Page 26 - 2013-14 Baseball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

Norwell Edges Jasper for 3A State Championship
A record Friday night crowd of 3,522 saw Josh VanMeter score
both Norwell runs and also get it done on the mound as the third-
ranked Knights edged top-ranked Jasper 2-1 for the IHSAA Class 3A
Baseball State Championship at Victory Field.
VanMeter walked to lead off the third and fifth innings and was driven
home both times by Jonah Patten base hits. Patten’s single to center
in the third inning scored VanMeter from third and his double to right
center in the fifth inning scored Van Meter from second base. Patten
finished the game 2-for-3 as did teammate Austin Dettmer.
VanMeter (14-1) went the complete game on the mound holding the
high-powered Jasper bats to just three hits and eight strikeouts.
It was the third 3A state championship in 11 years (2003, 2007) for
Norwell (33-3) and first under coach Andy McClain. McClain became
the first coach to lead two different schools to a state championship
game. His Brebeuf Jesuit team finished as the 3A runner-up a year
ago.
Jasper (32-4) scored its run in the bottom of the second inning as Aus-
tin Alles scored from third on a fielder’s choice. He led off the inning
with a single to left, advanced to second on a throwing error and later
took third on a wild pitch.

Wildcats pitcher Nick Gobert absorbed the loss to finish 9-1. His father,
Terry, is in his 26th year as Jasper’s head coach.
Elkhart Central wins First Baseball State Championship

Elkhart Central picked up the only run it needed thanks to their
lead-off hitter as the Blue Blazers beat Indianapolis Cathedral 1-0 for
the 2013 4A IHSAA Baseball State Championship at Victory Field.
Senior Tanner Tully, the first man up in the bottom of the first,
scored the only run of the game on a towering shot over the right field
wall that hit near the top of the lawn seating area. Tully (10-1) also
dominated on the mound, holding Cathedral to five hits and striking
out 13 including three straight to end the game.
Besides Tully’s homer, Cory Malcom and Austin McArt each tallied
a hit for Elkhart Central.

It was Elkhart Central’s first baseball state championship in its first
trip to the final game, and the school’s sixth overall. The most recent
was for boys track and field in 1993.
Cathedral’s Alex Boos (11) had two hits and Mike Hammel, Will
Birch and Brendan Flood contributed one each. The Fighting Irish
stranded five runners on base. Sophomore pitcher Ashe Russell (12-1)
only gave up three hits and struck out five.

Eighteenth year coach Steve Stutsman’s Blazers concluded a
32-1 season and handed Cathedral (28-1) its first loss of the year. The
Irish were bidding to become the fourth undefeated state champion in
state history. Rich Andriole is the 17th year Cathedral head coach.
26 IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport!