Posted by Eddie Dwyer

BASEBALL: Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats completed their outstanding Division I state runner-up season with a 27-7 record, a mark that included a stretch that saw the 'Cats advance to the state championship game by winning 22 of 23 games, including a 13-game winning streak.

Here are some of Coach Ganor's special young men.

Offensive Player of the Year: Senior captain, second baseman and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom.

Defensive Players of the Year: Senior captain, shortstop and Ohio University recruit Tyler Finkler and junior left fielder/center fielder Nick Fabian.

Pitchers of the Year: Senior left-hander Tom Rolle (6-0) and junior southpaw Nick Margevicius (9-1).

Captains Awards: Senior center fielder/designated hitter Conor Hennessey, senior right-handed pitcher Kyle Pluta, Dan Rowbottom and Tyler Finkler.

The Coaches' Cups: Senior third baseman Cole Nieto, junior outfielder/pitcher/infielder Shane Skuhrovec and Conor Hennessey. NOTE: Conor set a single-season school record with 30 stolen bases. He was 30-for-34. Coach Ganor's team set a single-season team mark of 124 stolen bases.

2014 Captains: Nick Fabian and Nick Margevicius, with a third captain to be announced at a later date.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright June 2013

With two outs and the bases empty, Moeller scores three times in the bottom of the second inning. The Wildcats answer with a run in the top of third, but the talented and opportunistic Crusaders (32-2), who are 7-0 in state championship baseball games, moved to a 4-1 lead after three innings and began to take control with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. That was more than enough support for junior left-hander Zach Logue, who fired a two-hitter in finishing 8-1 on the season.

Saint Ignatius (27-7), which was appearing in its fourth state championship game in what was its 11th trip to baseball's final four, closed its remarkable spring by winning 22 of its last 24 games. The Wildcats were the Division I state champions in 2002 and also finished as the big-school runner-up in 2000 and 2008.

Columbus, Ohio - As he stood on the top step of the visitors' dugout and watched the grounds crew put Huntington Park to bed early Sunday evening, Saint Ignatius senior captain Conor Hennessey wore that familiar gritty expression - a look that in so many ways defined what the 2013 Saint Ignatius varsity baseball team was all about.

No, not even a setback in the biggest game of his high school baseball career was going to dent Conor's undying and unflappable support for his teammates and the school he loves.

"Right now, there's a bitter taste because we didn't do what we set out to do," Hennessey said, just moments after the Wildcats were defeated by Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, 7-1, in the OHSAA Division I state championship game. "But these guys will be my best friends for the rest of my life, that's all that matters."

With Hennessey and fellow senior captains Dan Rowbottom, Tyler Finkler and Kyle Pluta helping show the way, Saint Ignatius made it a season that mattered at a time when the doubters were expressing their less-than-baseball-savvy opinions.

A team that stood at .500 through its first 10 games, Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats went on to win 22 of their next 23 games, including 13 in a row, and earned the right to face now seven-time state champion Archbishop Moeller. Moeller entered Sunday's game ranked second in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association's big-school state poll and Saint Ignatius was ranked 17th.

In a game that matched perennial powers who previously split four state semifinal encounters (2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009), the Crusaders of Coach Tim Held took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. All of the early damage came with two outs and the bases empty.

Fueling Moeller's offense were the seventh, eighth and ninth hitters in its order.

Right fielder Nick Meece started the two-out surge by slapping a double down the left-field line. Meece came around to score when a slow chopper off the bat of third baseman Patrick McAlpine resulted in a throwing error that saw the ball end up in the Crusaders' dugout. McAlpine, who was awarded second base on the errant throw, scored on a single to center field by the nine-hole hitter - left fielder Brian Butz.

Moeller's All-Ohio junior shortstop and lead-off hitter Riley Mahan would follow Butz with a single to left and center fielder Justin Wampler made it a 3-0 game with a base hit up the middle.

Coach Ganor, who guided Saint Ignatius to a school-record three consecutive final fours in 2007, '08 and '09, watched his team cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the third. The 'Cats combined a leadoff walk to sophomore catcher Alex Panstares, an error and a sacrifice fly by Finkler into what turned out to be their only run.

After Hennessey lined a single to right-center field, Saint Ignatius had an opportunity to do more damage in the top of the third. However, with runners on second and third and two outs, Moeller first baseman Spencer Iacovone made nice running over-the-shoulder, one-handed catch in foul territory near the Crusaders' bullpen pitching mound.

At that point, Moeller's gifted junior southpaw Zach Logue had all the support he needed. En route to his eighth victory in nine decisions, Logue yielded just two hits, three walks and an unearned run in going the distance. He had four strikeouts.

The Crusaders, who became the first Ohio school since Canton GlenOak (1995 and '96) to win consecutive Division I state baseball championships, pushed their lead to 4-1 bottom of the third off a two-out single by McAlpine with runners on second and third. Only a great throw from center field by Saint Ignatius' five-tool junior Nick Fabian and a picture-perfect catch and tag by Panstares prevented McAlpine from having a two-run base hit.  

Moeller, which outscored its seven tournament opponents by a combined 82-8, took advantage of walks and wild pitches in building a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Coach Held's team added some fifth-inning insurance behind a leadoff base hit by second baseman Max Foley, a sacrifice bunt by Meece, a walk, a stolen base by Foley, another walk and a hit batsman with two outs and the bases loaded.

"To say that I have won one (state championship) is an honor," said Hennessey, who was a standout wide receiver and kick returner on Saint Ignatius' record 11th Division I state champion football team of 2011. "And to say that I played for another with some of my best friends is a privilege. It's an honor for all of us to say that we came down here and played in this game and the final four. It's something that just doesn't happen."

And Coach Ganor, who will enter his 10th season as Saint Ignatius' skipper next spring with 197 career victories, considers it an honor and a privilege to have guided the baseball-skilled, resilient and tough-minded Wildcats of 2013.

"They're very good and I give them a lot of credit for making us pay for our mistakes," Coach Ganor said of Moeller. "But, as I told the kids, getting here is not easy. I've been coaching long enough to know that there are a lot of great teams that never made it here (the state final four).

"This team is special," continued Coach Ganor in reference to his 2013 'Cats. "As I reminded them in the dugout, the seniors have graduated, in my opinion, from one of the finest schools in the country. And nobody can ever take that away from them. Being in the top two in the state is pretty special and, although this is going to sting for a little bit, they have created memories that are going to last for a lifetime." 

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright June 2013

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats (27-6), now winners of 22 of their past 23 games, including 13 consecutive victories, will face defending big-school state champion Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (31-2) in Sunday's Division I State Championship Baseball Game at atmosphere-rich Huntington Park. The first pitch will be 3 PM and veterans John Fanta '13 and Greg Ziton '13, who will be closing out their outstanding broadcasting careers at Saint Ignatius, will bring you the pitch by pitch over the Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network.

Moeller, ranked second in the coaches' state poll, advanced by defeating Aurora, 13-1, in Saturday's other semifinal. Gahanna Lincoln and Aurora, which were making their first state final four appearances in baseball, ended their seasons at 22-10 and 28-5, respectively.

Along with Dan Rowbottom's difference maker, which came with one out in the top of the sixth inning, Saint Ignatius was treated to dig-down-deep efforts by starting pitcher Tom Rolle and relievers Kyle Pluta (winning pitcher) and MJ Nara, a 2-for-3, one RBI performance from Shane Skuhrovec, two hits, an RBI and two stolen bases by Conor Hennessey, a 2-for-4 day by Tyler Finkler and a hit and an RBI by Cole Nieto.

Columbus, Ohio - As he stood in the runway behind the visitors' dugout, Saint Ignatius' big-hearted reliever MJ Nara was as calm as the smooth breeze that crossed over Huntington Park on Saturday afternoon.

About a half hour earlier, Nara was, as he said, "a little nervous." Wildcats head baseball coach Brad Ganor would later tell reporters that it was more than just a little case of the nerves. "He was breathing through his mouth instead of his nose," said a smiling Coach Ganor.

Shaking off the jitters that would accompany any sophomore called on to save a state-semifinal victory, Nara reared back and started throwing those familiar pitches, you know, the ones that literally knock his cap off.

Pitching two scoreless and hitless innings after coming on to start the bottom of the sixth, Nara struck out two to end the sixth and ended the game in the bottom of the seventh with what was his fourth strikeout, as Coach Ganor's Wildcats turned away a capable Gahanna Lincoln team, 7-5, in a Division I state semifinal match up.

Saint Ignatius (27-6), which was a .500 club in mid April, will return to Huntington Park on Sunday for the big-school state championship game against Ohio's defending Division I champs - the 31-2 Crusaders from Archbishop Moeller. Junior southpaw Nick Margevicius (9-0) will take the mound for Coach Ganor in what will be the Wildcat's first title-game appearance since 2008.

Saint Ignatius has advanced to the final four 11 times in baseball, was the Division I state champion in 2002 and a big-school state runner-up in 2000 and 2008. Coach Ganor guided the 'Cats to a school-record three consecutive final four appearances in 2007, '08 and '09.

Moeller, whose impressive list of baseball alumni includes two guys you might have heard of - Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin - will be seeking its seventh state baseball championship. Since 2000, the Crusaders and the Wildcats have split four state-semifinal encounters. They last met in a 2009 semifinal, with Moeller winning, 6-0.

So, did any of these impressive numbers begin to cross Nara's mind when Coach Ganor pointed a finger in his direction late Saturday afternoon and said: "Let's go!"

"It's a special thing for a sophomore," Nara said, while emphasizing how happy he was to be able to come through for the seniors. "They have a lot of trust in me. I had to buckle down and do the job. We're a family, we work together as a unit."

Nara's closing act, which featured moving his two-seam and four-seam fastballs in and out, complemented a decisive top of the sixth inning that featured another clutch hit by one of Saint Ignatius' senior leaders - captain, second baseman and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom.

After Gahanna Lincoln rallied from a 5-2 deficit and tied the score with a three-run bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats, as veteran assistant coach Matt Blazer put it so well, unleashed their battle-tested mentality.

 Junior left fielder Shane Skuhrovec, who ended the bottom of the third with a powerful throw to home plate that saw sophomore catcher Alex Panstares make a nice catch of the hop strike and apply the tag, led off the sixth with his second base hit of the day.

Junior infielder and pinch hitter Quillen Austria was hit by a pitch and a passed ball moved junior outfielder Kyle Daugenti, who was pinch running for Skuhrovec, and Austria to third and second base, respectively,

With one out, Rowbottom, a three-year varsity mainstay, sent a 3-2 pitch soaring to deep right field for a two-run triple and Nara took over from there.

"The first two guys getting on, that's huge," Rowbottom said. "My goal was to just get something to the outfield deep enough to score a run. That game was a battle that honestly could have gone either way. But I am real happy with how we responded. Tom Rolle (Wildcats standout senior left-handed starter) didn't have his best stuff, but he battled for nearly five innings.

"I want that ring (on Sunday)," Rowbottom continued. "This is my last time wearing the blue and gold. We have to get it, we're going to get it."

After presenting their 22-year head coach Mike Shade with his first regional championship last weekend, the Lions of Lincoln gave their faithful plenty to roar about on Saturday afternoon.

Following an RBI single by senior designated hitter Conor Hennessey that put the Wildcats in front, 1-0, in the top of the first inning, the Lions tied the score in the bottom of the frame on a walk, a wild pitch and a two-out throwing error.

After Lincoln moved to 2-1 lead after two innings, Saint Ignatius answered with a four-run top of the third that was highlighted by RBI singles from senior third baseman Cole Nieto and Skuhrovec.

Run-scoring base hits by Christian Chiero and Alex Delp fueled the Lions' three-run fifth and set the stage for Rowbottom's decisive blow.

Like Coach Ganor, Coach Shade was treated to a leave-it-all-on-the-field effort by his starting pitcher Alec Tuohy. Tuohy threw 101 pitches, including 63 for strikes, in five complete innings of work.

"We have our work cut out for us," Coach Ganor said of Sunday's match up with Moeller. "There are other teams that have been ranked high (by the coaches association) that I don't know if they truly are highly ranked teams. But Moeller is definitely a true highly ranked team. We have a lot of respect for them and I have a lot of respect for Tim (Crusaders head coach Tim Held). I think he does a great job. But we'll be ready."

IN THE HOUSE: Taking in the Wildcats' state-semifinal victory was former Saint Ignatius two-time All-Ohio and Parade All-American quarterback Joe Pickens '90. Joe, a prominent lawyer in Columbus, was the starting quarterback for the 'Cats' first two state champion football teams of 1988 and 1989 and the national champion team of '89. And what many don't recall is that Joe, a big baseball fan, was a mainstay in the Wildcats' pitching rotation during his outstanding athletic career at the Jesuit Preparatory School in Cleveland.  

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

WE'RE TALKING BASEBALL: Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats (26-6) finished another practice at Dublin Jerome High School late this morning in preparation for Saturday's 1 PM state semifinal match up with Gahanna Lincoln  (22-9) in Huntington Park.

The morning started with Mass in one of the conference  rooms at the beautiful COURTYARD Marriott, as Saint Ignatius President, Rev. William J. Murphy, S.J., directed an outstanding Homily to the Wildcats and their approach to this big weekend.

If successful on Saturday, Coach Ganor's team will advance to Sunday's state championship game against the winner of Saturday's other Division I semifinal between defending state champion Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (29-2) and Aurora (28-4). The first pitch on Sunday will be 3 PM from Huntington Park.

John Fanta '13 and his SIBN crew will bring you every pitch this weekend live over the Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network.

****Former Saint Ignatius pitching standout Luke Farrell '09, who was recently honored by The Big Ten and Northwestern University (see the corner's story from Thursday), was drafted by the Kansas Royals on Friday as a sixth-round pick, the 174th selection overall. Again, congratulations to Luke, his family, Coach Ganor and the entire Saint Ignatius baseball program.

The corner will be back with track updates, but for now let me say THANK YOU to the kind folks at Dublin Jerome High School. I had a great conversation with the gracious concession stand staff, who filled me in on a lot of Dublin and Columbus area history.

By Eddie Dwyer

Columbus, Ohio - Due to a persistent rain that hit the area on Thursday afternoon, the Ohio High School Athletic Association has had to juggle its state semifinal and final baseball schedules.

Be advised that the state semifinal match up between Coach Brad Ganor's Saint Ignatius Wildcats (26-6) and the Lions from Gahanna Lincoln (22-9) has been postponed until Saturday at 1 PM in Huntington Park.

If the Wildcats are successful on Saturday, they will return to Huntington Park on Sunday for the 3 PM Division I state championship game against the winner of the other big-school semifinal between defending state champ Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (29-2) and Aurora (28-4). Moeller and Aurora will play their semifinal on Saturday at 10 AM.

Once again, the Wildcats will now be playing their semifinal on Saturday at 1 PM and, if successful on Saturday, will play in the Division I state championship game on Sunday at 3 PM.

The Saint Ignatius baseball team, the Corner and the SIBN arrived in Columbus on Thursday in anticipation of a Friday night semifinal and will remain in the State Capital until the gold trophy is secured on Sunday.

In case of any emergencies, we are staying at the Courtyard Marriott.

LUKE FARRELL GARNERS SPECIAL BIG TEN AWARD: Former Saint Ignatius pitching standout Luke Farrell has received the Big Ten Medal of Honor for his on-field baseball and classroom work at Northwestern University.

Luke becomes the second Saint Ignatius alum in recent years to win the award, as former Wildcats standout soccer player Mark Blades received the same honor in 2010.

Congratulations from the corner to Luke and the entire Farrell family. Luke is a son of Boston Red Sox Manager John Farrell. 

Due to rain today in Columbus the State Div I Baseball Tournament games have been rescheduled.  The State Semifinal Game bewteen Saint Ignatius and Gahanna Lincoln is now scheduled for Saturday, June 8 at 1 pm and the State Final is now scheduled for 3 pm on Sunday, June 9.

The other State Seminfinal between Cincinnati Moeller and Aurora will played Saturday at 10 am.

BASEBALL: Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats are coming off one of the most complete and dominant performances in the program's rich history, a 14-0, run-rule triumph over Toledo St. Francis de Sales in Sunday's Division I regional final on Ron Mottl Field at Cuyahoga Community College-West. The fourth-ranked team in the state went home with just its third loss in 32 games (see the corner's story from Sunday evening).

Saint Ignatius (26-6), which has won 12 consecutive games and 21 of its past 22, will be making its 11th appearance in the state baseball final four and the fourth under Coach Ganor when it faces Gahanna Lincoln (22-9) on Friday night at 7 in a state semifinal match up at Huntington Park in Columbus. The Wildcats captured the big-school state championship in 2002 and were state runners-up in 2000 and 2008.

Now in his ninth season as the 'Cats' skipper, Coach Ganor (196-65) guided Saint Ignatius to a school record three consecutive state final fours in 2007, '08 and '09. Coach Ganor was an assistant on Brian Morgan's 2002 state championship team and 2000 state runner-up club.

"Getting there is tough," Coach Ganor said of reaching the final four. 'We've been there four times in my tenure, but there were five times that we didn't get there with talented teams. It just shows that you have to be playing good baseball at the right time." 

Coach Ganor is expected to send senior left-hander Tom Rolle (6-0) to the mound on Friday night and, if successful, turn to junior southpaw Nick Margevicius (9-0) for Saturday's 7 PM championship game. The other half of the Division I semifinals matches defending state champion Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (29-2) against Aurora (28-4). Moeller was ranked second in the final coaches' state poll, Saint Ignatius was 17th and Aurora was 19th. Gahanna Lincoln did not crack the poll.

Here is a look at Gahanna Lincoln, Archbishop Moeller and Aurora and how they earned their final four status.

Gahanna Lincoln: Making their fourth regional appearance since 2008, the Lions treated 22-year head coach Mike Shade to his first state final four by defeating Hilliard Darby, 8-1, in a regional final in Dublin. That's Ohio, not Ireland.

The story of the game was sophomore pitcher Mason Daniels, who fired a three-hitter and struck out four. And he had to do it over two days after the game was suspended by rain in the top of the fifth inning on Friday night. Daniels threw 55 pitches on Friday and 57 on Saturday.

Senior Alec Tuohy helped key the Lions' offense. Tuohy's two-run double, one of his three hits in five plate appearances, fueled a five-run fifth inning.

As was the case with Saint Ignatius on Sunday (again see the corner's story from Sunday), Gahanna Lincoln's seniors had to balance baseball and graduation on Saturday. The Lions graduated at 10 AM in Value City Arena and then rushed off to take batting practice.

The Lions and the Wildcats have some final four history, but obviously not in baseball. In the fall of 2009, Gahanna Lincoln defeated Saint Ignatius, 1-0 (shootout), in the Division I state championship soccer game.

Aurora: Senior catcher Frank Sivillo scored from first on a base hit down the right-field line by sophomore third baseman Nick Ely and the Greenmen earned their first final four berth in baseball by defeating Mentor, 2-1, in a regional final in Canton. The trip to Columbus comes under the direction of first-year head varsity coach Tim Deering.

Coach Deering got a gritty performance from 6-foot-4 senior right-hander Adam Berger (9-1). In going the distance, Berger scattered seven hits, walked two (one intentionally), struck out two and left nine Cardinals stranded. Senior left fielder Tyler Thomas accounted for Aurora's other run with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.

