MERRILLVILLE | A celebration was waiting for Dave Pishkur after he won his 800th baseball game as Andrean’s coach.

The celebration could wait past the 5-2 win over South Bend Clay on Tuesday. An engraved Hoosier bat, a celebratory sign and a bottle of champagne were at the ready for the coach in his 33rd season with the 59ers.

But, like so many of the previous 799 wins, Pishkur ran the game through his head with the media and broke down what he liked and didn’t like.

“This just feels like a win,” Pishkur said. “No. 1, you got to have health, and God has blessed me with health for 33 years. Also, you’ve got to have a passion for it and where other people are making lots of money, I don’t, but I don’t enjoy myself any less. I enjoy being at the ballpark, I enjoy practice, I enjoy all this stuff.”

Pishkur’s youngest son, Mark, was on the mound for the last out, pitching 1 2/3 innings of relief. His older son, Ryne, coached at first base.

“Seeing my brother there for his 500th, that was a fun one, I remember that one like it was yesterday,” Mark said. “I wanted to be there for some milestone, and 800 was the next one. That was pretty exciting.”

The 59ers (21-2) didn’t make it easy. Falling behind 1-0 after the first, then working through a South Bend Clay 2-2 tie, Andrean took advantage of a few Colonials miscues.

Starting pitcher Zack Niemeth walked in the first two Andrean runs in the third inning. After he gave up three-straight hits in the fifth — a triple by Zac Ryan, a double by Mike Brosseau and an RBI-single by Nick Tobye — Niemeth was chased. Ryan scored two runs and Tobye drove in a two.

“So it’s just been a fun trip for 33 years and I’ve got seven, eight more whatever it will take me,” Pishkur said. “It hasn’t been work, ever.”