-hitter through six innings and (the Pat Murphy-coached Vikings) scored four runs in the last inning and won. This has not been a friendly park for Andrean. But we got a win and we’re happy about that.”

Crete-Monee (Ill.) visits Andrean and Valparaiso goes to Griffith, both Friday, April 27.

SHOWCASES

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Improve My Profile with HS Game Video	IN	06/03	Indiana
2018 Summer Trials	IN	06/05	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
2018 Top Prospect Games	IN	06/12	Purdue University - West Lafayette, IN
Future Prospects Showcase & Educational Camp	IN	06/26	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
Mid-Summer Open, Fort Wayne	IN	07/10	Carroll High School - Fort Wayne, IN
PBR ProCase - Midwest	IN	07/10	Silver Cross Field - Joliet, IL
Mid-Summer Open, Region	IN	07/17	Hobart High School
2018 Underclass Games (Invite Only)	IN	07/24	Indiana University - Bloomington, IN
Prospect Games at Notre Dame	IN	07/24	University of Notre Dame - Notre Dame, IN
2018 PBR Future Games (Indiana Invite Only)	IN	08/01	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
PBR Junior Future Games (Invite Only)	NATIONAL	08/02	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
GPA Games	IN	08/12	Lee Pfund Stadium - Carol Stream, IL