Archbishop Moeller: When you have a program that has produced former Major League greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin, you almost need no introduction.

The Fighting Crusaders, or the "Men from Moeller," if you will, captured their sixth state baseball championship by defeating Westlake, 9-6, in the 2012 title game. Moeller advanced to yet another final four by dominating its regional competition. The Fighting Crusaders, who have won 17 consecutive games, defeated Lakota East, 10-1, and Northmont, 11-3.

Junior right-hander Gus Ragland (6-0) gave Moeller a resilient performance during the regionals and when you talk 2013 Fighting Crusaders baseball, All-Ohio shortstop Riley Mahan has to be part of the discussion.

Should Moeller and Saint Ignatius advance to the championship game, it wouldn't be a match up of strangers. Since 2000, the Wildcats and the Fighting Crusaders have split four state-semifinal encounters.

By Eddie Dwyer

Cleveland, Ohio - Mother Nature threw her wicked curveball at Friday's Division I regional championship baseball game between Saint Ignatius and Toledo St. Francis de Sales.

After thunder and lightning made their presence known, the game was delayed after the top of the first inning with the Wildcats leading, 1-0.

The heavy rain that followed left Nobby's Ballpark on the campus of Case Western Reserve unplayable and the respective coaches and athletic directors went into discussion with the tournament manager and the OHSAA to see what the next step would be.

First it was decided that the game would resume on Sunday night at 8 at Kent State University. Then, with the players already on their buses ready to head home, the news came that the game will resume on Sunday at noon on the diamond at Cuyahoga Community College-West.

Either way, it puts a lot of extra pressure on Saint Ignatius to be playing Sunday. Cleveland's Jesuit Preparatory School will hold its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2013 on Sunday at 4 p.m. That's a pretty small window for the seniors on the baseball team to play the most significant game to date in their careers and then rush to make graduation on time. And who says another delay won't occur during Sunday's game? Not the current weekend forecast.

Sunday's game, again at Tri-C West at noon, will resume at the point it was delayed on Friday evening, with St. Francis coming to bat in the bottom of the first inning , trailing, 1-0.

Saint Ignatius rode two hard shots off the bats of Dan Rowbottom and Tyler Finkler, a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Conor Hennessey and an RBI single by Nick Fabian into the 1-0 lead. After a walk to Nick Longo loaded the bases, St. Francis avoided further damage in the inning by turning a 6-4-3 double play that featured a nice pick at first base by Matt Zmuda. The Knights (29-2) and the Wildcats (25-6) are ranked fourth and 17th, respectively, in the coaches' state poll.

Posted by John Fanta '13

Friday's Cleveland Regional Final opened with the sun out, but then the wind picked up. After Nick Fabian delivered an RBI single in the top of the 1st to give Saint Ignatius a 1-0 lead, Cole Nieto grounded into a double play. The Wildcats led Toledo Saint Francis, 1-0, and then the monsoons came to Nobby's Ballpark.

Friday's game is postponed to a time and location to be announced. Stay tuned to Eddie Dwyer's Corner and twitter @SIHSSports and @JohnFanta13.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May-June 2013

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats, now winners of 11 consecutive games and 20 of their past 21, will take a 25-6 record into Friday's elite eight, Division I regional-final match up with Toledo St. Francis de Sales (29-2), the state's fourth-ranked team. The first pitch from Nobby's Ballpark on the campus of CWRU will be 5 PM and junior southpaw Nick Margevicius (8-0) will be on the mound for the 'Cats.

St. Francis advanced by defeating fifth-ranked Perrysburg, 10-5, in Thursday's regional semifinal at Bowling Green State University. Saint Ignatius was ranked 17th in the final coaches' state poll for 2013.

Along with the efforts turned in by Nick Fabian and Tom Rolle, the Wildcats also got some clutch hitting from Tyler Finkler, Joe Khoury and Conor Hennessey, some more solid defense from Khoury at first base and Alex Panstares behind the plate, and a strong sixth inning of relief from right-hander Kyle Pluta.

"Knowing how to win close games," said Coach Ganor. "We've been in a number of them all year and these guys have pitched in a number of close games like that."

HERE IS THE FULL STORY ON THURSDAY'S DRAMATIC VICTORY OVER AVON LAKE.

Cleveland, Ohio - It was a perfect late spring early evening in sun-drenched Nobby's Ballpark.

Clouds swirled almost artistically across a blue sky and the temperature on the campus of Case Western Reserve University flirted with 90 degrees.

So it was only fitting that two talented and big-hearted baseball teams played one of the more memorable games in the history Cleveland's OHSAA regional baseball.

The 25-6 Saint Ignatius Wildcats and the 17-11 Avon Lake Shoremen, teams whose gritty and baseball savvy approaches almost mirror one another, tested each other's will for nearly three hours on Thursday evening before the Wildcats prevailed, 3-2, in a Division I semifinal.

While there were many dramatic moments, it was the top of the seventh inning, when you could have cut the tension with a knife, that most of the faithful from both schools took home with them.

Avon Lake, which was coming off two impressive shutout victories over Amherst and Midview in the Lorain District, trailed, 3-1, with bases empty after Wildcats gifted junior first baseman Joe Khoury ran down a high pop fly along the fence in foul territory and made a smooth one-handed catch while leaning over the fence for the first out in the top of the seventh.

The Shoremen refused to look at the scoreboard, however.

After a walk to right fielder Jeremiah Campo, a stolen base by Campo, a wild pitch that advanced Campo to third and walk to Avon Lake's outstanding catcher Brad Hamilton, the Shoremen had runners on first and third with one out.

Up stepped first baseman Kyle Kuhar, Coach Kevin Marlow's clean-up hitter, and he delivered his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle. Kuhar also drove in the first run of the game when, after Campo was hit by a pitch and Hamilton lined a base hit to right-center, he singled home Campo home for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

With his team now clinging to a one-run lead with one out and runners on the corners, Saint Ignatius head Coach Brad Ganor went to his bullpen again and called on five-tool junior outfielder/pitcher Nick Fabian.

Fabian, who moved from left field to the mound, promptly got the second out on a high pop up to short right center that senior captain and second baseman Dan Rowbottom hauled in.

After a tightly called (some may say squeezed) walk loaded the bases, Fabian kept his composure and sealed the Wildcats' fourth regional final appearance since 2007 by getting the next batter to fly out to junior Nick Longo in right field. Along with Khoury's Vic-Power like grab for the first out of the seventh, Saint Ignatius' sophomore catcher Alex Panstares saved a run with one of his many quick reaction blocks. 

"These guys are confident of getting big outs in tough situations," said Coach Ganor, who guided Saint Ignatius to a school-record three consecutive state final fours in 2007, '08 and '09. "It was an all-around great team effort."

That effort included a three-run bottom of the second that erased the early momentum the Shoremen produced in the top of the first. The key moments were a smoked single by Khoury that advanced Panstares to third after Alex walked with one out, a sacrifice fly by Rowbottom that knotted the score at 1, an RBI single to left by senior shortstop and Ohio University recruit Tyler Finkler that scored Khoury with the go-ahead run and a hustle double by senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey that plated Finkler.

Khoury was able to score the go-ahead run because of his heads-up base running that saw him take second base when the relay throw off Rowbottom's sacrifice fly went to home plate.

Saint Ignatius' starter, senior left-hander Tom Rolle, turned in another solid and resilient performance in improving to 6-0 on the season. Coach Ganor also got  a strong stint from senior reliever and captain Kyle Pluta in the top of the sixth after Avon Lake put runners on first and second with a double by designated hitter Cole Rosmarin and a walk.

In his 5 2/3 innings of work, Rolle yielded one unearned run and a walk, struck out four and threw 52 strikes in the 82 pitches he delivered. Described by Wildcats veteran pitching coach T.J. Donovan '94 as an athlete on the mound, Tom also made two of his trademark 1-3 putouts off sharply hit balls.

"In the first inning I kind of lost focus on a few pitches," Rolle said. "So when we came in (after the top of the first), Coach Donovan and I were talking and he said, 'You can't let up, you have to focus on every single pitch! If you do that, we win.'

"My change-up got me out of a lot of tough jams today," Rolle continued. "I really didn't have my curveball, at all, so I had to rely on the change-up and the fastball."

Composed and competitive, that's Tom Rolle personified. Even on a day, said Coach Ganor, when he didn't have his best stuff.

*As for Friday's opponent, the Knights from St. Francis will be bidding for the school’s fourth trip to the state final four in baseball. They lost in the semifinals to the eventual state champion in 1972, 1974 and 1999.

Fueling St. Francis' offense in the early going against Perrysburg on Thursday were Miccoy Drzewiecki with a triple, winning pitcher Max Lyon with a double and Andy Okuley with a single. Each one of those hits produced runs and forced Perrysburg to go to its bullpen.

After a 30-minute lightning delay with two outs in the sixth inning, the Knights got a two-run single from Eric Zmuda and a two-run double from Cody  Lewis. Lyon, who tripled and scored the Knights' 10th run in the seventh, was 3-for-4 on the evening.

See you at Nobby's Ballpark! 

With the Regional Round of the OHSAA Tournament arriving on Thursday, John Fanta '13 and Coach Brad Ganor talk about the Regional Semifinal against Avon Lake on Thursday and everything else going on in Wildcat baseball. The SIBN will have live coverage of the Regional Semifinal game between the Wildcats and Shoremen beginning at 4:30 tomorrow.

Listen to the interview: 

https://soundcloud.com/jfanta13-1/sibn-interview-with-saint?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter 

John Fanta '13

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

WE'RE TALKING REGIONAL BASEBALL: For the second consecutive spring and the fifth time in Coach Brad Ganor's nine seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Saint Ignatius is gearing up for an OHSAA Division I  Regional appearance.

After winning 19 of their past 20 games, the Wildcats (24-6) will enter Thursday's regional semifinal match up with the Avon Lake Shoremen on a 10-game winning streak. The first pitch from Case Western Reserve University will be 5 PM.

Defense, pitching, an aggressive approach on the base paths and some pressure-purpose "small ball" have been the Wildcats' trademarks all spring.

Gritty and gifted senior center fielder Conor Hennessey leads a team that has stolen more than 100 bases this season. This past week, Conor established a new single-season record at the Jesuit Preparatory School in Ohio City by stealing his 28th base. The previous mark was 27 by University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico '09. The 100-plus SBs are also a new school record. Coach Ganor's 2008 state runner-up club stole 89.

As for Saint Ignatius' pitching staff, calm, classy and crafty senior southpaw Tom Rolle (5-0) and talented junior left-hander Nick Margevicius (8-0) lead the starting rotation Senior right-handers Kyle Pluta and Matt Lynch and ice-in-his-veins sophomore right-hander MJ Nara hold down the bullpen. Fabian and versatile junior Shane Skuhrovec have also made some quality starts this spring.

Coach Ganor, who has guided his program to a school-best three consecutive state final four appearances (2007, '08 and '09) and has 194 career victories at West 30th and Lorain Avenue, is supported by one of the top assistant staffs in the state. The names you don't always hear are T.J. Donovan '94, Matt Blazer '94, Josh Beineman and Mark Terlep.

Here is the corner's look at Avon Lake and the two teams from the Bowling Green Regional, Perrysburg and Toledo St. Francis de Sales, one of which will face the winner of Thursday's Saint Ignatius-Avon Lake game in Friday's 5 PM regional championship at Case Western Reserve.

Avon Lake: Coach Kevin Marlow's Shoremen have opened the eyes of coaches and fans around Northeast Ohio by stunning the highly touted programs from Amherst and Midview in the Lorain District. And they did it by shutting out both the Comets and Middies.

The Shoremen, who sailed to their first district baseball championship since 2005, rode an advantageous offense and the three-hit pitching of Brett Kiser to the 5-0 district semifinal victory over Amherst. Avon Lake grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Coach Marlow's team took advantage of three errors and two passed balls. That was more than enough support for Kiser, who did such a nice job of mixing his pitches and changing speeds that he retired 12 Comets in a row.

Avon Lake's early magic continued in Saturday night's 6-0 district-championship game triumph over Midview, as the Shoremen scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the second. Matt Morissette, who provided Coach Marlow with another strong pitching performance, helped his cause by delivering a two-run single in the first inning. Morissette, displaying a nasty curveball, scattered six hits in going the distance.

Runs batted in by Brad Hamilton and Kyle Kuhar sparked the three-run second inning. Kuhar and Matt Russell each had two hits. Brad Hamilton, a son of one of the greatest radio broadcasters in the history of Major League Baseball, the Indians' Tom Hamilton, left a lasting impression on this old-timer with his hitting, the way he handles himself behind the plate and the class he displayed after the regular season match up between Saint Ignatius and Avon Lake on April 26th in Progressive Field. The Wildcats, on the strength of a five-run first inning, prevailed that night, 9-1.

Perrysburg: Veteran skipper Dave Hall has his Yellow Jackets standing 26-3. Perrysburg, behind its solid battery of pitcher Mark Delas and catcher Kyle Durham, advanced to the regionals by defeating Norwalk, 3-2. Delas, who fired a three-hitter, is a Northern Lakes League wrestling champion. Not that's an athlete, my friends.

A disciplined team at the plate, Perrysburg finished fifth in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association's Division I state poll. Among those patient hitters are Steve Slocum and A.J. Stockwell.

Toledo St. Francis: Max Lyon's masterful complete game led the Knights to the match up with Perrysburg. Lyon fired a one-hitter and struck out seven in the 4-0 district-final victory over Oregon Clay.

Coach Tim Gerken's Knights are 27-1, ranked fourth in the state poll and will take a 25-game winning streak into regional play. St. Francis has a nice double duo in the Zmuda twins, Eric and Matt, who are both bound for Denison University. The Knights' roster includes 13 seniors.

See you in Nobby's Ballpark at Case Western Reserve University.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Nick Margevicius displays a wicked curve ball en route to going the distance and improving his record to 8-0. Dan Rowbottom's opposite way RBI triple in the top of the fifth scores Joe Khoury, who had singled, and Tyler Finkler's smooth and savvy play with one out in the bottom of the seventh highlights a sound defensive performance by Saint Ignatius.  

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats, winners of 10 consecutive games and 19 of their of their past 20, will take a record of 24-6 record into Thursday's Division I Regional Semifinal at Case Western Reserve University. The 5 PM first pitch will match Saint Ignatius against the winner of tonight's Lorain District final between Avon Lake and Midview. We will let you know about the outcome of the Avon Lake-Midview game when it becomes available.

HERE IS THE STORY ON THE 'CATS' DRAMATIC VICTORY OVER A GAME NORMANDY TEAM AND ITS GRITTY PITCHER NICK MARANO.

Strongsville, Ohio - When Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor was informed of the final numbers his gifted junior southpaw Nick Margevicius put together in Saturday's 2-1 district-final victory over Normandy, the veteran skipper smiled and said: "Well, that's why he is 8-0."

And that 8-0 record is a big reason why Coach Ganor's Wildcats now stand 24-6 and will take a 10-game winning streak into Thursday's Division I regional semifinal at Case Western Reserve University. The 'Cats' opponent for Thursday's 5 PM first pitch will be the winner of Saturday night's Lorain District final between Avon Lake and Midview.

As for Margevicius, his seven-inning complete game on a beautiful fall-like May afternoon at Strongsville High School showed him yielding five hits, a run and one walk. A bulldog on the mound who carries a wide smile off the diamond, Margevicius struck out seven and in the 97 pitches he threw, 68 of them were strikes.

"I knew yesterday when I was watching them against Brecksville that they were a good team that can compete," Margevicius said of Normandy's 2-0 district semifinal victory over top-seeded Brecksville-Broadview Heights. "And they showed that again today.

"The curveball was great," Margevicius continued, while discussing his out pitch on Saturday. "I was able to throw it for a strike and get them to swing through it. It made the fastball that much better. I had good control of the change-up too, but I didn't throw that as much."

In what was a classic pitchers' dual, Normandy senior Nick Marano, a young man who can throw a capable knuckle ball, shook off an early 1-0 deficit and kept his team in the game.

Second-seeded Saint Ignatius, which managed just three hits, two by talented junior first baseman Joe Khoury, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Sophomore catcher Alex Panstares led off the third with a walk and Khoury followed with a line-drive single to right-center field. After senior second baseman and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom  moved the runners over with a text-book sacrifice bunt, Marano came up with one of his seven strikeouts.

However, a two-out pitch that bounced in the dirt and away from the catcher accounted for the Wildcats' first run.

Along with the three-hitter, Marano's gutsy effort saw him yield four walks and fire 56 strikes while throwing 104 pitches.

Saint Ignatius' 1-0 lead was short-lived, as the fourth-seeded Invaders (16-13) knotted the score in the bottom of the third behind hits by the Raimondos - a one-out infield single by senior shortstop Greg Raimondo and a two-out RBI single up the middle by junior third baseman Anthony Raimondo.

It stayed a 1-1 game until the top of the fifth, when Khoury slapped a sharp single through the left side and came around to score what turned out to be the winning run off a towering opposite way triple to deep left field by Rowbottom.

"Marge (Margevicius) with the seven innings, that's huge, that's awesome," said Rowbottom, who is one of Coach Ganor's four captains. "He really controlled that game. Even when our offense isn't going, it's still really nice to have Marge on the mound.

"Coach Ganor put on the hit and run and usually you're supposed to pull the ball in that situation," Rowbottom continued in describing his decisive hit. "But the kid threw it outside and I like that outside pitch, I like to go for that gap. He threw it there and fortunately I got a good swing on it."

And that swing, another sound day defensively and the live left arm of Margevicius has the Wildcats moving on to their fifth regional appearance in what is Coach Ganor's ninth season directing the varsity program. Coach Ganor, a former football and baseball standout at St. Edward High School, has guided Saint Ignatius to a school-record three consecutive state final four appearances - 2007, '08 and '09.

After Margevicius threw a six-pitch sixth inning, his 1-2-3 seventh was highlighted by another highlight-reel play by senior shortstop and Ohio University recruit Tyler Finkler. Tyler made a smooth closing charge on a tough grounder over the mound and, in one leaning motion, fired to Khoury at first base for the second out of the inning.

"Nick did exactly what we hoped he could do, give us a chance to win a close game," said Coach Ganor. "Our defense today was some of the best defense I've seen at Saint Ignatius in a long time. Tyler's plays all day, Joe's picks over there at first and Alex (Panstares) behind the plate just doing a great job. Pitching and defense, that's what it comes down to. It always does.

"It's not to be taken for granted," Coach Ganor said of the Wildcats' current streaks (10 in a row and 19 victories in their last 20 games). "We have played a really tough schedule. These guys see the best of the best day in and day out. It's just a testament to their will power. I very proud of what they have accomplished and the fact that they are so resilient."

Posted By Eddie Dwyer

If Mother Nature cooperates on Friday and permits the Strongsville district baseball semifinals to be played (see today's postponement story below), Saturday's district championship game at Strongsville will begin at 11 a.m. That is according to the current OHSAA brackets. Again, 11 a.m., not 4:30 as some of the tweeters are reporting.

Today's Strongsville District Semifinal between Saint Ignatius and Midpark at Strongsville HS at 4:30 will be played on Friday at 4:30 at Strongsville HS. Stay uned for more information, but the Semifinals will be played tomorrow, as weather forced today's to be called.

