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Andrean junior Mason Sannito singled in pinch runner Robbie Ballentine in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the 59ers a 2-1 victory over Edgewood in the Class 3A championship game.

Ballentine pinch ran for Rigo Martinez, who led off the inning with a double down the left field line off Edgewood pitcher Luke Hayden to give the 59ers their seventh state title. Andrean has now won two straight 3A championships and four in the last six years.

The victory gave long-time coach Dave Pishkur his seventh state title tying him with the late Ken Schreiber of LaPorte and Lafayette Central Catholic’s Tim Bordenet for the most in IHSAA history. Earlier this season, Pishkur passed Schreiber as the all-time winningest coach in state history. Today was his 1,014th victory.

Andrean finishes the season at 36-1, winning its final 35 games. The only loss came to Father Ryan High School of Nashville, Tenn.

The dramatic ending to the only finals matchup of the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams came after a classic pitcher’s duel featuring Hayden and Andrean’s Michael Doolin. Hayden was perfect through 3 1/3 innings and finished with only three hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. Both Andrean runs were unearned.

Doolin, the Vanderbilt recruit who also won last year’s 3A title game, allowed only four hits and one run, while striking out a 3A championship game 15 with one walk. Combined, Doolin and Hayden struck out 25 batters, a state championship record in any class.

Edgewood (24-4) broke through in the sixth inning on Coleman Sater’s two-out, RBI triple that scored Ethan Vecrumba, who earlier reached on an infield single. The 59ers tied it in the bottom of the sixth when pinch runner Ben Warren streaked home from third after Edgewood misplayed a dropped third strike.

The Mustangs committed four errors in the game.

Edgewood coach Bob Jones was leading the Mustangs into the state final for the first time in his 34-year tenure.

Andrean’s Michael Doolin named Mental Attitude recipient
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Michael Doolin of Andrean High School as the winner of this year’s L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A Baseball.

Doolin was named the 2018-19 Gatorade Indiana Baseball Player of the Year, the first to be chosen from Andrean High School. Doolin was the winning pitcher in last year’s 3A state championship game tossing a complete game, and came into tonight’s game with an impressive 13-0 record with a 0.40 ERA.

Michael has played baseball all four years as a fighting 59er, on top of maintaining a cumulative GPA of 4.4052 ranking him 6th in his class. In his community, Doolin has served locally on behalf of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, where he raised $1,200 this year, the highest amount raised by a high school student. He also gives back to the sport of baseball by working with younger local baseball teams.

Michael is the son of Theresa and Fendton Doolin of Schererville, Indiana.  He will continue his baseball career at Vanderbilt University and will study Pre-Med.

The award is annually presented to an outstanding senior participant in each state championship game who has best demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in baseball. The award is named in honor of the late L.V. Phillips, who served as the second commissioner of the IHSAA from 1945-62.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA's corporate partner, presented $1,000 to Andrean High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Michael Doolin.