Penn's Tyler Thompson pitches 2-0 shutout over Andrean
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 4-12-2011

Andrean sophomore pitcher Zak Ryan (10) allowed just four hits Saturday (4-9-2011) against Penn. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Penn junior left-hander Tyler Thompson (1) pitched his second shut out of the season leading the Kingsmen to a 2-0 win over Andrean.

Andrean sophomore pitcher Zak Ryan (10) pitched a complete game, striking out five Penn batters.

Pitcher Zak Ryan watches shortstop Mark Brousseau grab this third inning ground ball aainst Penn Saturday (4-9-2011).

Andrean second baseman Mark Pishkur waits for the throw forcing out Penn's Kyle Richard (43) Saturday in Merrillville.

Andrean catcher Jordan Falls can smile despite the Niners losing 20 to Penn Saturday. Falls is a returning starter from the 2010 3A state championship team.

Penn third baseman Kyle Schneider (20) and second baseman Alex Hostetler have Andrean baserunner Tyler Ochi trapped in a third inning rundown. Ochi was tagged out and the 59ers never did score, losing to Penn 2-0.

Andrean softball starter Kelsie Plesac watches the 59ers baseball team Saturday against Penn. Kelsie's brother Joe is a sophomore reserve for the 59ers.

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
PENN (3-0)	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	4	2
ANDREAN (2-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

Saturday, 4-9-2011  -  61 degrees in MERRILLVILLE, IN

WP - Tyler Thompson (2-0) CG, 5K, 2 walks
LP - Zak Ryan (1-1) CG, 5 Ks, 2 walks

PENN (3-0)
Caleb Birky (CF) 0-for-4
Tyler Thompson (P) 0-for-4
Max Andreson (C) 0-for-3
Kyle Schneider (3B) 1-for-2, HBP. double, run scored
Sam Sweeden (SS) 1-for-3, RBI
Ryan Szklarek (RF) 0-for-1, 2 walks
Kyle Richard (1B) 1-for-2, sac bunt
Bradey Szekendy (LF) 0-for-2, HBP
Alex Hostetler (3B) 1-for-3

ANDREAN (2-1)
Mark Pishkur (2B) 0-for-3
Mike Brousseau (SS) 1-for-3
Tyler Ochi (3B) 1-for-3, double
Zach Goldasich (1B) 0-for-3
Cam Cooper (LF) 1-for-3
Zak Ryan (P) 0-for-3
Cody Haver (CF) 1-for-3
Brandon Pavlina (DH) 0-for-2, walk
Jordan Falls (CP) 0-for-1, walk

MERRILLVILLE, IN (04-09-2011) From a quality standpoint, It was worth waiting three hours to see 3A No. 7 Andrean play 4A No. 4 Penn Saturday afternoon.
Penn junior left-hander Tyler Thompson handed the 59ers their first shutout in four years, 2-0 over in the warm afternoon sunshine. A third inning wild pitch by Andrean right-hander Zak Ryan scoring Penn's Kyle Richard and Sam Sweeden's RBI single in the sixth were the only scoring plays of the game, which was delayed three hours while Andrean folks prepared the field after overnight rains.

Penn (3-0), which has shut out LaPorte 10-0, was impressive despite two errors as they handed the home team its first loss in three games.

"We have four or five games like this," said longtime Andrean coach Dave Pishker. "Penn, Carroll, Naperville, Norwell, and Brebeuf. We consider those games like state championship games. Those teams will have more than some of the teams we might see in the state tournament. We know Penn will have nine good players and a good pitcher. We wanted to face Thompson. He shut out LaPorte. You don't want to schedule Penn and have them throw their number four pitcher."

Penn most definitely did not do that. The Kingsmen were 23-7 last season when they won the Northern Indiana Conference championship and the Class 4A Sectional 3 championship.
They have returned six starting position players. Thompson wasn't overpowering, but he had good control and stayed strong all the way.

Andrean had runners at first and third in the first inning when Thompson struck out Cam Cooper. The Niners had runners at first and second in the second inning when Mark Pishkur's line drive was grabbed on a diving catch by Penn center fielder Caleb Birky.

Tyler Ochi doubled with one out in the third inning, but he was picked off second base by Penn catcher Max Andreson. Thompson retired the last five Andrean batters.

"We had some chances, but we didn't take advantage of them," said coach Pishkur. "We didn't hit the ball very well so we needed to take advantage of the chances we had. They did."

Andrean should have scored in the fifth when Brandon Pavlina walked and Brandon Falls was safe on an error. But when Mark Pishkur, trailing 1-0, popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt, the Niners lost the tying run. Mark Brosseau and Ochi both flied out, but had the younger Pishkur got the bunt down, Andean would have tied the game on Brosseau's flyball.

"We couldn't bunt today, could we?" said coach Pishkur afterward. "It looked like we didn't know how. If the weather's good (next week) maybe we'll just have a 2-1/2 hour bunting practice."

The Niners know that any one regular season game is irrelevant and this game was hardly a poor showing. The Niners double play team of shortstop Brousseau (35-88, .330 last season) and second baseman Mark Pishkur (28-79, .354) returns as does senior catcher Falls (22-51, .431) and Ochi (24-75, .320) in the outfield. The Niners new 6-foot-4 left-hander Mike Hanchar (he was ineligible by transfer rules last season) pitched a 6-4 win over Clark last week and is highly-regarded.

Ryan, who pitched Andrean's season opening day 18-2 win over Gavit, was happy with his performance as a pitcher, but the Niner sophomore is also the sixth place hitter for Andrean.

"We left a lot of runners on base (seven)," he said, "and I left a lot of them on. We've got to get better with men on base."

"We didn't hit very well," said coach Pishkur. "But we didn't make any errors. They're a very good team."

NINER NOTES: The last time Andrean was shut out was not immediately known by anyone at the ballpark Saturday. It goes back before the last two state championship teams, the 30-2 team of 2008 and the 2007 season when the Niners were 25-10.

Left-hander Mike Hanchar, who pitched the 59ers' 6-4 win over Gavit, is their number two pitcher and No. 3 is Matt DeSomer, a freshman from Lowell, who is also in line to be the Niners' next football quarterback.

Andrean is in the unusual position of being a two-time defending state champion. Obviously, every team they play knows that so the Niners won't see many backup pitchers. Most teams want to be the underdog. Can the Niner players handle that?

"I would hope so," smiled coach Dave Pishkur. "If you can't handle it, don't come here. That's the way it is. This is the position you want to be in."

Andrean plays Marian Catholic at the US Steelyard in Gary on Wednesday, April 20 at 4:30 p.m.

"Marian has the number one junior player in Illinois," Pishkur reports. "A left-handed pitcher and I would hope we see him. I don't know if we will, but I would hope so."

Andrean will also play Naperville Central at Notre Dame and they will play Metea Valley, Illinois, a new school in Chicago's western suburbs, on Wednesday, May 11.

Copyright © 2011 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: April 14, 2011.