-John Fanta '13

By Eddie Dwyer

The Saint Ignatius Wildcats varsity baseball team, which is gearing up for Thursday's 4:30 District Semifinal match up with the Midpark Meteors at Strongsville High School, was ranked 17th in the final regular season Division I state poll by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Mason, defending state champion Archbishop Moeller and Brecksville-Broadview Heights were ranked 1-2-3, respectively. Other area teams in the top 20 were Walsh Jesuit (ninth), Brunswick (12), Mentor (13), Nordonia (tied for 13th), Hudson (16), Aurora (19) and Highland (20).

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats (21-6), winners of 16 of their past 17 games, will complete their regular season schedule at 12th-ranked Brunswick on Tuesday at 4:30. Brunswick faces Twinsburg in a District Semifinal on Thursday at 4:30 in The Ball Park at Hudson. Twinsburg stunned Walsh Jesuit, 1-0, in last weekend's sectional final at Walsh Jesuit.

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

BASEBALL: Coach Brad Ganor’s red-hot Wildcats are scheduled to close out their regular season at Brunswick on Tuesday (4:30). However, all of the focus is on Thursday afternoon’s district semifinal match up with the Midpark Meteors (11-11) at Strongsville High School. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30. If successful on Thursday, the 21-6 ‘Cats, winners of 16 of their past 17 games, will return to Strongsville on Friday for the district championship game at 5. The other half of Thursday's semifinals, slated for 2 p.m., will match the state’s second-ranked Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees and the Normandy Invaders.

Brecksville is the top seed at Strongsville, Saint Ignatius is seeded second and Normandy and Midpark are the fourth and sixth seeds, respectively.

 Midpark is playing with a lot of emotion, as the school will be officially closing (as a high school) next month and will merge with neighboring Berea. The new name next school year will be the Berea-Midpark Titans. That said, Coach Ganor’s Wildcats have some extra incentive, too. It was none other than Midpark that eliminated Saint Ignatius in the 2011 district finals.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Quillen Austria's stolen base in the bottom of the fourth tied Saint Ignatius' single-season record of 89 stolen bases set in 2008 and Cole Nieto accounted for the new mark of 91 by stealing second and third in the fourth.

Junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec throws a gutsy, workman-like 5 and 2/3 innings in improving to 2-0, junior David Bodziony closes the door on North Ridgeville with 14 strikes in his 21 pitches in relief and junior outfielder/pinch hitter/pinch runner Kyle Daugenti has a two-hit day.

The Wildcats win for the 15th time in their past 16 games, the 17th time in their past 19 games, extend their winning streak to six games and improve to 20-6 overall. Coach Brad Ganor, now his 9th season as the 'Cats' skipper, picks up his 190th career victory.

Up next for Saint Ignatius is an OHSAA Division I sectional final against the winner of Thursday's sectional semifinal between Rhodes and Berea. NOTE: If Berea wins, the sectional final is slated for Friday at Baldwin Wallace University at 4:30. However, if Rhodes is victorious, the sectional final will be moved to Saturday at Baldwin Wallace at 1 p.m. Rhodes is celebrating prom night on Friday.

HERE IS THE FULL STORY ON WEDNESDAY'S 10-3 BASEBALL VICTORY OVER NORTH RIDGEVILLE.

BEREA, OHIO - The 2013 Saint Ignatius Wildcats are blessed with a group of talented veterans, seniors and juniors who lead by word and example on and off the baseball diamond.

And while those gifted leaders have each played major roles in the impressive run Coach Brad Ganor's team is currently on, you can look no further than to players such as Kevin Hagen, Shane Skuhrovec, David Bodziony, Qullien Austria, Jordan Bufford, Jagger Bruck, Bennett Kinzel, Patrick Gulick, Kyle Daugenti and on and on, to appreciate why these current 'Cats are not only a cool bunch, but extremely selfless as well.

"Everyone contributes," said Hagen after his two hits, sacrifice fly and RBI helped Saint Ignatius to its sixth consecutive victory on Wednesday evening - a 10-3 triumph over North Ridgeville at Baldwin Wallace University. The 20-6 Wildcats have now won 15 of their past 16 games.

"You can count on anyone to come in and get that hit or make that play," Hagen continued.

In many ways, Hagen represents the team chemistry and perseverance that exudes from Saint Ignatius' dugout.

After not making the varsity as a junior, the calm and talented senior has made his mark as a designated hitter, pinch hitter and backup catcher for Coach Ganor.

"I still love the program," Hagen said of his experience of being cut last year. "I love the game and I just wanted to help this team win. I tried out again, made the team and now I'm just trying to help this team go as far as we can go."

With six hits in his last seven at-bats, the mature-beyond-his-years Hagen has been doing just that.

"I'm looking for fastballs, I'm seeing the ball well," said Hagen, who helped key the Wildcats' 12-hit attack against North Ridgeville. "I'm just trying to drive it."

Saint Ignatius, the second seed for the upcoming Strongsville Division I sectional/district, put itself in the driver's seat on Wednesday by scoring five runs in the bottom of the first.

With one out and nobody on base, senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey walked, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on sacrifice fly off the bat of gifted senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler. Hennessey's stolen base was his 23rd of the season, putting him just four shy of tying the Wildcats' all-time, single-season record set by University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico '09.

Saint Ignatius continued its two-out magic in the first inning as five-tool junior left fielder Nick Fabian walked and stole second. Senior third baseman Cole Nieto, who has been playing exceptional all-around baseball, drove in Fabian with a sharp grounder through the left side. Hagen followed with a single to right-center field and a passed ball put Hagen and Nieto at second and third.

After starting and winning pitcher Shane Skuhrovec drew a walk, sophomore catcher Alex Panstares completed the five-run first by clearing the bases with a three-run triple to right field. Panstares joins Wildcats crafty closer MJ Nara as two sophomores who have made an impact on the varsity this spring.

North Ridgeville (12-14), which was coming off a 15-5, 18-hit victory over Elyria, got back in the game by scoring two runs in the top of the third.

Coach Matt Ponting's Rangers, who had won their three previous games, turned infield hits by left fielder Bailey Gannon and center fielder Anthony Miranda, a throwing error, a Baltimore Chop for a base hit by second baseman Logan Armaro, a stolen base by Armaro, a walk to third baseman Matt Feierabend and a one-out, bases-loaded fielder's choice into their two runs.

North Ridgeville looked as though it was going to do further damage in the third after a two-out walk to first baseman Nolan Freeman loaded the bases again.

It was Finkler to the rescue, however, as Tyler, who just accepted a baseball scholarship to Ohio University on Sunday, made a diving stop of a hard-hit ball up the middle and, in one motion while still on the ground, flipped Mr. Rawlings over to senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom for the force.

Riding the emotion of one of many big plays turned in by Finkler this season, Saint Ignatius regained control by scoring two runs in the bottom of the third.

The key hits in the 'Cats' two-run third were line-drive hustle doubles by Hagen and Panstares, with Panstares' two-bagger scoring Hagen, who had stolen second base. Junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo pushed Saint Ignatius' lead to 7-2 with the third double of the inning, a line shot to deep right field.

The Wildcats, who overcame an uncharacteristic four errors, scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Austria, a junior infielder, was hit by a pitch leading off, stole second and went to third on an errant pick-off attempt. Nieto drew a walk and broke for second, with Austria scoring on the throw to second base. Nieto then stole third and came home off a sacrifice fly RBI by Hagen.

After Nieto, Austria and smooth-handed junior first baseman Joe Khoury turned in some solid plays defensively, North Ridgeville, a member of the West Shore Conference, tallied its final run in the top of the sixth.

The evening belonged to the team from Ohio City, however, as Bodziony, a junior infielder/relief pitcher, laced a line-drive single up the middle with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the sixth. Bruck, a senior catcher, was hit by a pitch and Daugenti followed with an RBI single for the final run of the game.

Bodziony, who before he came on in relief of Skuhrovec in the sixth inning had not pitched since the eighth grade (he fractured his arm in freshman tryouts), got the next-to-last out of the game on a strikeout with runners on first and second. Bruck then sent everyone home by picking the runner off first base.

In his 5 and 2/3 innings of work, Skuhrovec yielded five hits, three runs (one earned), three walks and had three strikeouts. Shane threw 87 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.

"I'll take it," said Coach Ganor of his 190th career victory. "But that's 190 wins by great players. That 0-2 hit in the first inning by Alex (Panstares) was fantastic. That's good hitting for a sophomore.

"Now I feel like we're peaking at the right time," Coach Ganor continued. "I feel like our pitching is in line, we're swinging the bats well and playing good defense. That usually equates to long tournament runs. As long as these guys realize we can't look ahead and take it one game at a time, and all of the clichés, then we'll be fine."

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

MJ Nara has a milestone evening out of the bullpen and at the plate, Bennett Kinzel provides a clutch effort in relief, Shane Skuhrovec knocks in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and then delivers the walk-off, game-winning hit in the ninth, and Kevin Hagen has a four-hit performance as Coach Brad Ganor's team improves to 19-6.

Up next for the Wildcats is Wednesday afternoon's regular-season match up with North Ridgeville and Friday's OHSAA Division I sectional final against the winner of Thursday's semifinal between Rhodes and Berea. The Wednesday and Friday games are slated for Baldwin Wallace University at 4:30.

HERE IS THE STORY ON  MONDAY EVENING'S THRILLER.

Berea, Ohio - Since being called up from the junior varsity early last month, Saint Ignatius' sophomore right-hander MJ Nara has steadily put his lock on the role as Coach Brad Ganor's closer.

Through his five saves, Nara has pitched with a give-me-the-ball approach.

So it came as no surprise when Nara, who had just won his first varsity game, came up with his first base hit of the season, junior varsity or varsity, and scored his first run of the spring (the game-tying run), talked with the calm and confidence of a four-year letterman.

"It felt pretty good, to go out there, hit my spots and do what I could," said Nara after his gritty 2 and 1/3 innings of relief and the clutch bats of junior outfielder Shane Skuhrovec, senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen and senior third baseman Cole Nieto helped lead the Wildcats to a 9-8 victory over tradition-rich Canton Central Catholic at Baldwin Wallace University on Monday. The sun was setting as Skuhrovec ended the three-plus hour, will-testing match up on a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

"It's good chemistry, we work good together," Nara continued while speaking of a Wildcats team that has now won 14 of its past 15 games, five in a row and 19 of 25 overall. "If I throw a pitch and it gets hit, I know the play is going to be made. Anyone on this team can step in and do their job. That's what is so special."

And having the opportunity to watch two programs who play with pride and respect for the game is very special, too. Simply put, there is no such thing as a "tune-up" when the 'Cats and the Crusaders get together. Anyone in attendance at Baldwin Wallace on Monday evening can attest to that.

Under the direction of 32-year head coach Doug Miller, a man with 631career victories, Canton Central  Catholic took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-out, bases-loaded single to right-center field by junior second baseman Nate Shisler. Shisler's hit came off an 0-2 pitch.

Saint Ignatius, which is seeded second to Brecksville-Broadview Heights for the upcoming Strongsville Division I sectional/district, took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second.

Standout junior left fielder/pitcher Nick Fabian led off the bottom of the second with a single up the middle, stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Senior third baseman Cole Nieto, whose play has been a huge key to the Wildcats' 14-of-15 run, drew a walk and promptly stole second. Fabian, who was breaking from third on the throw to second, easily scored the 'Cats' first run.

An RBI single by senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen knotted the score at 2. Kevin was 4-for-5 on the evening. After a stolen base by Hagen, Saint Ignatius took a 3-2 lead on a two-out infield hit by junior first baseman Joe Khoury that was accompanied by a throwing error.

Following a scoreless third inning, the see-saw battle continued.

The Crusaders, on the strength of a triple to deep right field by senior designated hitter Tim Valentine, tied the score in the top of the fourth only to watch the Wildcats respond with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Heads-up base running by junior right fielder/pitcher Nick Longo (two stolen bases) and Nieto, along with the timely swings by Hagen and Skuhrovec, put the 'Cats back in front, 5-3.

Central Catholic, a program that in 2011 won its second state championship in four years, rode a single by senior shortstop Steven Montgomery, a double by junior left fielder Shawn Jones, a fielder's choice and a wild pitch into the tying runs in the top of the fifth. Following his double, Jones was injured while breaking from second base and had to be helped to the Crusaders' dugout.

The punch-counter punch from both teams helped keep their faithful warm on a fall-like evening in May.

A two-out, two-base error and a clutch pinch-hit RBI single by senior infielder Jordan Bufford, his second big hit in less than a week, had Saint Ignatius clinging to a 6-5 lead entering the top of the sixth.

Central Catholic, the 12-ranked team in the coaches' Division III state poll, appeared to grab the late-game momentum when it scored three times in its half of the sixth. Sandwiching walks around a line-drive RBI double by sophomore right fielder Patrick Murphy, the Crusaders led, 8-6.

Only a huge backward K by Saint Ignatius' versatile junior infielder/outfielder/relief pitcher Bennett Kinzel prevented Coach Miller's team from doing further damage in the sixth.

Coach Ganor's Wildcats would close to 8-7 entering the top of the seventh. After Crusaders' pinch hitter Beau Sirpilla doubled to deep left field with one out in the seventh and the next batter lined out sharply to second base, ice-in-his veins Nara took the mound.

Nara ended the top of the seventh by getting the next batter to pop out to senior shortstop and Ohio University recruit Tyler Finkler.

With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh, Nara singled to right field, Nieto walked and Hagen loaded the bases with another pressure hit. Skuhrovec then drove the ball to left field for a sacrifice fly that scored Nara and forced extra innings.

"I was pumped, first varsity hit in first at-bat (of the season)," Nara said. "It (the pitch) was outside and I just took it that way."

Throwing a solid breaking pitch, even when he was behind in the count, Nara would go on to pitch out of a first-and-second and out-out situation in the top of the eighth and throw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth en route to setting the stage for the emotional finish. The first out in the top of the ninth came courtesy of a nice move to his right by senior second baseman, captain and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom.

With two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth, Nieto lined a single the opposite way to right field and stole second base. Hagen followed with single that put runners on first and third, and the unassuming, but oh so capable Skuhrovec, followed with the game-winning, line-drive single to right center off a 1-2 pitch.

Saint Ignatius finished with 10 hits and played errorless baseball.

"Guys in unique positions, MJ (Nara) with the hit and Bennett (Kinzel) with the backwards K with two guys on, that's huge," said Coach Ganor. "It's just another example of why this team is special. No matter what happens in the tournament, it's a special group. They have fun together.

"You just felt like we were going to win," Coach Ganor continued. "It could have gone 15 innings and it just felt like we were going to win. It's important for us to win close games against a quality program. Coach Miller does a great job."

And so does the skipper wearing blue and gold, who will be seeking his 190th career victory in less than nine seasons when his Wildcats host North Ridgeville on Wednesday.

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

Baseball: As is always the case on the high school level, Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats will be balancing regular season games with sectional and district play.

On Monday, the Wildcats, winners of 13 of their past 14 games, will host Canton Central Catholic at Baldwin Wallace University. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Baldwin Wallace will be the 'Cats' home all week, as North Ridgeville comes calling on Wednesday at 4:30. Friday, Saint Ignatius (18-6), the second seed at the OHSAA Strongsville sectional/district, will play a sectional final game at BW. The 4:30 first pitch will match the Wildcats against the winner of Thursday's sectional semifinal between the Rhodes Rams and the Berea Braves.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Called on sooner than he expected, Margevicius throws 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout baseball and Nara slams the door in the seventh as the Wildcats sweep their two-game, regular-season series with the Eagles.

A one-out double by Shane Skuhrovec and a two-out RBI single by Joe Khoury in the bottom of the second inning account for the game's only run.

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats win for the 13th time in 14 games and will now take an 18-6 record into Monday's match up with Canton Central Catholic at Baldwin Wallace University. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The 'Cats' junior varsity team defeats St. Ed's jayvees for the third time this season, 8-4, and the Eagles' freshman team ends up splitting its two-game season series with Saint Ignatius' freshmen by prevailing, 8-6, in what was the first game of Saturday's annual all-levels triple header between the West Side rivals.

HERE IS THE FULL STORY ON THE WILDCATS' VARSITY GAME. THE JV AND FRESHMAN RECAPS WILL BE COMING UP.  

Berea, Ohio - Saint Ignatius' talented junior southpaw Nick Margevicius said he was expecting to be called on for a close-out or relief role during the late innings of Saturday evening's game against rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University.

Well, as all baseball coaches tell their pitchers, always be ready.

After the Wildcats' No. 1 starter, senior left-hander Tom Rolle, experienced some discomfort while pitching to just the third batter of the game, Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor and veteran pitching coach T.J. Donovan '94 went to the mound.

Following a discussion with Rolle, Coach Ganor and Coach Donovan made the decision to call on Margevicius with one out, a runner on first and a 1-0 count on the third batter.

After being allowed to warm up on the mound, Margevicius, overcoming a first-inning walk and wild pitch, went on to lead Saint Ignatius to a season-series sweep of its longtime rival, 1-0.

The only offense Coach Ganor's team needed came courtesy of a one-out double by junior designated hitter Shane Skuhrovec and a two-out, run-scoring single off the bat of junior first baseman Joe Khoury. The game's lone run was produced in the bottom of the second inning.

"Tom (Rolle) played catch prior to the game gingerly, which sometimes he does," said Coach Donovan, a former baseball and football standout for the Wildcats who played baseball professionally. "And then the normal Tom turns it up once we get to the bullpen (pregame). He didn't show any pain in the bullpen, but once he went out there (in the first inning), we could clearly see something wasn't right. So we played it safe.

"I think it may be something with his elbow," Coach Donovan continued. "So we will rest him accordingly in order to get him ready for the playoffs."

As for the young man they called on, it wasn't like Coach Ganor and Coach Donovan were turning to untested waters. Margevicius, who pitched extremely well after being promoted from the junior varsity as a sophomore in 2012, blanked St. Edward over 5 and 2/3 innings before he was relieved by another of Saint Ignatius' young, but oh so promising arms, sophomore right-hander MJ Nara. Nara put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' 18th victory in 24 games by slamming the door in the top of the seventh.

In improving his record to 6-0, Margevicius yielded five hits, struck out five and walked one. Sixty two of his 93 pitches were for strikes. Nara, who now has a lock on Saint Ignatius' closer role, shook off a lead-off walk and sealed the Wildcats' second victory over St. Edward in 12 days on a fly out to left field and two strikeouts.

"He's one of the fastest-working pitchers that we have, so he is fun to coach, it's fun to call pitches for him," Coach Donovan said of Margevicius. "And he really works hard on hitting his spots and executing his pitches, which makes my job easier. Quite frankly, he knows how to pitch to contact when he's falling behind.

"By the third or fourth inning today, he was able to throw his curve ball for a strike," Coach Donovan continued in his evaluation of Margevicius. "And when Nick can throw his breaking ball for a strike, everything else works and gets better. His fastball has more life on it and his change-up is more deceptive."

Speaking of deception, St. Edward's record now stands at a very deceiving 11-13.

The Eagles, who also lost to the Wildcats, 6-4, on April 30 at Baldwin Wallace, a game that saw St. Edward leading, 4-0, after four innings, had six hits to Saint Ignatius' four on Saturday.

