By Pete Cava
PBR Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – In a game at Victory Field that featured tight pitching, solid defense, clutch hitting, and two of Indiana’s most fabled prep baseball programs – not to mention what seemed like enough rain to float an ark – Andrean’s Fighting 59ers claimed their second consecutive IHSAA Class 3A title Friday with a 2-1 win over the Jasper Wildcats. 

The contest pitted Terry Gobert’s No. 1-ranked Jasper team against No. 8 Andrean and Dave Pishkur.  The two Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame coaches entered the night with a combined total of 1,502 career victories – 894 for Pishkur (a 36-year veteran) and 708 for Gobert (who is in his 28^th season).   

“It is really, really high up there,” Pishkur replied when asked where this ranks on his all-time win list, “because we didn’t give this team much of a chance.  We had no pitching back (from last season).  We had zero wins coming back this year.  I thought we were going to have a hard time winning today.   I’m just so happy we came out on top.” 

Bad weather postponed the start of the contest for an hour and 19 minutes, and midway through the fourth inning a second downpour forced a 59-minute intermission.  In the end, however, neither rain, nor gloom of night nor the top-ranked Wildcats (30-2) could deny Andrean its fifth state championship over the past 11 seasons.    

“Nobody had an advantage or a disadvantage during that rain relay,” said Pishkur.  “It is what it is.  It was even for both teams.”  

Junior southpaw Luke Jaksich started for Andrean (30-6) and looked shaky at the outset.  Jasper's Tyler Haskins opened the game with a walk and Craig Shepherd forced him at second.  After Austin Alles drew a base on balls, the runners moved up on a wild pitch.  Jaksich got the next batter on a grounder to second to end the threat. 

The 59ers also stranded a pair in their half of the first.  Chase Dawson led off with a single and was forced at second by John Albomonde.  Jasper starter Cal Krueger, a junior right-hander, slipped a third strike past Nick Podkul, but Kevin McCune walked to put runners at first and second.  The inning ended when Noah Davis went down looking. 

Jaksich squelched another Jasper rally in the top of the fourth.  Austin Alles opened with a single and stole second.  One out later, a wild pitch on ball four to Ben Moore sent Alles to third. Moore pilfered second, but Jaksich got Evan Aders on a called third strike and Tyler Begle flew out to center. 

More rain arrived before the bottom of the fourth could begin.  The ground crew covered the field as both sides retreated to their dugouts.  

Pishkur said his players had a good time during both delays.  “It was a calm dugout all the way,” he said.  “We were joking, we were talking about next year, and all that stuff.  You’ve got to keep ‘em loose.  This is kind of a loose bunch, but they’re a tough group.”  

After the break, Jasper’s Gobert had Brandon Bayer, another junior righty, warming up in the bullpen in case Kruger showed ill effects from the layoff.  But sandwiched around a pair of walks, Kruger struck out the side.   

Jaksich opened the top of the fifth with strikeout, but then ran into trouble.  Grant Theil got things started for the Wildcats with a one-out walk, and Tyler Haskins and Craig Shepherd bunted for singles. With the bases loaded and no outs, Pishkur summoned Kevin McCune from third base to replace Jaksich, who moved to first.  Swinging at McCune's first pitch, Austin Alles sent a fly ball to left that sent home Theil with the game's first run. 

Andrean tied the score in the bottom of the fifth when Chase Dawson lashed a one-out triple to left-center and raced home on a wild pitch. 

The 59ers pulled ahead in their final turn at bat.  With one gone, Noah Davis beat out an infield hit and advanced on Parker Huttel’s sacrifice bunt.  After Jaksich drew a walk, Clay Thompson looped a double into the right-center field gap that scored Joe Albomonde, pinch-running for Davis. 

“I was looking for a first-pitch fastball,” said Thompson, Andrean’s freshman left fielder and eight-hole hitter.  “I just tried to put a good swing on it, and do what I had to do for the team”  

McCune, who allowed one hit over two and two-thirds innings of relief, fanned the last two Jasper batters to give Andrean back-to-back state crowns.  

“The whole post-season, I knew I was the first one coming out in relief,” said the sophomore right-hander.  “You can’t feel the pressure.  You have to block it out and act like it’s another game.” 

Krueger went all the way for Jasper, giving up five hits and five walks with nine strikeouts.  

“It was a well-played game on both sides,” said Pishkur.  “That was a fine, fine, fine Jasper team, with a really outstanding pitcher on the mound.  If you want to (predict) the No. 1 3A team for next year, it’s going to be the Jasper Wildcats.”  

Chase Dawson and Clay Thompson had two hits apiece for Andrean, while Austin Alles went 2-for-2 for Jasper with sacrifice fly.   

Ben Moore, Jasper’s senior left fielder, received the Class 3A L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award.   

Minus the interruptions, the game lasted an hour and 51 minutes.  

Notes:  Heading into Friday’s game, Jasper had won 11 in a row.  The Wildcats opened the season with 19 consecutive victories before losing 1-0 at Mount Vernon in 12 innings on May 12.  Mount Vernon's Cody Mobley blanked Jasper through the first frames.  Earlier this month, the right-handed Mobley was the Seattle Mariners' eighth-round pick in the MLB Draft. 

Andrean came in with a six-game win streak.  The 59ers had won 13 of their last 14 games. 

Friday marked Jasper's eighth appearance in the baseball state finals.  The Wildcats won titles in 1996, 1997, 1998 (3A), 2000 (3A), 2006 (3A), and were runners-up in 2010 (2A) and 2013 (3A), all on Terry Gobert’s watch. 

This was Andrean's fifth state championship appearance, all with Pishkur at the helm. The 59ers won in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014, and took second in 2004, all in Class 3A. 

Andrean and Jasper met once before in the IHSAA title game at Victory Field.  That was in 2010, when the 59ers won 6-1. 

Jasper's Cal Krueger is a second-generation Wildcat.  Blake Krueger, Cal's dad, caught for Jasper Hall of Fame coach Ray Howard in the 1986 IHSAA tournament.  The elder Krueger went on to play for Indiana Southern University.  Cal has committed to Indiana U.  On May 2, Krueger beat visiting Cathedral 3-0.  The junior right-hander outdueled Ashe Russell, the first-round draft pick (21^st overall) of the Kansas City Royals. 

Four members of Andrean's squad will play college baseball next year – shortstop Nick Podkul (Notre Dame), second baseman Chase Dawson (Valparaiso), right-handed pitcher Stone Brogan (Rose-Hulman) and outfielder Parker Huttel (St. Joseph's). 

Podkul was supposed to report for classes in South Bend this week, but didn't make it due to the championship game.  

Pete Cava is the author of Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players:  A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014, coming soon from McFarland Publishers.