Penn's Thompson shuts down Andrean

MERRILLVILLE – Penn pitcher Tyler Thompson was tough.

Andrean fireballer Zak Ryan wasn't too shabby, either.

The two talented pitchers found themselves locked in a classic duel in their nonconference showdown at Andrean Saturday.

In a contest where the start was delayed three hours due to a soaked infield, Thompson and Ryan gave a large group of fans from both teams a quick game.

In a showdown that lasted only 97 minutes, Thompson and the Kingsmen (2-0) emerged with a 2-0 victory over the two-time defending Class 3A state champion 59ers (2-1).

"Zak pitched really well,'' Andrean coach Dave Pishkur said. "The encouraging thing is he will be out there in our big games.''

The sophomore allowed four hits, had five strikeouts and walked two.

"It's one of the first games of the season,'' Ryan said. "We're still getting ready. The three-hour wait was tough. They're a really good team. I'm stoked about my performance. It was a game where we all could have done stuff better.''

Even though Thompson, a lefty, allowed only three hits, fanned five and walked two, the 59ers still had opportunities against him, they just couldn't cash in on them.

"We needed some two-out base hits, and today, we had none,'' Pishkur said. "Last week, we had five, two-out base hits. Two-out base hits.... they just break your back.''

The 59ers also had difficulty bunting.

"We didn't do a good job of bunting today,'' Pishkur said. "It's an important part of the game -- something you have to be able to do. I think Monday, we'll have a 2 1/2-hour bunting practice.''

The 59ers left seven runners stranded on base and just couldn't come up with the timely hit they needed to tie the score or gain the upper hand.

"That's the first time in at least three years we've been shut out,'' Piskur said.

The Kingsmen scored a run in the top of the third inning and made it stand up before adding an insurance run in the top of the sixth.

A two-out double by Kyle Schneider set up the opportunity for Sam Sweeden to drive him in with a single to make it 2-0, and give Thompson an insurance run he didn't need.

"We were happy to face Thompson today,'' Pishkur said. "We knew he was a good pitcher. We faced him last year. Penn's a team you kind of treat as a state tournament game. They're a very good team. The losing part of this is okay, as long as we get better from it.''

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