Eagles head coach Joe Kasl got solid efforts on the mound from lefty Darien Knowles and right-hander Jarret Edwards.

That said, Saint Ignatius, a tight-knit club that has the versatility to beat you in different ways, complemented the efforts by Margevicius and Nara with another outstanding game defensively.

Senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom, an Illinois recruit, made several nice stops on sharp ground balls, Khoury and senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler were vacuums again and one of the most underrated players in the area - senior third baseman Cole Nieto - came up with a play that would have made Brooks Robinson smile.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Nieto made a diving stop of a smoking grounder that had base hit written all over it, got up and fired to Khoury for the second out. How big was Nieto's effort in a 1-0 game? The next batter, Eagles designated hitter Adam Madias, singled to left.

"I really like that," said Margevicius of pitching in a no-room-for-error game. "It keeps the intensity up. You know you have to hit every spot."

JUNIOR VARSITY GAME: Trailing St. Edward, 3-0, Coach Tim Clark's JV Wildcats tied the score with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. The big blow was an RBI single to center field by shortstop Kurt Mantes.

St. Edward, playing small ball, took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Sam Cepis.

Saint Ignatius responded again, this time with a three-run bottom of the fourth. After Mantes was hit by a pitch, the key moments that followed were a single to left by right fielder Dylan Smolen, a game-tying RBI single up the middle by center fielder Sam Fuller, a text-book sacrifice bunt by first baseman Nick Jackson, a take-the-lead RBI single by second baseman Mullen Socha and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by left fielder Ryan Alexander.

The Wildcats then took control with a two-run fifth that was highlighted by a single up the middle by third baseman Jake Kucia, a sacrifice bunt by Mantes and a single by Smolen that brought home the two runs.

St. Edward, which had a runner caught off third base for the game's final out with the bags loaded, lost for just the sixth time in 21 games. Saint Ignatius, which now stands 16-7-1, got four solid innings of relief from left-hander Brendan Adler.

FRESHMAN GAME: Miscues definitely helped tell the tale as the Wildcats' freshmen suffered just their third loss in 18 games.

After two big errors helped St. Edward score three times in the top of the fifth and take a 4-1 lead, Saint Ignatius responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. A base hit by Nick Freund, an RBI double by Jack Cook and a two-out, two-run single William Csiszar tied the score. The Wildcats took a 5-4 lead when pinch runner Brian Harrigal scored all the way from first base on a double to center field by Nick Mitchell.

The Eagles wouldn't be denied, however, as they took advantage of what was given them and came up with timely hits in scoring four times in the top of the seventh.           

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Senior infielder Jordan Bufford provides a clutch RBI insurance hit in the seventh inning, senior shortstop Tyler Finkler turns in another outstanding all-around performance and sophomore right-hander MJ Nara shuts the door with a runner on second base and the potential tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh.

With Nick Longo, Tyler Finkler, Conor Hennessey and Dan Rowbottom accounting for nine of the Wildcats' 13 hits, Saint Ignatius improves to 17-6 heading into Friday night's traditional doubleheader with the Lakewood Rangers in legendary Lakewood Stadium. The junior varsity match up is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with the varsity game slated to follow at 7. The Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network will bring you the varsity game live from Bunts and Madison.  

****The corner sends out its congratulations to Wildcats senior basketball standouts Francisco Santiago and Derek Sloan, who were honored today as members of The Plain Dealer's 2012-13 seven-county All-Star Team. Francisco was named to the elite team and Derek was the recipient of Special Mention. Congratulations to "Cisco," Derek, their families, Coach Sean O'Toole '87 and the entire Saint Ignatius basketball program.

HERE IS THE FULL STORY ON THE SLUGFEST IN STOW.

SUMMIT COUNTY - Senior infielder Jordan Bufford is truly a sound example of Saint Ignatius' motto - "Men For Others."

Simply put, Jordan is there when you need him.

Bufford, one of the key parts in Coach Brad Ganor's deep, talented and flexible rotation, delivered a big insurance run with a two-out single off a high fastball in the top of the seventh inning on Thursday evening and the Wildcats went on to hold off the more-than-capable Stow Bulldogs, 11-9.

"That at-bat was just staying ready," said Bufford, moments after he helped Saint Ignatius to its 17th victory in 23 games and its 12 triumph in its past 13 outings. "I know my role on this team is to come off the bench and provide when needed. So it was all about staying ready and coming through.

"I relish it," Bufford continued while discussing his role for Coach Ganor. "I just want to produce when they ask me to. When I get into the game, I am always ready."

After two scoreless innings, the Wildcats, the second seed for this month's OHSAA Division I Strongsville sectional/district, appeared more than ready.

Making the most of two hits, two walks, a hit batsman and two Stow errors, Saint Ignatius took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning and stretched it to 7-0 with three runs in the top of the fourth.

Senior designated hitter/catcher Jagger Bruck, another player who answers the call when needed, lead off the third by drawing a walk and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Alex Panstares. Bruck then moved to third base on a ground out by junior first baseman Joe Khoury.

It was at that point the Wildcats caught a big break, as a swinging third strike by gifted senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom bounced away from the catcher. Bruck came home with the first run of the game and Rowbottom was safe at first.

Rowbottom promptly stole second base and came around to score on the first of three hits by junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo. Longo advanced to second on an errant relay throw, standout senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler drew a walk, multi-skilled junior left fielder Nick Fabian was hit by a pitch and gritty senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey laced a two-out, two-run single through the left side.

Senior third baseman Cole Nieto, who has been rock-solid for Coach Ganor, got the three-run fourth inning started with a double down the left-field line. Bruck laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Nieto to third and after the second out of the inning, Khoury produced an RBI single up the middle and stole second base. A line-drive RBI double the opposite way by the left-handed hitting Rowbottom and another run-scoring single by Longo made it a 7-0 game.

"Sometimes you have to win ugly," said Coach Ganor of what would take place over the next three and a half innings. "We were winning pretty and found a way to win ugly. But they're resilient, they've been resilient all season."

Saint Ignatius had to call on that resiliency more than once down the stretch as Stow (14-8) outscored the Wildcats, 9-4, from bottom of the fourth on.

The Bulldogs turned two walks, a wild pitch and a two-out RBI single by their impressive sophomore first baseman Parker Henderson into a run in the fourth. Henderson went 3-for-3 on the day with a sacrifice fly and three runs batted in.

Saint Ignatius responded with two runs in the top of the fifth.

Finkler led off the fifth with a single, advanced to second on a passed ball and, in what was an impressive display of wheels, scored from second on a pitch in the dirt that bounced away from the catcher. Hennessey bunted for a base hit, stole second and third, and came home on a sacrifice fly to deep right center by Nieto. Wildcats' stats gurus Mac Robinson '11 and Marco Valetta '11 pointed out that Hennessey now has 22 stolen bases on the season, five shy of tying the all-time single-season record set by University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico '09.

Trailing, 9-1, the Bulldogs still had plenty of bark left, as the team from East Graham Road combined five hits and some heads-up base running into four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Henderson's second RBI single made it 9-5.

Once again, Saint Ignatius was able to respond as Rowbottom, an Illinois recruit, scorched a one-out single to left and moved to second on a nice read off a pitch in the dirt. A single to right by Longo put runners on first and third, and then Finkler, who did everything but drive the bus home, put down a text-book squeeze bunt that scored Rowbottom from third.

"I think it's just a matter of the whole team standing up and having real good energy the entire game," said Bufford of the 'Cats' ability to shake off Stow's final blows. "When we need to pull out a win, we do it. We've shown that the past few weeks."

The Bulldogs landed a few on the chin in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four more times en route to making it a one-run game. The key moments for the home team were a one-out, two-run single by senior right fielder Bryan Reginald and a bases-loaded, two-out run-scoring sacrifice fly to right field by Henderson.

With runners on first and third and two outs, Saint Ignatius' sophomore right-handed relief pitcher, MJ "Ice in his veins" Nara, ended the sixth by coaxing a pop out to Finkler.

Coach Ganor's team would then ride a two-out, pinch-hit single by senior Kevin Hagen, a stolen base by sophomore pinch runner Sam Fuller and Bufford's key hit to the final run of the game.

Nara, after getting two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, yielded a single to junior shortstop Mike Urban. However, after Urban stole second base, Nara settled the issue with a strikeout off a 3-2 pitch.

"MJ did a nice job," said Coach Ganor. "We made a determination that he was going to win it or lose it. He was going to grow up today and pitch like a varsity player. And he certainly did that in the seventh. Tyler Finkler had one of the more impressive base running days since I've been at Saint Ignatius, and he's not the fastest guy that we've ever had. But certainly some of the best instincts. That second to home play, you don't see high school kids do that! And that is why the colleges like him."   

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Shane Skuhrovec turns in an outstanding performance on the mound and displays a capable bat, the 'Cats set the tempo with a three-run first inning and the defense makes its case again.

It all added up to an 8-0 victory over Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in the Lions' baseball den on Wednesday evening.

Up next for Saint Ignatius is a trip to Stow on Thursday for a 4:30 match up with the Bulldogs. Senior right-hander Matt Lynch will be on the mound for the gold-jersey donned Wildcats.

****Congratulations go out to former Saint Ignatius baseball standout Derek Dietrich '07, who made his major league debut on Wednesday afternoon with the Miami Marlins (see the corner's post from earlier today). Derek went 1-for-3 in a 1-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. His hit came in first MLB at-bat - a 1-0 pitch single to right field.

****And congrats to the Wildcats' freshman baseball team, which improved to 15-2 by defeating host NDCL, 11-1, and Saint Ignatius' lacrosse team for defeating Westlake, 14-4, on Wasmer Field Wednesday night. Keying the Wildcats' fifth consecutive victory and 11th in 12 games were Garrett Joseph (4 goals), Mike Advey (3 goals) and Danny Hennessy (2 goals- no relation and different spelling to Conor Hennessey). And last, but certainly not least, a tip of racket to Coach Jon Barker's tennis team for prevailing at Western Reserve Academy on Wednesday, 3-2. That's 11 in a row for Coach Barker's team as it gears up for next week's sectional play.    

HERE IS THE FULL STORY ON WEDNESDAY'S VARSITY BASEBALL TRIUMPH AT NDCL.

Geauga County - They weren't yelling "Shane, come back" on Auburn Road early Wednesday evening.

In fact, if some of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's faithful never see Saint Ignatius' 6-foot-3 junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec again, it might be too soon.

The quiet, but gritty Skuhrovec, making his first varsity start after some strong work out of the bullpen this season, shut down one of Ohio's strongest baseball programs en route to the Wildcats' 8-0 victory at NDCL.

A player who does whatever is asked of him - pitch, play the outfield or DH, Skuhrovec didn't even know he was going to start against the Lions until first period at school on Wednesday.

"Coach (Brad) Ganor pulled me out of class and said Nick Fabian's back was hurting (spasms) and that he wanted me to come in here and get the job done," said Skuhrovec, who limited the always sound bats of NDCL to four hits before being relieved by senior right-hander and captain Kyle Pluta with one out in the bottom of the seventh. "I said, 'Yeah, I can do it.'"

True to his words, Skuhrovec kept the Lions (12-9) off balance for most of the late afternoon and early evening and got the offensive and defensive support every pitcher appreciates.

Saint Ignatius (16-6), having now won 11 of its past 12 games, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

Senior second baseman, captain and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom keyed the first-inning surge with a leadoff triple to the gap in deep right-center field. Senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey hit a too-hot-to-handle grounder through the left side for an RBI and junior right fielder Nick Longo followed with a single to right center.

The Wildcats then flashed their aggressive base running, as Longo, a Miami of Ohio recruit, broke for second and Hennessey came flying home on the throw to second. Hennessey will enter Thursday's game at Stow with 22 stolen bases, five shy of tying Saint Ignatius' all-time single season mark set by University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico '09.

Continuing to put the pressure on, Longo, running on the pitch, came all the way around from second and scored on a ground out to the right side off the bat of senior third baseman Cole Nieto.

Skuhrovec, who shook off a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first and a two-out walk and a single in the bottom of the second, coaxed a 4-6-3 double play with runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the third.

"My fastball, my four-seam and two-seam, were working really well and I started finding my slider later in the game," Skuhrovec said after he threw 100 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. "I felt relaxed, comfortable."

Saint Ignatius' infield, led by Rowbottom and senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler, turned in another marvelous performance. Rowbottom, Finkler and sure-handed junior first baseman Joe Khoury were part of three key double plays.

The Wildcats, who out hit the Lions, 9-4, pushed their lead to 5-0 in the top of the fourth. Nieto led off with a single through the left side and advanced to second on a good read off a pitch in the dirt. Skuhrovec then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to the left side and was safe at first on a throwing error. Junior left fielder Kyle Daugenti followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left center that scored Nieto and Khoury delivered a two-out RBI single down the left field line.

Skuhrovec's hustle double, more aggressive base running and Khoury's RBI sacrifice fly had the 'Cats purring to the tune of a 7-0 lead in the top of the sixth.

A two-out double by Nieto and the ensuing RBI single by Skuhrovec closed out the scoring in the top of the seventh.

"That's a pretty good job, a pretty good job," said Coach Ganor of Skuhrovec's first starting assignment on the mound. "He did more than we could have hoped for in my opinion. Offensively we pressured them from the first inning on and never really let up.

"I can't say enough about the defense," Coach Ganor continued. "Double plays are not easy to turn. We turned a couple of really nice ones, not just tailor made. We got the week started on a positive note as we look towards May 17th (the OHSAA Division I sectional finals)."  

Posted By Eddie Dwyer

Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor told the corner today that former Wildcats and Georgia Tech great Derek Dietrich was called up to the Marlins' major league club and will be in the starting lineup today for Miami. Coach Ganor said Derek will play second base and hit second in the order against San Diego at 3:05 EST.

Congratulations to Derek and his family.

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

BASEBALL: Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats (15-6), coming off a strong performance in the Ohio Jesuit Tournament and a second seed for the OHSAA Strongsville Division I sectional/district (see the corner's stories from Sunday afternoon), embark on another demanding week.

The Wildcats, winners of 10 of their past 11 games, travel to tradition-rich Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (4:30) on Wednesday and on Thursday it is off to Stow (4;30). The Stow Bulldogs agreed to host the 'Cats after Cuyahoga Falls canceled for Thursday.

Saint Ignatius will be at storied Lakewood Stadium on Friday for the traditional junior varsity (4:30) and varsity (7 p.m.) doubleheader with the Rangers, and on Saturday morning and afternoon it is another great tradition - the triple header (freshman, junior varsity and varsity) against West Side rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University. The action begins at 10 a.m., with the varsity game slated for 4 p.m.

NOTE: Saturday's triple header will benefit the research for Tay-Sachs Disease.

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor told the corner this afternoon that Cuyahoga Falls has canceled its Thursday game versus the Wildcats and that Saint Ignatius will now travel to Stow on Thursday afternoon.  

By Eddie Dwyer

Coach Brad Ganors' varsity baseball Wildcats garnered the second seed for the upcoming Strongsville OHSAA Division I sectional/district tournament.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights was seeded No. 1 and the Strongsville Mustangs are the third seed.

The Wildcats will begin postseason play on May 17th with a sectional-final match up against the winner of the Rhodes versus Berea semifinal. The May 17th sectional final will be played at Baldwin Wallace University at 4:30.

If successful on May 17th, Saint Ignatius will begin district play on May 23. The district will be held at Strongsville High School.     

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Senior captain Dan Rowbottom fuels the five-run outburst with a clutch two-rout, two-RBI hit, and senior captain Conor Hennessey and junior Nick Longo also provide big RBIs, as all five runs score after two outs.

Senior shortstop Tyler Finkler climbs the ladder for a highlight-reel double play, senior third baseman Cole Nieto and junior infielder Quillen Austria set the table in the sixth with text-book bunts, and crafty senior southpaw Tom Rolle (4-0) throws six gritty innings in helping the Wildcats go 2-1 in the talent-laden Ohio Jesuit Tournament.

After winning for the 10th time in their past 11 games, Coach Brad Ganor's 'Cats now stand at 15-6. The Titans from Toledo St. John's Jesuit lost for the fourth time in 15 games.

HERE IS THE STORY FROM A SUN-DRENCHED AND BLUE-SKIED CLASSIC PARK.

Lake County - Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor said that before Sunday's game versus Toledo St. John's Jesuit, he challenged his Wildcats "to prove that they are a great team."

Challenge accepted and answered.

Saint Ignatius, coming off a dramatic victory over perennial power Walsh Jesuit on Saturday morning and then a tough loss to Cincinnati St. Xavier on Saturday night (see the corner's story from Saturday), took control of a game that was tied with a "sweet sixth" inning and defeated St. John's Jesuit, 7-2 in the finale of the Ohio Jesuit Tournament at Classic Park in Eastlake.

The Wildcats, who have been playing sound and clutch baseball over the past three weeks, scored five runs after there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore right-hander MJ Nara closed the door in the top of the seventh after senior southpaw Tom Rolle pitched with heart and poise through six innings. Tom finished with a five-hitter, 49 strikes on his 79 pitches, two walks and four strikeouts.

"I asked them to come back strong today after a disappointing game from last night and they did it and took care of business ," said Coach Ganor. "Tom Rolle did a phenomenal job and Dan (Rowbottom), of course, doing what everybody expects him to do. And he did it."

Rowbottom, a senior second baseman, one of the Wildcats' four captains and a three-year varsity mainstay, delivered a two-out, two-run line drive base hit off an 0-1 pitch that gave Saint Ignatius a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the sixth, junior outfielder Kyle Daugenti pinch ran for Hagen and senior third baseman Cole Nieto laid down a perfect bunt to the right side and beat it out for a base hit. Junior infielder Quillen Austria, one of the heroes in Saturday's triumph over Walsh Jesuit, stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter and placed down a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt that put runners on second and third.

After St. John's Jesuit right-hander Brock Connor struck out the next batter, Rowbottom, an Illinois recruit, stepped up big time and his teammates followed suite.

Senior shortstop Tyler Finlker, who flashed the leather all day on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Classic Park, drew a walk and Rowbottom came around to score on an RBI single to right field by senior captain and center fielder Conor Hennessey. A stolen base by Hennessey and another hit batsman loaded the bases, and junior right fielder Nick Longo capped the five-run sixth by driving a single to right that scored Finkler and the heads-up Hennessey. Longo and junior left fielder Nick Fabian drove in Saint Ignatius' first two runs of the game.  

"This was a big showing by our guys, the pitching staff especially, " said Rowbottom, who is as classy as he is talented. "Like I said before, we hadn't won a game in the Jesuit Tournament in about three years. So getting these wins and showing these teams that we compete is definitely big. That's the main thing, we're showing every other team in the state that we can compete with the top programs.

"That was Coach Ganor's goal, at least two out of three," Rowbottom continued. "It was a good weekend. With our offense, we're never out of a game."

And the 'Cats' defense was also purring under the friendly clouds of Lake County.

Rowbottom and Finkler had the 4-6-3 clicking, Rolle came off the mound to make three athletic plays, including a 1-5 force at third, junior Joe Khoury flashed his Vic Power-like picks on throws to first base and, in what was the Wildcats' web gem of the season so far, Finkler displayed his best Derek Jeter by soaring in the air in the top of the fifth and making a one-handed catch of a line drive that had gap shot written all over it. Tyler, who never lost his balance as he landed, then ran over to second and doubled the runner off base.

