Brebeuf Jesuit baseball coach Andy McClain had been warned that Western was a fast-starting team by former Braves coach John Zangrilli, now at Zionsville.
In each of the past two seasons, Western had big starts against Zionsville.
"So we knew we had to go out in the first inning and shut them down, but we didn't get it done," McClain said.
Western scored four runs in the top of the first inning en route to an 8-1 victory over the Braves in the Class 3A championship game before a Victory Field crowd of 3,399 on Friday night.
It was the first state baseball title for Western (25-9). Ty Calloway, inducted into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January, won his 640th game in 35 years as Western coach.
"So it's been a phenomenal year," he said. "It's one to remember."
Braves senior pitcher Connor Hale, who is headed to Notre Dame, gave up two-run doubles by Evan Warden and Austin LaFollette in the first inning.
After that, Hale settled down for the next four innings but the damage was done.
"We just didn't get off to a good start," said Hale (7-2).
He captured the 3A Mental Attitude Award, but it was little consolation after the game.
Western's Ronnie Smith, a 6-6 junior, didn't allow a hit through four innings. He gave up an RBI single to Brebeuf's Michael Paisley in the fifth and allowed two hits with four strikeouts and three walks in five innings.
"(Smith) pitched a whale of a game," McClain said "We've had a good hitting team all year, and he hit his spots and locations well and really shut us down.
"Good pitching beats good hitting, and he had it and we didn't quite have it. We couldn't put the hits together like we were used to all season."
Warden came in from second base and relieved Smith in the sixth and allowed only one hit in the final two innings.
"They're two different type pitchers and it keeps teams off-balance," Calloway said. "Evan has a good slider and has a little more movement. He throws a little more strikes to balls ratio."
Helped by two crucial errors, Western scored three more off Hale in the sixth and added the final run in the seventh.
"Our kids didn't quit," McClain said. "We made a great run (in the tournament). We got a good taste of it. Maybe we were a little nervous coming in to it. We didn't think we would be. But Western came out, attacked and got it. Give credit to them."
Brebeuf (21-9) returns five starters, including senior-to-be third baseman, Joey Perkins, who was hitting .333 entering the game.