"He's the best," said a smiling Rowbottom of his middle infield partner.

The 'Cats will have to continue to be at their best this coming week as they travel to tradition-rich Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (4:30) and Cuyahoga Falls (4:30, Water Works Park) on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, will be at storied Lakewood Stadium on Friday for the traditional junior varsity (4:30) and varsity (7 p.m.) doubleheader with the Rangers, and on Saturday morning and afternoon it is another great tradition - the triple header (freshman, junior varsity and varsity) against West Side rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University. The action begins at 10 a.m.

****Saturday's triple header will benefit the fight against Tay-Sachs Disease.

****ONE THE BASEPATHS: Conor Hennessey now has 20 stolen bases on the season. The 'Cats' all-time single-season mark is 27 by former Saint Ignatius great and current University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Trailing, 4-0, entering the bottom of the seventh, Saint Ignatius stuns the Warriors with five runs in Saturday morning's opening game of the talent-laden Ohio Jesuit Tournament at Classic Park.

Cole Nieto, Quillen Austria and Joe Khoury provide the crucial hits, with Austria sending a game-tying, two-run double down the right-field line off a fastball down and away, and Khoury coming up with a single through the right side for the game winner.

The Wildcats took a nine-game winning streak into Saturday night's match up with Cincinnati St. Xavier, which the Bombers won, 6-3. A recap on the St. Xavier game follows the Saint Ignatius-Walsh Jesuit game story.

*With Saturday's split, the 'Cats will take a record of 14-6 into Sunday's OJT finals against Toledo St. John's Jesuit. According to Saint Ignatius' tournament program, the first pitch from Classic Park on Sunday is high noon. Sunday's other OJT final will match St. Xavier (14-9) against Walsh Jesuit (16-4) at Walsh Jesuit, with the first pitch listed as 12:30 p.m.   

LAKE COUNTY - Saint Ignatius' junior infielder Quillen Austria had just come up with the biggest hit of his young baseball career.

However, in what was a very sincere and humble manner, Austria said he didn't know what to say.

The young man they call "Q" sure knew what to do.

Austria, called on to pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh inning with no outs and the bases loaded, delivered a scorching liner over first base and down the right-field for a two-run double that tied the score and came home on junior first baseman Joe Khoury's one-out, game-winning single through the right side, as the Wildcats overcame a four-run deficit against Walsh Jesuit and defeated the Warriors, 5-4, in Saturday's annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament at Classic Park in Eastlake.

The heroics provided by Austria and Khoury, which came against Walsh Jesuit's senior ace Joe Mockbee, were part of what Saint Ignatius' veteran head coach Brad Ganor described as one of the biggest innings in the Wildcats' rich baseball history.

"I had no idea," said Austria after being told that his dramatic hit came against a left-hander who is bound for the University of Cincinnati on a baseball scholarship. "I just went up there trying to get the job done, trying to just put the ball in play and make them make a play. I guess it happened. Walsh is a great team and it was a great game."

Describing Saturday's annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament encounter between the Warriors and the Wildcats as "great" is no exaggeration.

Walsh Jesuit, ranked among the state's best in this past week's Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association's Division I poll, rode the pitching of sophomore left-hander Ty Shoaff and a three-run top of the seventh to its 4-0 lead. Shoaff entered the game with a record of 3-0.

The key at-bats in the Warriors' seventh were a leadoff single by sophomore first baseman Ryan Feltner, a sacrifice bunt by sophomore designated hitter Connor Regan, an RBI single to left center by sophomore second baseman Riley Minorik and a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by junior infielder Kyle Holdsworth. Walsh Jesuit also took advantage of a throwing error off a relay that saw the ball end up in the Warriors' dugout.

"I would think so," said Coach Ganor, when asked if he thought Saturday was one of the greatest comebacks in his nine seasons as the Wildcats' head coach. "I was thinking when it was 4-2 that OK, they fought and battled, and that I would have been pretty proud of them. The fact that they were able to put an inning like that together against one of the top teams in the state just shows that this team is special.

"It was exciting that we were able to win the game," Coach Ganor continued. "But it's even more exciting to see guys get opportunities and perform. These guys are coming in during huge situations and producing."

After being kept off-balance by Shoaff for most of the first six innings, Saint Ignatius again found the inner strength that has epitomized its nine-game winning streak.

Senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey, whose grit and baseball savvy are evident on almost every play, led off the bottom of the seventh by taking one for the team. Five-tool junior left fielder Nick Fabian then lined a 3-2 pitch into left center putting runners on first and second.

Junior right-hander Tim Benner replaced Shoaff on the mound and was greeted by a single from junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo.

With the bases loaded and no outs, senior third baseman Cole Nieto, who turned in another solid day at the hot corner, followed with an RBI single through the left side. An error on the relay throw allowed Fabian to score the 'Cats' second run and also saw Longo and Nieto advance to third base and second base, respectively.

Versatile junior designated hitter Shane Skuhrovec then drew a walk, setting the stage for the memorable swings by Austria and Khoury. Mockbee came out of the Warriors' bullpen after the walk to Skuhrovec.

"It was huge that we got it started with the other guys, obviously," said Khoury of his game winner. "For my at bat, I was looking for something I could elevate. I wanted something higher in the zone, so I could elevate it for a sac fly. But it got through the infield, so ---. OJT (Ohio Jesuit Tournament) against Walsh, it's huge."

Along with the big hits, Saint Ignatius got a gutsy performance from junior left-hander Nick Margevicius.

In going the distance and improving to 5-0 on the season, Margevicius yielded five hits, walked one and struck out four.

ST. XAVIER 6, SAINT IGNATIUS 3: The Bombers jumped on the Wildcats for four runs in the top of the first inning in a Classic Park match up that didn't end until almost 9 p.m.

The big hits for St. Xavier in the first inning were a one-out RBI single to left field by sophomore shortstop Jonathon Deifel and a two-out, two-run single to right by sophomore left fielder Justin Hilliard.

A member of Cincinnati's Greater Catholic League, the Bombers took advantage of two walks, a fielder's choice and a wild pitch in making it a 5-0 game in the top of the third.

Saint Ignatius, looking for their second comeback on Saturday, scored three times in the bottom of the third. Promising sophomore catcher Alex Panstares got the Wildcats' offense started with a solo home run to left field and senior captain and center fielder Conor Hennessey would cut the deficit to 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

Panstares had two hits and a walk on the night and he also threw out two runners attempting to steal second base.

With Saint Ignatius' senior right-hander and captain Kyle Pluta keeping the Wildcats in the game with a strong effort out of the bullpen, Coach Brad Ganor's team threatened in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

However, St. Xavier, which got some nice relief work from Ryan Shaw, put up an insurance run in the top of the seventh courtesy of another RBI single by Deifel.

Saint Ignatius, which outhit the Bombers, 11-7,  had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh after Hennessey beat out an infield hit and junior left fielder Nick Fabian singled to right field.

Shaw was equal to challenge, however, as he ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts.

"We've talked for weeks about how the mark of a good team is how they fight and come back," said Coach Ganor. "And I firmly believe that the mark of a great team is a team that can come back tomorrow and start over again. That's what good baseball teams do and that's what I expect we're going to do tomorrow (Sunday)."

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright May 2013

Dan Rowbottom and Tyler Finkler each provide two RBIs, Nick Longo and Joe Khoury flash the leather and Shane Skuhrovec and Kyle Pluta provide solid stints out of the bullpen as the Wildcats extend their winning streak to eight games with a 7-2 victory over Kenston.

Up next for the 'Cats is the talent-laden Ohio Jesuit Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Classic Park. Saint Ignatius faces perennial state power Walsh Jesuit in Saturday's opening game at 10 a.m. For a preview on the Jesuit Tournament, see the corner's "Where the 'Cats play" that was posted on Monday night.

*****Congratulations go out to Saint Ignatius' standout junior left fielder/pitcher Nick Fabian, who is being honored by The Plain Dealer this week as one of its Players of the Week.

Lake County - After an emotional comeback victory over West Side rival St. Edward on Tuesday, Saint Ignatius was not nearly as emotional while going about its job against Kenston in sun-drenched Classic Park on Wednesday.

And understandably so.

With all due respect to Kenston and the other baseball-gifted teams that laden the Wildcats' schedule, it has been well documented that there is absolutely something very special about Saint Ignatius versus St. Edward.

That said, the Wildcats, playing with the pride that goes hand-in-hand with the name on their caps and uniforms, did what was needed to get done en route to a 7-2 victory over a very representative program from Kenston.

"I think it was what I expected, we were a little slow today," said Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor after his team improved to 13-5. "There wasn't a lot of emotion in the win. But, they are athletic and good baseball players, and they took care of business."

The Wildcats, who won for the eighth consecutive time, rode the hot bat of senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. An Illinois recruit, Dan led off with an opposite way ringing double to left field. After senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler was hit by a pitch, senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that advanced the runners to second and third.

Standout junior Nick Fabian, who got the starting assignment on the mound, delivered the run with a sacrifice fly.

Fabian, a five-tool player who was coming off an outstanding all-around game against St. Edward, faced a no-outs, bases-loaded situation in the top of the second.

However, Fabian reached back and got a strikeout, benefited from a nice 5-2 force orchestrated by senior third baseman Cole Nieto and junior catcher Pat Gulick, and left the them loaded when he got the next batter to pop out to Finkler.

Saint Ignatius, which will know its draw for this month's sectional/district tournament after the Division I seeding meeting on Sunday, built itself a little cushion by scoring three times in the bottom half of the second. All three runs came home after two outs.

With one out, senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen drew a walk. After the second out, junior left fielder/pitcher Shane Skuhrovec lined a single into left center. With Hagen and Skurovec moving on the pitch, they both advanced a base on a pitch that bounced in the dirt. Up stepped Rowbottom and Dan scorched another double the opposite way, this time to left center, and the 'Cats led, 3-0.

Finkler then followed with an RBI single up the middle that pushed Saint Ignatius' advantage to 4-0.

Kenston (12-3), which was coming off a tough 5-4, extra-inning loss to rival Chagrin Falls, had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the third after center fielder Peter Rozman doubled to right. Again, Fabian reached down for something extra and recorded a strikeout. The threat ended when junior first baseman Joe Khoury made a slick unassisted stop of a sharp grounder.

Junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo got the Wildcats' offense started in the bottom of the third by lacing a single to right field. After Nieto flied out to right field, the right fielder attempted to double Longo off first base. His throw sailed past the first baseman, however, and ended up in Saint Ignatius' dugout. Longo was awarded third base and came home on a single off the bat of Hagen that dropped into right field.

Trailing, 5-0, Kenston loaded the bases again in the top of the fourth. First baseman Jimmy Artale led off with a single to left, catcher Mitch Lyon drew a one-out walk and a hit batsman had the bases juiced.

After a passed ball made it a 5-1 game, Skuhrovec, who came on in relief of Fabian in the fourth, got the next batter on a 1-3 bouncer back to the mound. An all-out diving catch in right field by Longo, an effort that saw Nick hit his side as he landing, roll over and still hold on to the ball, ended what had the makings of a big inning for Kenston.

With two outs and nobody on base, Saint Ignatius answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth.

Hennessey, who was hit by pitch, wasted little time in stealing second base. Junior Kyle Daugenti, who replaced Skuhrovec in left field, drew a walk and Hennessey took off for third and scored when the throw from the catcher when down the line and into foul territory. Hennessey's three stolen bases on the afternoon give him 17 for the season.  

Kenston wasn't about to call it an evening, however, as Rozman delivered a leadoff triple to the gap in right center in the top of the fifth and scored on a one-out fielder's choice.

Following a 1-2-3 top of the sixth by Skuhrovec that featured two strikeouts, Rowbottom singled up the middle for his third hit with one out in the bottom of the sixth, advanced to third on an errant pick-off attempt and scored on a sharp grounder by Finkler. Skuhrovec threw 27 pitches, 20 for strikes, yielded one hit, a run, struck out two and did not issue a walk.

Senior right-hander and captain Kyle Pluta shut down Kenston in the seventh and benefited from a smooth, running over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory by Khoury.

"We want to play the best competition we can," said Rowbottom, referring to teams such as St. Edward, Kenston and the Jesuit Tournament. "As for the Jesuit Tournament, we haven't done well for the past few years. That's why Coach Ganor schedules the toughest teams he can. These are the type of games that will prepare us for what we are going to see in the (OHSAA) tournament."

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April-May 2013

Trailing, 4-0, after four innings, Saint Ignatius scores a run in the top of the fifth, four in the sixth and adds an insurance tally in the seventh.

Dan Rowbottom, Cole Nieto, Nick Longo and Nick Fabian provide clutch hits, Fabian, Longo and Conor Hennessey are stellar defensively and Matt Lynch, Kyle Pluta and MJ Nara do a solid job out of the bullpen.

The Wildcats extend their winning streak to seven games and will take a 12-5 record into tomorrow's (Wednesday) match up with a solid Kenston team at Classic Park. Nick Fabian will be on the mound for the 4:30 first pitch. Kenston is 12-2 after a 5-4 loss at Chagrin Falls on Tuesday.  

Berea, Ohio - As he stood along the third-base line early Tuesday night, Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor spoke of how proud he was of his team.

And it wasn't just because his Wildcats had rallied their way past longtime rival St. Edward, 6-4, on the quaint and atmosphere-rich diamond at Baldwin Wallace University. Although Coach Ganor also made his thoughts clear on how important the storied West Side rivalry is.

It was the way Saint Ignatius refused to quit after the 'Cats struggled to generate any offense through the first four innings that left Coach Ganor and his assistants - Josh Bieneman, Matt Blazer and Mark Terlep - beaming as bright as the sunshine that hovered over the campus of Baldwin Wallace.

"The biggest thing as to why I am proud of them is the fact that they fought and battled," said Coach Ganor. "Losing to St. Eds stinks and we don't want it to happen. I don't care what anybody says, it stinks when you lose to them.

"They found a way to win the game and that is a mark of a great baseball team," Coach Ganor continued. "Right there, that game, getting beat by a good pitcher and fighting to come back. He (St. Edward's talented and crafty junior right-hander Jon Laird) was dealing and we found a way to get guys on, scrap a few runs and put the pressure on. That's the best we've played in many years, as far as the intestinal fortitude and passion they showed."

St. Edward (7-8), with Laird keeping Saint Ignatius' potent offense off balance with his breaking stuff and a fastball that was more than capable, took a 4-0 lead into the fifth inning.

The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second one a one-out, bases loaded double to the gap in left-center field by sophomore third baseman Mason DeAnna. Saint Ignatius starter Tom Rolle prevented further damage in that inning by charging off the mound, fielding a bunt with his left or pitching hand and firing a throw to home plate. Wildcats sophomore catcher Alex Panstares made a nice catch and tag, and Rolle then ended the inning with a strikeout.

St. Edward, under the direction of new head coach Joe Kasl, combined a leadoff base hit by senior center fielder Kyle Wasil, a stolen base by Wasil and a sharp RBI single up the middle by senior first baseman Cory Jacobs into a 3-0 lead in the third.

It was Saint Ignatius' defense that again stuck a thumb in the hole of the dam in the bottom of the third.

Following Jacobs' RBI, the Eagles had runners on second and third with no outs. Thanks to a highlight-reel throw from left field by Wildcats five-tool junior Nick Fabian to standout senior third baseman Cole Nieto, and the ensuing one-the-money relay throw by Nieto to Panstares, the 'Cats pulled off a 7-5-2 double play.

Junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo came up with the final out of the third on an all-out hustling diving catch in foul territory deep down the right-field line.

St. Edward would make it a 4-0 game in the bottom of the fourth by successfully combining an error, a single into center field by junior shortstop Will DeVito off a hit and run, and a pitch in the dirt that bounced away.

Fabian, a player this corner has told you about all season, prevented a fifth run from crossing the plate in the Eagles' fourth when he fielded a base hit and, in one motion, fired a throw to home plate to nail the runner who was trying to score from second. The ball seemed to have a humming sound to it as it sailed on a line from Fabian's arm to the dish.

Riding the emotion of Fabian's second of three defensive gems, Saint Ignatius got to Laird for a run in the top of the fifth. A line-drive single to right by Nieto, a one-out walk to senior pinch-hitter Kevin Hagen and a two-out RBI single by senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom cut the deficit to 4-1.

After senior right-hander Matt Lynch pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth for the Wildcats, Saint Ignatius kept chipping away against Laird.

Fabian led off the sixth with a single up the middle and Longo followed with a double to deep right field. At that point, Coach Kasl went to his bullpen and called on junior Michael Cuva. Nieto, who has been swinging his bat with authority, delivered a two-run single to right field that made it a one-run game.

Sophomore Sam Fuller, who was just called up from the junior varsity, went in to pinch run for Nieto and promptly stole second base. Junior infielder Quillen Austria then drew a walk in a pinch-hitter's role and St. Edward called on its bullpen again, bringing in senior Connor Faix.

Following a strikeout by Faix. Wildcats versatile junior Shane Skuhrovec hit a slow roller to the left side and clearly had it beat for a base hit. However, the infielder, instead of holding on to the ball, fired it to first and it sailed past the first baseman. Fuller scored the tying run and Austria moved to third, where he would score the go-ahead run off a sacrifice fly to deep right center by Rowbottom.

"None of us expected St. Eds to be as good as they are," said Rowbottom, an Illinois recruit. "Those guys were good pitchers, probably as good as we've seen all year. Even though we started slow, we knew we would get going. Our offense has been awesome lately. I think the coolest thing about this game was that everybody was doing their job. It's exciting to watch, it really is."

That excitement continued in the bottom of the sixth, as senior right-hander and captain Kyle Pluta came on for Coach Ganor and got two outs on a pop up to Nieto and a strikeout. With a runner on second and two outs, Fabian put together his third highlight effort by galloping from deep left field and running down a pop fly in foul territory. The kid's got wheels my friends.

"I describe him as a gazelle to every college coach that has come to see him,'" said Coach Ganor of Fabian.

Saint Ignatius added a little insurance in the top of the seventh by turning an error, a hit batsman, a Baltimore Chop to the left side by junior first baseman Joe Khoury and a passed ball into its sixth and final run.

MJ Nara, a sophomore right-hander with ice in his veins, closed the door in the bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts. Nara also benefited from another web gem by the 'Cats - a diving one-handed catch in deep center field by senior captain Conor Hennessey that preceded the Ks. Conor also came up with his 13th and 14th stolen bases of the season.

"Matt Lynch, Kyle Pluta and MJ Nara did a phenomenal job in those fifth, sixth and seventh innings, getting out of a few jams," Coach Ganor said. "It just shows that these kids are great baseball players with tons of will power."  

By Eddie Dwyer

Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats are gearing up for what is always the biggest week of the regular season, a five-game stretch that begins with Tuesday's match up against West Side rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University and an intriguing Wednesday game in Classic Park versus one of the hottest teams in Ohio – Kenston. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The week is culminated by the annual Ohio Jesuit Baseball Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Classic Park.

Saint Ignatius (11-5), which brings a six-game winning streak into this week's action and has produced 28 hits and 18 runs in its last two games combined (see the corner's stories from last week), will begin Jesuit Tournament play on
Saturday morning at 10 against perennial state power Walsh Jesuit. Saturday will also include a game against one of Cincinnati's all-time best - St. Xavier. Saint Ignatius and St. Xavier are expected to match skills at 5:30 p.m.

The 'Cats will wrap up Jesuit Tournament play on Sunday at 12:30 versus St. John's Jesuit. And win or lose, you always walk away remembering those Titans from Toledo.

Here is a look at this week's opponents.

St. Edward: The Eagles, under the direction of new head coach Joe Kasl, entered this week’s action with a .500 record against a demanding schedule. St. Edward was defeated by Midview, 9-4, at Bohlken Park on Friday, a game that saw the Eagles draw nine walks and leave 12 runners on base. Coach Kasl, who features a very capable and big-game tested
offense, got a solid effort out of his bullpen from Darien Knowles, who struck out seven in three innings of work against Midview’s talented Middies.

Kenston: Coach Bob Ford’s 12-1 club took a nine-game winning streak into this week’s play. Kenston, which will make the short trip to Classic Park on Wednesday, features a one-through-six batting order that has been clutch
all spring. Coach Ford also has a number of strong arms, including senior right-hander Sherman Kruger, a Walsh University recruit.

Among some of Kenston’s run producers are outfielder/pitcher Dalton Yost, who is hitting nearly .400, Adam Bush, Sean O’Connor, Austin Shoda, Anthony Hajdu and Pete Rozman. Yost, who is a transfer from Rock Canyon High School in Littleton, Colorado, had three RBIs in Kenston’s 6-5 victory over Chardon in Progressive Field on Friday. The above mentioned names and several others had Kenston ranked second to Mentor in The News Herald’s weekly Top of the Crop on Friday. Some veteran Kenston fans are whispering that this team’s approach reminds them of the program’s regional-final clubs of ’02 and ’04.

Walsh Jesuit: The Warriors’ history speaks for itself – Division II state champs in 2008, ’06, ’04 and ’99, Division II state runners-up in 2009 and ’10 and seven national rankings since 2004. And yes, veteran Coach Chris Kaczmar has another solid team this spring, one that is sprinkled with tough outs and live arms.

Walsh Jesuit, which stood 14-2 after the weekend’s play, is currently a Division I club and is ranked 15^th in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association’s big-school state poll. Among some of the mainstays for Coach Kaczmar are senior catcher/pitcher Cassidy Brown and University of Cincinnati pitching recruit Joe Mockbee. A southpaw, Mockbee entered this week with a 4-0 record. Last year, Mockbee limited opponents to a .231 average and struck out 22 in 23 innings.

As for Brown, Wildcats baseball fans should know the name well by now. A four-year varsity mainstay, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Brown has been ranked as the top college prospect in Ohio by MaxPreps and the eighth-best talent in the Buckeye State by Prep Baseball Report. Coming off a season in which he hit .432 with five home runs and 29 RBI, Brown has accepted a scholarship from Loyola Marymount of the West Coast Conference. Senior right-handed pitcher and Walsh University recruit  Mark Mittiga, Blake Jenkins, Riley Minorik, Ryan Feltner and Gino Sassano are among some of the other names to mark down. Feltner is not only a capable hitter, but also has plenty of potential as a 6-2 right-handed freshman pitcher. His 84-plus mph capability and smooth delivery are quite impressive for a ninth grader.

St. Xavier: Some of the Queen City’s baseball aficionados are saying this might be a bit of a down year for St. Xavier. This old-timer is not buying it.

St. Xavier starts swinging the bats on the way off the bus and you can be sure it will come into Classic Park wanting to prove a point.

St. X did suffer a 14-1 loss to defending Division I state champion Archbishop Moeller last week. Moeller is ranked second to Mason in the coaches’ state poll.

However, St. Xavier rebounded nicely with a 6-3 victory over Elder and an 8-3 triumph over McNicholas, and carried a 9-8 record through Monday.

St. John’s Jesuit: Greg Christian has taken over as the skipper of the Titans after serving as an assistant on the varsity level last spring. Greg came to St. John’s last year after guiding the fortunes of Cardinal Stritch for 27 seasons.

After finishing 21-7 last season and winning a Three Rivers Athletic Conference Championship, the Titans had some rebuilding to do. Well, after a 10-1 start this spring, reloading might be more like it.

Yes, the Titans’ faithful had to say goodbye to four-year mainstays Jesse Adams (9-1 on the mound and a .387 batting average) and Nate Pearson (2012 TRAC batting champion at .487), who have taken their skills to Boston College and the University of Toledo, respectively. St. John’s also graduated standout pitcher/outfielder Joe Robie (3-2, .384 batting average) and current senior Liam Allen, who batted .326  last year, is sidelined after undergoing surgery that resulted from a football injury.

The Titans are not looking for sympathy, however. Coach Christian is getting outstanding play from senior shortstop/relief pitcher Jimmy Scott and senior catcher Corey Tipton. Scott is a three-year starter who, along with his hitting and fielding, has pitched eight innings of relief, striking out 15 and yielding just one hit. Tipton's work behind the dish has earned him a scholarship to the University of Toledo.   

St. John's is also blessed with three solid junior starting pitchers in 6-4 right-hander Nolan Silbrhorn, southpaw Collin Korte and 6-3 right-hander Jacek Cserwinski. Silbrhorn entered this week with a 1-1 record, his loss coming in a 1-0 game in which he yielded just an infield single. Korte is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.71 and through Monday Cserwinski had 17 strikeouts in 15 innings of work.

This is a solid program, my friends. As the 10-1 start indicates, St. John’s is manufacturing enough runs and getting the starting pitching needed to still make opponents remember the day or night they played the Titans.

****SIBN: The Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network, led by El Presidente John Fanta ’13 and veteran Greg Ziton ’13, and the rest of the “Crew for You,” will broadcast Saint Ignatius baseball all week. Here is the schedule.

Tuesday: Versus St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University. Coverage beginning at 4:15 (no live video).

Wednesday: Versus Kenston at Classic Park. Coverage beginning at 4:15.

Saturday: The Ohio Jesuit Tournament from Classic Park.

Walsh Jesuit vs. Saint Ignatius at 10:00 a.m.

Walsh Jesuit vs. St. John’s Jesuit at 12:30 p.m.

St. John’s Jesuit vs. St. Xavier at 3:00 p.m.

St. Xavier vs. Saint Ignatius at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: Saint Ignatius vs. St. John’s Jesuit at 12:30 p.m.

By Eddie Dwyer

Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor told the corner on Sunday night that his senior catcher Jagger Bruck has officially committed to further his education and baseball career at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia.

In selecting the Cardinals' baseball program, Jagger becomes one of nearly 60 players under Coach Ganor's tutelage to have the opportunity to play at the next level. Jagger is coming off a solid performance during Friday night's 9-1 victory over Avon Lake in Progressive Field.

Congratulations from this old catcher to Jagger, his family, Coach Ganor and the entire Saint Ignatius baseball program. 

The Wildcats follow up on Friday's 15-hit performance against Avon Lake in Progressive Field by pounding out 13 more hits on Saturday.

Junior left fielder Nick Fabian goes 4-for-5 in his home town and Coach Brad Ganor's team sets the tempo with a four-run third inning.

Junior southpaw Nick Margevicius improves to 4-0 on the season and the 'Cats get some strong work out of the bullpen from junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec and sophomore right-hander MJ Nara.

****Up next for Saint Ignatius is Tuesday's highly anticipated match up with rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. St. Edward will be the home team.

Here is Saturday's varsity baseball game story

Strongsville, Ohio - More than capable, versatile and timely.

Those are just some of the words Saint Ignatius' multi-talented junior outfielder Nick Fabian uses when describing the Wildcats' offense.

Less than 24 hours after pounding out 15 hits in an eight-run victory over Avon Lake in Progressive Field, Saint Ignatius traveled to Strongsville on picture-perfect Saturday spring afternoon and showed everyone in attendance just how capable, multi-dimensional and clutch its hitters are.

The Wildcats, who now stand 11-5 after winning their sixth consecutive game, came up with 13 hits against the Mustangs' pitching and turned away the home team, 9-3.

A total of twenty-eight hits and 18 runs in two games. Not that's a healthy weekend my friends.

Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor said he will take 28 hits over two games anytime. However, the veteran skipper also emphasized that it is not the norm for his team, or any high school team, to have such back-to-back production. Coach Ganor prefers to focus on the upcoming week, rather than the current winning streak.

The demanding week ahead includes Tuesday's game against West Side rival St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace University, Wednesday's home game versus Kenston at Classic Park and the annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament at Classic Park over the weekend. The Jesuit Tournament will include games against perennial state baseball fixtures Walsh Jesuit, Toledo St. John's Jesuit and Cincinnati St. Xavier. As always, the corner will preview this coming week's games on Monday as part of the "Where the 'Cats play."

As for Saturday's annual trip to Strongsville, Saint Ignatius combined a one-out base hit by senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler and a two-out RBI hustle double by Fabian into a 1-0 lead. It was the first of four hits by Fabian.

It stayed that way until the top of the third, when the Wildcats grabbed the momentum with a four-run inning.

Senior second baseman, captain and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom led off the third with an infield hit, took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Finkler. Senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey delivered a run-scoring single up the middle, Fabian lined a single to left center and junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo drove in the 'Cats' third run with a single to right field. Saint Ignatius then took advantage of an error and a wild pitch in pushing its lead to 5-0.

Strongsville, the 2006 Division I state champion, combined a walk, an error, a hit batsman and a sacrifice fly by center fielder Brad Weimken into a run in the bottom of the fourth. Saint Ignatius answered with a run in the top of the fifth that was produced by walk to Hennessey, a single through the right side by Fabian and a sacrifice fly the opposite way by Longo.

The Mustangs, who are now 8-8, got back in the game in the bottom of the fifth.

A leadoff double by left fielder Ryan Frank, a double to the gap in right center by first baseman Tom Krokey and a two-run single up the middle by shortstop Ben Szymezak cut Saint Ignatius' lead to 6-3. Strongsville could have done further damage in the fifth, but with Mustangs on second and third and just one out, Wildcats senior third baseman Cole Nieto snagged a line shot to the hot corner and quickly fired the ball to Finkler, who made a text-book tag in doubling the runner off second.

As they have done throughout their winning streak, Coach Ganor's 'Cats, riding the excitement generated by the Nieto-Finkler double play, responded with two more runs in the top of the sixth and scored the game's final run in their half of the seventh.

A line-drive base hit the opposite way by the left-handed hitting Rowbottom, a base hit by Finkler, another walk to Hennessey, a bases-loaded RBI single by Fabian and an error made it an 8-3 game. Saint Ignatius' ninth run was produced by a two-out walk to Rowbottom, an errant pick-off attempt and an all-out hustle infield hit by Finkler that allowed junior infielder Bennett Kinzel, who was pinch running for Rowbottom, to score from second.

"We're getting it done when it needs to get done," Fabian said of the Wildcats' offense. "Slap hits and getting the RBIs when we need them, that's good baseball."

Fabian, a member of a solid contingent of Wildcats who grew up and still reside in Strongsville, said he knows about "80 percent" of the Mustangs.

"It's always a fun game," Fabian emphasized. "Growing up playing with teams that are from around here, it is always nice to come back and get a win off a lot of your buddies. Having a good day as well is always a nice thing too."

Saint Ignatius' pitching, which has also played a major role in the success of the past two weeks, was efficient again on Saturday.

Junior left-hander Nick Margevicius (4-0) worked five-plus innings, throwing 40 strikes in 60 pitches, junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec worked two innings, with nine of his 11 pitches resulting in strikes, and sophomore right-hander MJ Nara turned in another 1-2-3 seventh with seven strikes in 12 pitches. Skuhrovec had a four-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth inning.

"All in all, I am happy with what they are doing and how they're playing baseball," said Coach Ganor of his Wildcats. "For the last two weeks, we've played good baseball. We hit well, we pitched well and we played good defense. All in all, that's usually a recipe for success."

Cole Nieto, Nick Fabian and Jordan Bufford help fuel the offense, as the 'Cats take control with a five-run first inning. Seniors Tom Rolle, Kyle Pluta and Matt Lynch, and sophomore MJ Nara, combine on a three-hitter in what was part of the annual Cleveland Indians Charities High School Hardball Classic.

Saint Ignatius improves to 10-5 and will take a five-game winning streak into Saturday afternoon's game at Strongsville. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:30. Junior southpaw Nick Margevicius (3-0) will be on the mound for the Wildcats.

HERE IS FRIDAY'S GAME STORY FROM THE CORNER OF CARNEGIE AND ONTARIO.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013

Saint Ignatius’ senior third baseman Cole Nieto said having the opportunity to play on Progressive Field was a “great experience.”

And he had fun doing it, too.

“When I came out here tonight, I was just looking forward to having some fun,” said Nieto, who was a big part of a Saint Ignatius offense that produced 15 hits en route to a 9-1 victory over Avon Lake in Friday night’s Cleveland Indians Charities High School Hardball Classic.

“Coach (Brad) Ganor said have fun and enjoy the experience," Nieto continued. "The pitcher I faced tonight (Brett Kiser), I played with him in summer ball. So I was looking to get a few hits off of him.”

Nieto and the rest of the Wildcats got more than their share of base hits, as they wasted little time in unleashing what has become a balanced and productive lineup for Coach Ganor. 

Batting around in the bottom of the first inning, Saint Ignatius took a 5-0 lead on six hits. The hit parade started with two outs and the bases empty.

Senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a line drive base hit to center field by gifted junior left fielder Nick Fabian. Fabian alertly advanced to second when the outfielder had trouble handling his scorcher.

Junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo followed with an infield hit that scored Fabian and Longo advanced to second on the throw to the plate.

An RBI single by senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen, a line-drive RBI triple down the left-field line by Nieto and a run-scoring rope to right field by senior first baseman Jordan Bufford pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 5-0.

Bufford turned in the most impressive at-bat of the night by battling back from an 0-2 count and fouling off a 3-2 pitch before taking the ball the opposite way.

Saint Ignatius had runners on first and second after senior catcher Jagger Bruck singled to right field and it appeared as though the ‘Cats were going to tack on a few more runs in the first inning.

However, a tip of the old cap went out to Avon Lake junior center fielder David Winkel, who ran down a drive off the bat of Wildcats senior second baseman and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom, and made a diving catch not too far from the 400-foot mark.

After Fabian's one-handed sliding catch in left field highlighted the top of the third, Saint Ignatius rode a two-base throwing error, a fielder's choice and an RBI single to left by Nieto to a 6-0 lead entering the top of the fourth.

“I started wrapping my hands, I just kept them down and didn’t move them much,” said Nieto of some of the work he did with his hitting in the off season. “Then I started hitting line drives and hitting more consistently.”

As for his pitching rotation on Friday night, Coach Ganor had his three seniors – lefty Tom Rolle and right-handers Kyle Pluta and Matt Lynch – each throw two innings.

Sophomore right-hander MJ Nara, who has performed like a veteran since being called up from the junior varsity, pitched the seventh.

Rolle yielded just one hit – a two-out double to the base of the wall in right field by junior Brad Hamilton in the top of the first.

An impressive and baseball-savvy player, Brad is a son of the Indians’ outstanding and legendary radio voice Tom Hamilton. Brad entered Friday night’s action having hit five home runs in his previous six games. He also made a nice play on a ball for the first out in the bottom of the fourth, a grab from his catcher’s position in foul territory along the first-base line.

Coach Ganor’s staff would combine for 11 strikeouts – five by Rolle, including striking out the side in the second inning, three by Pluta, one by Lynch and two by Nara in his 1-2-3 seventh.

Pluta’s three Ks came in succession after the Shoremen (8-6) loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth.

Saint Ignatius (10-5) left no doubt by scoring three times in its half of the sixth.

The key blows came with one out and the bases empty – a base hit to left field by junior infielder David Bodziony, an authoritative line-drive RBI triple to the gap in deep left center by junior infielder Quillen Austria, an RBI single up the middle by junior first baseman/pitcher Nick Margevicius, base hits by junior outfielder/pitcher Shane Skuhrovec and junior outfielder Kyle Daugenti, and a run-scoring single to right field by junior infielder Bennett Kinzel.

“I’ll take 15 hits,” said a smiling Coach Ganor. “We’re swinging the bats well, the last week or so. They just did a fantastic job and the most important thing is that they all had fun, everybody got in the game and everybody contributed. It’s just a great atmosphere for these kids to enjoy.

“It was nice to see us have some fun at the plate,” Coach Ganor continued. “We weren’t bunting guys over. Usually when we get a guy on second, we’re bunting. Tonight I wanted them to swing the bats and have some
fun. That’s what it’s all about.”

Posted by John Fanta '13

Four Jesuit high schools will square off as a great annual event will bring them together. The first weekend of May will bring a whole lot of baseball and many challenges. Saint Ignatius, Walsh Jesuit, St. John Jesuit, and St Xavier will join for the Ohio Jesuit Tournament. All games on Saturday will be held at Classic Park, but on Sunday, one game will be played at Classic and one will be at Walsh Jesuit.

Here is the schedule for the weekend of May 4/5.

Posted By Eddie Dwyer

Saint Ignatius' varsity baseball team is now scheduled to play the Strongsville Mustangs in a single game on Saturday. The first pitch from Strongsville will be 1:30 p.m.

As we reported on the corner Tuesday night, the Wildcats were also scheduled to play Avon on Saturday as part of a doubleheader at Strongsville. However, Avon had to cancel the game with Saint Ignatius because of a thin pitching staff this week.  

Posted by Eddie Dwyer 

BASEBALL

Tuesday - Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats, coming off an impressive week that saw them win four out of five games, are scheduled to play their home opener against the always sound Willoughby South Rebels at Classic Park in Eastlake. The first pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m.

****Friday - Coach Ganor's club will face Avon Lake as part of the annual Cleveland Indians Charities High School Hardball Classic at Progressive Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. On April 23, 2010 the Wildcats and the Shoremen also met in the Hardball Classic at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, and the 'Cats rode a pitching committee to a 1-0 victory.

Saturday - It's a quick turnaround for the 'Cats as they travel to the friendly confines of Strongsville High School on Saturday morning to face the baseball savvy Mustangs at 10 and the Avon Eagles at 12:30. Avon posted a combined record of 47-6 over 2011 and 2012. Those 47 wins produced consecutive conference titles (West Shore) for the first time in the program's history.  

****Note: The golden tones of senior John Fanta and his staff will broadcast all five of this week's baseball games live over the Saint Ignatius Student Broadcasting Network and the corner will provide game coverages.

Poted by Eddie Dwyer

Mike Ruffing excelling at Washington & Jefferson

Washington & Jefferson College Sports News reports that former Saint Ignatius baseball standout Mike Ruffing helped host W&J to an 8-4 victory over Saint Vincent in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game on Sunday afternoon.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013

Nick Margevicius and Matt Lynch turn in solid pitching performances and the Wildcats' offense continues to put the pressure on, as Saint Ignatius wins for the fourth time in five games this week by defeating Mansfield Madison, 13-2, and Midview, 4-2, in Saturday's twin bill at Mansfield Madison High School.

Joe Khoury's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth and Lynch's bulldog mentality on the mound key the two-run triumph over the talented Midview Middies and help send the Wildcats into this coming week's action with an 8-5 record.

Here is the story on the 'Cats' sweep.

Mansfield, Ohio - It was the perfect ending to a near perfect week.

Coach Brad Ganor’s Saint Ignatius Wildcats, putting their complete game on display in Richland County late Saturday morning and early afternoon, pitched, hit, ran and fielded their way through the cold wind and
occasional light sleet that swept across the baseball–rich facility at Mansfield Madison High School.

As the sun was making a guest appearance through the blue gray clouds on one of April’s traditional December-like days, the Wildcats, almost oblivious to the weather, gathered behind their assigned dugout and celebrated a doubleheader sweep – 13-2 over the Mansfield Madison Rams and 4-2 over a strong Midview team from Grafton, Ohio. The Madison game was called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

After addressing his players, who went 4-1 on the week and improved to 8-5 overall, Coach Ganor talked about how amazing it was to watch the Wildcats go from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Monday saw the ‘Cats come up with an impressive victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, on Tuesday night Saint Ignatius lost to 2012 Division I state runner-up Westlake, 6-2, at Westlake and in what Coach Ganor described as a game that could end up defining the Wildcats’ season, Saint Ignatius saw a nine-run lead over Twinsburg after three innings slip away, only to respond with an eight-run sixth and go on to turn back the always tough Tigers, 18-14, at Baldwin Wallace University on Thursday evening.

The inner fire and emotion of that wild and incredible win over Twinsburg seemed to accompany the ‘Cats into Mansfield on Saturday morning.

“Pitchers pitching like we know they’re capable of pitching,” Coach Ganor said of the efforts he got from gifted junior southpaw Nick Margevicius and gritty senior right-hander Matt Lynch.

In improving to 3-0 on the season, Margevicius scattered four hits, struck out four, issued just one walk and threw 42 strikes in the 65 pitches he fired at the Madison Rams over five innings. The quiet, but hard-nosed Lynch picked up his first victory of the season by going six strong innings against Midview’s more-than-capable lineup. Matt threw 105 pitches, 65 for strikes, limited the Middies to three hits, struck out five and walked four.

Promising sophomore right-hander MJ Nara, who hasn’t stopped smiling since he was called up from the junior varsity earlier this month, came on in the top of the seventh against Midview and set the Middies down in order to pick up the save.

“Nick has great stuff, Lynch has great stuff and Nara has great stuff,” Coach Ganor said. “They just have to trust it and believe in themselves. I think they showed that trust today.”

As for Saint Ignatius’ offense, it has been as advertised through most of the early half of the season - balanced, versatile, unselfish and capable of rocking the house when the pitch is there.

Saturday was no different, as the Wildcats, who had 20 hits against Twinsburg, rapped out 11 in their five innings of work against Madison (5-8).

Saint Ignatius combined a one-out double by senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler, an infield hit by hustling senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey, an RBI double by junior left fielder Nick Fabian and a sacrifice fly by junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo into a 2-0 lead over the Rams in the top of the first inning.

Madison, which lost to the Wildcats at the regional level the year the ‘Cats brought home the Division I state championship (2002), closed to 2-1 on a solo home run in the bottom of the first by a name worth
remembering – Rams freshman first baseman Zane Harris.

Harris’ touch-‘em-all effort and a game-tying single in the bottom of the third by junior designated hitter Kyle Blust were among the few bright spots for Madison, as Saint Ignatius settled the issue with a five-run fourth and a six-run fifth.

The take-command fourth inning started with a walk to senior third baseman Cole Nieto, who has been swinging an authoritative bat and handling the hot corner with calm and confidence. After sophomore catcher Alex Panstares beat out a bunt and junior first baseman Joe Khoury drew a walk, senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom, an Illinois recruit, ripped a 2-2 pitch into right-center field for an RBI single.

Supplying the other key hit in the fourth was Hennessey, who scorched a two-run double to left center.

An error, a couple of walks and a balk started the Wildcats’ fireworks in the top of the fifth and an RBI single by Longo and a two-run base hit by Nieto accounted for the game’s final three runs. Nieto was coming off a
4-for-4 effort against Twinsburg.

SAINT IGNATIUS 4, MIDVIEW 2

Matt Lynch said he took the mound on Saturday afternoon determined to make his pitches, pitch to contact and rely on his defense.

Matt did just that as his grit and a reliable two-seam fastball showed the way.

Saint Ignatius took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Fabian that scored Hennessey, who had walked and stole second. Hennessey beat the throw home with a perfect slide.

The Middies (7-4), who rebounded with a victory over Madison in Saturday’s final game, tied the score against Saint Ignatius with an unearned run in the top of the fourth.

Midview had a runner on second with two outs in the top of the fifth, but Lynch ended the threat with a strikeout.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Coach Ganor’s ‘Cats rode the momentum of Lynch’s K to three runs and a 4-1 lead. Nieto led off with a first-pitch swinging single up the middle, junior infielder Quillen Austria laid
down a text-book sacrifice bunt and Khoury drove a Mr. Rawlings fastball over the fence in right center for a two-run home run.

Base hits by Rowbottom and Finkler and an intentional walk to Hennessey loaded the bases, and Fabian put down an as-it's-intended squeeze bunt that brought home Saint Ignatius’ fourth and final run.

Lynch called on his inner strength in the top of the sixth after Midview’s Eric Lauer led off with a home run to left center. A walk and a wild pitch put the next batter at second base, but Lynch kept his composure and got the next two hitters on a strikeout and a 4-3 ground out.

With a runner now on third and two outs, Lynch ended his impressive six innings with another strikeout and Nara closed the door in the seventh.

Up next for the Wildcats is Tuesday afternoon’s long-awaited home opener at Classic Park in Eastlake against the Willoughby South Rebels. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013

Trailing, 10-1, Twinsburg scores six times in the top of the fourth and takes a one-run lead with a four-run sixth, only to watch Saint Ignatius send 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth and score eight runs.

The Wildcats and the Tigers combine for 30 hits, including 20 by Saint Ignatius. Up next: A trip to Mansfield Madison on Saturday for games with the Mansfield Madison Rams (10 a.m.) and the Midview Middies (12:30 p.m.) 

BEREA, OHIO - "Wild, unbelievable!"

Those were the first words Saint Ignatius' veteran skipper Brad Ganor said to this reporter following Thursday evening's game against the Twinsburg at the baseball-rich field on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University.

In what was truly a game that displayed the heart and sure will of both teams, the Wildcats defeated Coach Don Jones' always tough Tigers, 18-14.

Saint Ignatius, which improved to 6-5, was in the driver's seat with a nine-run advantage through three innings before Twinsburg came storming back and took an 11-10 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.

"That, is the best part of the whole thing," said Coach Ganor of what was one the most entertaining and gritty victories in the Wildcats' rich baseball history. "We had them down and they kicked us right in the teeth to come back and take the lead. And then, we showed the heart."

Saint Ignatius, laying it all on the line after Twinsburg enticed Mr. Momentum into its dugout by scoring six runs in the top of the fourth and four in the top of the sixth, had a list of heroes in the bottom of the sixth that was almost as long as the Wildcats' roster.

Thirteen batters ended up stepping to the plate for Coach Ganor in the decisive sixth and when the dust settled, the 'Cats were purring to the tune of an 18-11 lead.

With one out and nobody on base, senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen got the eight-run sixth started with a double to center field.

Senior third baseman Cole Nieto, who went 4-for-4 on the day and played a solid game at the hot corner, then drove a ball to left field for a base hit that was stung so hard the left fielder couldn't come up with it cleanly and senior pitcher Matt Lynch, who was pinch-running for Hagen, came around to score the tying run.

Promising sophomore catcher Alex Panstares, who doesn't play like a recent junior varsity call up, lined a first-pitch scorcher to left field that put Saint Ignatius back in front,12-11, and then some 'Viking Pride" came to the fore.

Junior first baseman Joe Khoury, senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey and junior left fielder Nick Fabian, who are products of Sts. Joseph and John Elementary School in Strongsville (thus the "Viking Pride" reference), followed with huge run-scoring hits, including a hustle RBI double by Hennessey. Hustle and Hennessey are synonymous.

The eight-run barrage also featured an RBI triple by junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo, who is swinging the bat with authority, and another clutch hit by Nieto that produced the 'Cats' 18th run.

"I was on the on-deck circle and 'Fink' (Saint Ignatius senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler) pulled me over and said, 'Hey, he's going to come in first pitch (fastball). Go get it and we'll take it from there,'" said Panstares of his sixth-inning RBI that put the Wildcats ahead to stay.

Panstares, who is a nephew of former Saint Ignatius football standout Jack Mulloy '92, he of the famed "All-Purpose Ponies" from the fall of 1991, emphasized how honored he is to be called on by Coach Ganor in a leadership role as just a sophomore. Panstares also pointed to the seniors and how much they have guided him. "They are a great bunch of guys," he said.

Twinsburg, which is now 5-4 on the season, didn't go quietly.

Coach Jones' Tigers were finally turned away after scoring three times in the top of the seventh. RBI hits by seniors Nick Jaworski and Cooper Rea provided the final roar by the Tigers.

There were plenty of fireworks in the early going for the 'Cats, including a solo home run blast over the left-field fence by Finkler in a seven-run bottom of the first. The other big blows in the seven spot were an RBI double by Longo, a run-scoring single by Hennessey and a three-run double to deep center field by senior captain, second baseman and Illinois recruit Dan Rowbottom. Saint Ignatius batted around in its half of the first.

Coach Ganor's 'Cats moved to a 10-1 lead in the bottom of the second on a single up the middle by Hennessey, a stolen base by Hennessey, an RBI single by Fabian, a line-drive run scoring single to left center by Hagen, a double to deep left field by Nieto and a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Pat Gulick.

Along with Nieto's four-hit performance, Saint Ignatius got three-hit efforts from Fabian, Longo and Hagen.

A two-run double by gifted senior outfielder/pitcher/infielder Jalen Washington helped igniteTwinsburg's six-run fourth and Washington's three-run double to the base of the fence in left field keyed the Tigers' four-run sixth.

"That's what we were talking about the other day and that's what we've been talking about all season, perseverance and the ability to come back," Coach Ganor said. "I am so proud of them for fighting and coming back. It wasn't because we had 20 hits, but because they fought. We had a great game plan going into it, we got away from it in the middle innings and they went back to it, executed and got it done.

"I'm very proud of the resiliency they showed today, because they could have easily folded," Coach Ganor continued.    

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

Baseball: Coach Brad Ganor's Wildcats are scheduled to take on the always baseball-sound Twinsburg Tigers on Thursday at 4:30 at Baldwin Wallace University. The corner will have game coverage and John Fanta '13 and Wildcats hockey standout, the versatile Miles McQuinn '13, will have the call over the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network.

On Saturday, the baseball 'Cats will travel to Mansfield Madison for a twin bill. At 10 a.m., the Wildcats will face the Madison Rams and at 12:30 p.m., it will be a match up with Midview's Middies. The corner will provide coverage on both games.

By Eddie Dwyer

Akron, Ohio - Coach Brad Ganor's varsity baseball Wildcats score all five of their runs in the first two innings and junior left-hander Nick Margevicius throws a five-hit complete game as the Wildcats, winners of five of their last seven games, improve to 5-4.

Up next for the 'Cats is a trip to Westlake on Tuesday night for a match up under the lights with the Demons. The first pitch is scheduled for 7. En route to its Division I state runner-up finish in 2012, Westlake defeated Saint Ignatius in the regional semifinals. Senior John Fanta will have the call over the SIBN Tuesday night, as John returns to the site of his first broadcast for Saint Ignatius.  

*The Wildcats freshmen defeat SVSM, 10-0, and improve to 3-1. Right-hander Brian Russell throws a two-hitter and Jack Cook (a triple and three runs batted in) and Dennis Grosel (a triple and two RBI) help fuel the offense.

Here is the varsity game story.

Shortly after his Wildcats defeated the Fighting Irish from St. Vincent-St. Mary, 5-1, in Patterson Park early Monday evening, Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor tipped his cap to both Wildcats gifted
junior pitcher Nick Margevicius and SVSM’s gritty senior ace Andy Farrell.

In what was a match up featuring a couple of resilient and determined southpaws, Margevicius got off to the better start and answered every challenge along the way. In going the distance, Nick now stands 2-0 on
the season after he scattered five hits, struck out six and walked two. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s run was unearned.

As for Farrell, whose record slipped to 1-2, his mental toughness was evident from the third inning on.

However, Saint Ignatius’ offense, with senior Captains Dan Rowbottom and Conor Hennessey helping lead the way, got to Farrell for two runs in the top of the first inning and three more in the second. That proved to be
more than enough for the Wildcats and Margevicius.

“Yeah, he settled in,” said Coach Ganor of Farrell. “But it was good to score early and often. It’s refreshing to see great pitching. Nick didn’t overpower them by any means, but he pitched to contact and let his defense make the plays. If we go and play every game this week as scheduled, we need that complete game. We’re going to need the arms and I’m very proud of the job Nick did.”

Saint Ignatius’ offense wasted little time in doing its job.

Rowbottom, a second baseman whose play has earned him a scholarship to Illinois, led off the game with a double down the first-base line. Savvy senior shortstop and Captain Tyler Finkler followed with a perfect
sacrifice bunt and Hennessey, a mainstay in center field, drew a walk that put runners on first and third.

As Hennessey broke for second, Rowbottom made a move like he was breaking for home and the Fighting Irish threw the ball into short left field, allowing Rowbottom to score. Hennessey then stole third and came home on a groundout off the bat of junior left fielder Nick Fabian.

After Margevicius retired the Fighting Irish in order in the bottom of the first, the Wildcats put the pressure on SVSM with their three-run second inning.

With one out and nobody on base, promising sophomore catcher Alex Panstares hit a sharp single up the middle. A wild pitch off a third strike and an RBI single up the middle by Rowbottom pushed the ‘Cats’ lead to 3-0. Rowbottom would go on to steal second and third, Finkler drew a walk and stole second and Hennessey delivered a two-out, two-run single. Like Panstares and Rowbottom, Hennessey took the pitch up the middle.

Rowbottom had three hits in four at-bats and Hennessey was 2-for-2. Saint Ignatius finished with nine hits.

All of the scoring occurred in the first two innings, as the Fighting Irish (4-3) tallied on an error, a single to right field by sophomore third baseman Anthony Cerreto, a sacrifice bunt by sophomore first baseman Ryan Donahue and a fielder’s choice.

Margevicius and the ‘Cats' defense took care of the rest while Farrell was recovering nicely for SVSM.

The defensive play of the game was turned in by Fabian, who robbed Fighting Irish sophomore shortstop Ian Dillard of extra bases by running down the ball and making a leaping one-handed grab in left-center field in the bottom of the third.

Saint Ignatius was threatening again in the top of the fifth, but Farrell started a 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded.

“I was really able to locate my fastball well,” said Margevicius, who threw 92 pitches. “That was the key, to build off of that. I stuck to that for the first few innings. And then I was able to throw the curveball for a
strike, which kept them off balance, especially the second and third time through the lineup. I didn’t throw the change-up much, but then I really didn’t need to. We’re (the pitching staff) starting to find it.”     

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013.

Tom Rolle's mound mastery and a 10-run third inning show the way as Coach Brad Ganor's 'Cats overwhelm the Cardinals. The game was called after five innings because of the state's 10-run mercy rule.

Mahoning County - After he helped lead Saint Ignatius to an 18-3, run-rule triumph over Canfield on his birthday, Wildcats senior southpaw Tom Rolle said he would have to wait until he got home to see what his parents had planned for his special day.

Well, if those plans were complementary to the performance Tom and his teammates put on display in baseball-rich Bob Cene Park on Saturday afternoon, Rolle's 18th Birthday will be one he won't soon forget.

The Wildcats, with Rolle dominating after the first inning and the 'Cats' offense putting together its second big-time inning within nine days, sent everyone in attendance home early to the tune of the 10-run advantage after five innings mercy rule.

Only this time it was a leave-no-doubt 15-run advantage after five.

Rolle, who improved to 2-0 on the young season, yielded a run in the bottom of the first and was untouchable over the next three innings. The Cardinals, who slipped to 2-5, got two runs off Saint Ignatius' bullpen in the bottom of the fifth.

"Coach (Brad Ganor) told me before the game that he wanted me to pound the strike zone with fastballs and make them prove they could hit it," Rolle said after Saint Ignatius improved its record to 4-4. "Then we would go with the off speed. They started hitting it a little bit in the first inning and I went with my change up. I felt really good with the change. I got a lot of strikeouts with that pitch."

The Wildcats, who travel to Patterson Park on Monday for a 4:30 match up with the Fighting Irish from St. Vincent-St. Mary, rode a leadoff walk to standout senior second baseman Dan Rowbottom, a single up the middle by red-hot senior shortstop Tyler Finkler, a sacrifice bunt by leave-it-all-on-the-field senior center fielder Conor Hennessey, a wild pitch and an  RBI single by five-tool junior left fielder Nick Fabian to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Canfield, which has made eight regional appearances since 1998 and 11 overall, won a state title in 2007 and was a state final four team in '98 and '04, cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first. Coach Matt Koenig's Cardinals scored on a leadoff single by junior left fielder Colton Crissman, a stolen base by Crissman and a two-out wild pitch. Canfield would also get a two-out single by senior center fielder Derek Turocy, but Rolle put a stop to the Cardinals' offense by getting the final out of the first inning on a pop up to Rowbottom. Rowbottom is bound for Illinois on a baseball scholarship.

Rolle went on to throw three perfect innings, striking out the side in the second and fanning two of the three Cardinals that stepped to the plate in the third inning. His final numbers showed him yielding just the one run on two hits, striking out six and not issuing a walk. Of Tom's 52 total pitches, 38 of them were strikes.

As is his nature, Rolle was quick to point to the Wildcats' offense, which sent 14 batters to the plate in the top of the third inning en route to scoring 10 runs. On April 5 in Chillicothe, Saint Ignatius run-ruled highly regarded Grove City, 13-2, by sending 18 batters to the plate in a 13-run fourth inning.

"Our first six hitters are all speedsters, so if they get on you know they're going to score," Rolle said. "It's definitely given me confidence and the other pitchers confidence that if we throw strikes, they'll score the runs."

Saint Ignatius' second monster-out-of-the-cage inning this season was fueled by a leadoff double to deep left-center field by Rowbottom. Finkler then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that was thrown away by the Cardinals infield, allowing Rowbottom to score.

After Canfield's shaky fielding enabled the 'Cats to load the bases, junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo laced a three-run double to right center that broke the game open at 6-1. Senior designated hitter Kevin Hagen followed with an RBI single and the 10-run barrage also featured run-scoring singles by senior third baseman Jordan Bufford and Hennessey, another base hit by Fabian and a wild pitch that extended Saint Ignatius' lead to 12-1 heading into the bottom of third.

"In the (eight) games we've played I have felt very good about the offense," said Coach Ganor, who has guided the Wildcats to a school-best three consecutive state final fours (2007, '08, '09). Saint Ignatius has advanced to the state final four 10 times, has been a state runner-up twice (2000 and 2008) and brought home the Division I state championship in 2002 under Coach Brian Morgan. Coach Ganor was on Coach Morgan's staff.

"We've scored a lot of runs, we just need the consistent pitching," Coach Ganor continued. "I think we have it, but they (the pitchers) just need to bring it every time we show up. Tom did a great job of settling in after that first inning. He's very consistent no matter what he does. And it was nice to see the guys swing the bats well, put the ball in play and force the defense to make plays, which they (Canfield) didn't on some of them. We're taking a step in the right direction."

Those steps continued in the frosting on the cake six-run fourth. Rolle's teammates presented him with a cake at Friday's team dinner.

In scoring six more times the fourth, the Wildcats were the recipients of a walk to junior first baseman Nick Margevicius, an infield hit by Bufford, and RBI single by senior infielder David Bodziony, a bases-loaded walk to sophomore catcher Alex Panstares, a bases-loaded take on for the team by junior outfielder/pitcher Shane Skuhrovec, a misplayed fly ball that resulted in two runs, and an RBI single by senior infielder Cole Nieto.

Canfield's two runs off the 'Cats' bullpen in the bottom of the fifth came off a one-out single by Crissman. Saint Ignatius outhit the Cardinals, 13-4, and committed two errors to Canfield's six.

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

SATURDAY: Coach Brad Ganor's varsity baseball team will travel to Bob Cene Park for a match up with the Canfield Cardinals from Mahoning County. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Wildcats baseball home opener at Classic Park postponed because of rain. Weather permitting, the 'Cats are at Archbishop Hoban on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Saint Ignatius High School will be hosting a Baseball Camp for incoming freshmen this July.

The camp will be conducted by the Saint Ignatius coaching staff and players. The camp is open for all members of the Class of 2017.

For more information and to register, visit www.ignatius.edu/baseballcamp.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013

Coach Brad Ganor's varsity baseball program completed a successful weekend by splitting a doubleheader at Dublin Jerome High School on Saturday. Senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler helped fuel the offense and was golden on defense. 

In winning three out of four games over Friday and Saturday, the Wildcats improved to 3-3 heading into a Tuesday match up with the always sound Massillon Jackson Polar Bears. The first pitch at Jackson will be 4:30.

Here is the varsity doubleheader story and a recap on the junior varsity's sweep in Dublin follows the varsity story. 

Dublin, Ohio - To describe this past week as a roller coaster of emotions for Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor, his staff and his players would be an understatement.

After starting the week with losses at Ashland, a Division I regional finalist last season, and at Amherst Steele, a program with regional-and-beyond aspirations this spring, Coach Ganor’s Wildcats boarded the bus and headed South on Friday.

And in this corner’s humble opinion, I think it is safe to say that those emotions are now on an upward spiral.

The Wildcats, after two eye-opening victories in Chillicothe on Friday (see the corner’s story from Friday night), made the short trip down the road to Dublin, Ohio on Saturday and came away with a split against the
always solid Celtics from Jerome High School. Both games ended in identical 4-3 scores, with Saint Ignatius prevailing in the opener.

“When you look at one week, Monday to today, Wednesday we weren’t sleeping because we didn’t know what was going to happen or where we were going to get our first win,” said Coach Ganor after Saturday’s twin bill
on the spacious and impressive Jerome campus. “And then yesterday (Friday), to play as well as we did, and in the first game today we battled and hung on to win it.

"Yesterday we fought back to win them," Coach Ganor continued. "But you can’t do it every game and you can’t expect the offense to do it every game. Once in a while, you need the pitching and defense to throw up a zero or a one spot. That’s what we do at Saint Ignatius and that’s what we should do at Saint Ignatius.”

While the offense had some huge moments on Friday, including a 13-run inning against the highly successful program from Grove City, there was enough clutch pitching and some timely defense from senior shortstop and captain Tyler Finkler to enable the Wildcats to run-rule Grove City and defeat Bishop Watterson by three runs.

In Saturday’s opening-game victory over Jerome, Finkler’s glove was again golden and the ‘Cats’ offense, which also had a Finkler flair, was opportunistic.

Saint Ignatius (3-3), which could see both Ashland and Amherst Steele in the postseason, jumped out to a three-run lead over the Celtics in the top of the first inning.

With one out, Finkler lined a single to right-center field and advanced to second on a pitch in the dirt. An infield hit by senior center fielder and captain Conor Hennessey put runners on first and third base, and Finkler came home on an ill-advised pick-off attempt.

An RBI single by junior right fielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Toth and another error by the Celtics had the Wildcats sitting at 3-0.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth, when Jerome’s senior first baseman Tom Coon led off and drove a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left field. Senior pitcher/first baseman Jason Johnson followed with a
base hit to right field, senior center fielder Cam Willms (correct) laid down a sacrifice bunt and a two-base throwing error cut Saint Ignatius’ lead to 3-2.

Finkler sparked the Wildcats’ fifth-inning response by sending a single through the left side and moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hennessey.  With two outs, Finkler stole third and came around to score Saint Ignatius’ fourth run when the throw from the catcher went up the third-base line.

Jerome, which suffered its fourth one-run loss of the season, with three of those defeats coming in extra innings, made things a little tight in the bottom of the seventh.

However, after two consecutive one-out walks and an RBI single by senior catcher Kyle Lento made it a 4-3 game, junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec came on in relief and picked up the save. However, I am sure Shane would have no problem with us giving Finkler half of the save.

After Lento’s run-scoring single put runners on first and second with one out, Finkler made a highlight-reel play that saw him come up with a smooth back-handed stop deep in the hole at short and, in one motion, fire to third base to force out the lead runner. Skuhrovec then got the final out on a fly ball to right field.

Senior left-hander Tom Rolle (1-0) made his first start of the season for the Wildcats, going five innings and throwing 75 pitches. Johnson threw 95 pitches for the Celtics.

JEROME 4, SAINT IGNATIUS 3: The Wildcats started fast in Game 2, with senior second baseman and captain Dan Rowbottom leading off the top of the first with a single and Finkler laying down a perfect bunt that he beat out for a base hit.

Saint Ignatius led, 2-0, entering the bottom of the first after junior left fielder Nick Fabian and Longo delivered RBI singles.

However, the Celtics answered with two runs in their half of the first, the second tally coming off a two-out, bases-loaded walk.

Jerome, which improved to 3-4, took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-out RBI single by Johnson. The run was set up by a walk, a balk and another base on balls.

Saint Ignatius, trailing, 4-2, entering the top of the fifth, made it a one-run deficit on a double the opposite way by the left-handed hitting Rowbottom, a base hit by Finkler and a slow chopper to the left side off the
bat of Hennessey.

Hennessey also gave his team a final shot in the top of the seventh when, with two outs and nobody on base, he lined a sharp grounder off the second baseman’s glove and promptly stole second base.

However, Celtics senior pitcher/shortstop and Akron recruit Masashi Sakamoto, who threw 124 pitches in going the distance, got the final out on a close play at first base.

COACH TIM CLARK'S JUNIOR VARSITY IMPROVES TO 5-0 WITH A SWEEP OVER THE CELTICS, 9-4 AND 10-8.

In game one, Dylan Smolen went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. He also drew two walks. Kurt Mantes was also 1-for-3 with two RBI and two walks, and Jake Kucia was 1-for-3, with an RBI, two runs and two free passes.

Mullen Socha pitched five innings for the victory, yielding four hits and two earned runs. Mullen struck out two and issued two walks.

In Game 2, Sam Fuller was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Socha had 2 hits in 5 at-bats and drove in three runs, and Nick Jackson was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cool-hand Luke Diggs yielded just one hit and did not give up a run in five innings on the mound. He struck out six and walked two.

Saint Ignatius' junior varsity baseball team stands 3-0 after a 6-1 victory at Brunswick on Thursday.

In its first three games combined, JV 'Cats baseball has outscored its opponents, 23-2.  

-Eddie Dwyer

Trailing, 5-0, through four innings, Saint Ignatius ties the score heading into the bottom of the sixth. However, the Arrows respond with a run in their half of the sixth and go on to secure the 1,000th victory in the history of Ashland's varsity baseball program.

Up next for the Wildcats is a trip to Amherst Steele on Wednesday for a 4:30 match up with the Comets.

Saint Ignatius' junior varsity, under the direction of new head coach Tim Clark, dominates the Arrows, 12-0.

Here is the varsity game story, along with the junior varsity recap.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright April 2013

Ashland, Ohio - As he was preparing to board the bus back to Saint Ignatius, Wildcats head baseball coach Brad Ganor looked at this corner and said: “That was a lot of drama for the first date of the year.”

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the final emotional scene was produced by the Ashland Arrows, who, after watching Saint Ignatius erase a five-run deficit, turned back the ‘Cats, 6-5, in Monday’s 2013 season opener on the Arrows’ Bud Plank Field.

“They came ready to play in the first inning and obviously we weren’t,” said Coach Ganor of Ashland’s four-run bottom of the first. “We woke up, but it took us awhile to get going. We’re Saint Ignatius High School,
we should be ready to go on day one, pitch one. There is no excuse.”

After setting the Wildcats down in order, Ashland scored four times in its half of the first inning. Right fielder Jake Allton set the table with a lead off triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch. The other big blow was a one out RBI single to right by third baseman David Van Hove, and the Arrows created their third and fourth runs by taking advantage of three consecutive walks issued by Saint Ignatius.

With Ashland’s starting pitcher Corey Goetz making clutch pitches and keeping the Wildcats off-balance through four innings, the Arrows played some small ball en route to pushing their lead to 5-0 through four
innings. That bottom-of-the-fourth small ball featured a bunt for a base hit by shortstop Nick Zurcher and a sacrifice bunt by left fielder/relief pitcher Austin Bouquet.

“It comes down to throwing quality pitches, being able to command three pitches and not just pump fastballs at them,” Coach Ganor said. “It’s a regional-final team, they can hit. And when you can’t throw off-speed pitches for strikes, it limits what you can do. I thought Matt (senior right-hander Matt Lynch) did a nice job of settling down after that first inning and giving us a pitch count so we didn’t have to burn somebody early.”

Coach Ganor also pointed to the solid job 6-foot-4 junior right-hander Shane Skuhrovec did in keeping Saint Ignatius in the game with his effort out of the bullpen. Skuhrovec came on in relief in the third inning with runners on second and third and no outs, and didn’t allow any further damage in that inning.

Saint Ignatius, a Division I regional semifinalist in 2012, got its offense on track in the top of the fifth and cut the deficit to 5-3. Three of the Wildcats’ four senior captains – center fielder Conor Hennessey, shortstop
Tyler Finkler and second baseman Dan Rowbottom provided the RBI base hits.

After junior left fielder/relief pitcher Nick Fabian retired Ashland in order on a pop out and two strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth, Saint Ignatius tied the score in the top of the sixth on a one-out double by senior pinch hitter Kevin Hagen, two errors on the same play and a two-out RBI single by Hennessey.

However, with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the sixth, the Arrows came up with singles by Bouquet and Allton and scored the game’s final and decisive run on a wild pitch.

“Once they shook the cobwebs, our offense showed some life,” said Coach Ganor. “But ultimately you can’t spot a regional-final team five runs and expect to win the game. They’re (the Arrows) taking pictures on the
mound. This was a big deal for them.

“We talk to the kids a lot about the fact that we’re every team’s big game of the year,” Coach Ganor continued. “It’s unfortunate that it took us so long to get going. But, the best thing about baseball is that we don’t have to wait a week to play. We play on Wednesday. You have to persevere and playing in playoff games with warmer weather is the ultimate goal.”

JV RECAP

Saint Ignatius 12, Ashland 0: The JV ‘Cats jumped on the Arrows for three runs in both the
first and third innings and left no doubt with a three-run seventh.

Among the key hits in the first inning were a single by designated hitter Ryan Alexander and an RBI single by shortstop Kurt Mantes.

A double by Alexander, a run-scoring single by Mantes and a two-out, two-run single by right fielder Dylan Smolen put the Wildcats in command at 7-0 in the top of the third.

The Saint Ignatius offense just kept on rolling, as two-out RBI singles by third baseman Dylan Welch and first baseman Nick Jackson pushed the ‘Cats’ lead to 9-0 in the fourth and a two-run single by infielder Joe Conway in the seventh added frosting to the victory cake.

Tim Clark was also treated to some solid pitching in his debut as Saint Ignatius’ head JV coach. Starter MJ Nara pitched four perfect innings, striking out five, and Andrew Ciolli came on and struck out six over
the last three innings while yielding two hits and a walk.

Optimism and confidence are at the fore, as Coach Brad Ganor’s Wildcats prepare for another demanding schedule.

Saint Ignatius, a deep, talented and versatile club, appears to have that special chemistry all successful teams bring to the diamond.

Senior captains Conor Hennessey, Tyler Finkler, Dan Rowbottom and Kyle Pluta will help show the way for a solid nucleus of veterans and underclassmen.

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright March 2013

Ohio City – After eight seasons as the head varsity baseball coach at Saint Ignatius, a period that has produced a record of 170-59, a school-best three consecutive state final four appearances (2007,’08 and ’09) and more than 50 players extending their careers to the college level, Brad Ganor does not sugar coat or pull any punches when evaluating his teams.

So when Coach Ganor expresses how optimistic he is about his 2013 Wildcats, Saint Ignatius’ baseball faithful can rest assure this is a season in which success, more than hope, will spring eternal.

“I keep telling the players and I have told a lot of people that rarely do I walk around feeling as confident as I do about this year’s team,” said Coach Ganor while discussing the upcoming season with the corner on Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve been telling people outwardly that I’m confident about it. I think it’s probably the strongest team collectively, one through 20, that we’ve put together since 2009.

“Our pitching is deeper than it has been in a long, long time,” Coach Ganor continued.

Under the guidance of veteran pitching coach T. J. Donovan ’94, a former baseball and football mainstay for the Wildcats who went on to play professional baseball, Saint Ignatius will feature some arms that are already
big game tested and arms that have plenty of promise. While the snow is still falling, Coach Ganor and Coach Donovan are confident that they have those special go-to guys to put on the mound.

“We have those guys,” Coach Ganor said. “They just have to come to the surface.”

In senior southpaw Tom Rolle and senior right-hander Kyle Pluta, the Wildcats feature two young men who were called on in many key situations during last spring’s regional-semifinal season. Tom and Kyle will be furthering their education and baseball careers at Ashland and Tiffin, respectively.

Senior right-hander and Lakeland recruit Matt Lynch, who has been throwing some fire in preseason, gifted junior left-hander Nick Margevicius, who pitched very well after being called up to the varsity last year, and junior southpaw/outfielder and Miami of Ohio recruit Nick Longo are among the other seasoned pitchers.

“Having those guys with just not game experience, but big game experience that they got from last year is huge,” Coach Ganor said. “They pitched significant innings that weren’t just mid week innings. They pitched in playoff atmospheres.

“We have five arms that are 85 plus and two of those five are 90 plus,” said Coach Ganor, who was a baseball and football standout at St. Edward High School, a key pitcher for the Vikings of Cleveland State University and started his career at Saint Ignatius as a pitching coach. “If they pitch to what they are capable of doing, they are going to be fantastic.”

Providing the depth every pitching staff needs will be 6-foot-4 junior right-hander/outfielder Shane Skuhrovec and junior right-hander/outfielder Nick Fabian, an exceptional all-around player who is expected to start in left field. Fabian helped lead the Wildcats’ outstanding junior varsity team of 2012 to a 21-2 record.

“Their roles will be defined,” Coach Ganor said. “We will have Kyle (Pluta), Tom (Rolle), Matt (Lynch) and Nick (Margevicius) as probably those first four guys that are starters and hopefully Nick Longo to close at the end.”

After being one of the few, if not the only team in Ohio, to go exclusively with wood bats last season, Saint Ignatius is switching back to the aluminum bats this spring.

While the ‘Cats produced enough offense to help them win 20 games and advance to the final 16 in Division I in 2012, the players seem to prefer the aluminum, a bat they use on a regular basis with their summer teams. No matter what the makeup of the bats, Coach Ganor looks at this year’s team as being one of the strongest he has seen in his time at Cleveland’s Jesuit Preparatory School.

“I said to somebody the other day that it’s like Manny Ramirez hitting eighth in 1995,” said Coach Ganor of his potentially potent one through nine hitters. “Our lineup is loaded. It looks great, we feel great about it and it’s great on paper right now. But when it comes down to it, they have to produce. Talk is cheap, as they say, and when they get the opportunity to produce they have to take care of business.”

Among those expected to spark the offense are senior center fielder and lead-off hitter Conor Hennessey, who was the Wildcats’ Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 after hitting .352 with six doubles and two triples, senior Tyler Finkler, who is moving from third base to shortstop this season and has the makeup of a very good two-hole hitter, and three-year varsity mainstay and Illinois recruit – senior second baseman Dan Rowbottom – in the three hole.

“We have an idea where we are going to be defensively for game one,” Coach Ganor said. "It is just going to be where we fill those gaps one through nine in the order. We have speed all through the lineup and we have
potential power all through the lineup. We have guys that have a lot of gap to gap power, which is hopefully going to produce a lot of RBI opportunities.”

When you look at the overall picture, Coach Ganor and his other veteran assistants – Matt Blazer ’94, Josh Bieneman and Mark Terlep – have to love the depth of the 2013 ‘Cats.

Saint Ignatius has three very capable catchers in junior Pat Gulick and seniors Kevin Hagen (Wooster recruit) and Jagger Bruck. The left-handed hitting Gulick is expected to be the opening day starter, but as Coach
Ganor emphasized, he and his staff are very comfortable with all three of their young men behind the plate.

Depth also resides at first base, where junior Joe Khoury is expected to start and more-than-capable junior Bennett Kinzel is backing him up. Versatile senior Jordan Bufford provides plenty of options as a middle infielder, as do junior middle infielders Quillen Austria and David Bodziony. Senior third baseman Cole Nieto is being counted on to handle the hot corner.

“The speed and arms in our outfield are unbelievable,” Coach Ganor said in reference to Fabian, Hennessey, Longo, gritty junior Kyle Daugenti and Skuhrovec. “And they are burners, absolute burners. It’s the best
collection of outfield speed that we have ever had in my 15 years (overall).

“We’re going to be good, we’re going to win a lot of games,” Coach Ganor added. “We know that. But in 2007, ’08 and ’09 we took it to a different level in the playoffs. We’re going to expect to do the same. Our expectation is that we have a team capable of making a deep run in the tournament.”

FROM THE CAPTAINS’ PERSPECTIVE

Conor Hennessey: “We have up-tempo practices, a lot of high energy. The attitude and the atmosphere are very good.”

Tyler Finkler: “You have to field the ball quickly, and not just knock it down. You have to field it cleanly and quickly in making the good throw on time.” – Tyler on his move to shortstop after an excellent defensive performance at third base last season.

Kyle Pluta: “We’re all going to pick each other up. The competitiveness within the staff is just going to help everyone get better. It’s mind-boggling when you think of how much pitching we have and the excitement around the program. Everyone has the confidence to take the ball in any situation. It’s a great mindset to have on the mound.”

More from Finkler: “Who’s ever out there on the mound, I feel very comfortable. Throw any of our six, seven guys and I think we’ll get a W.”

More from Hennessey: “I like them all, a lot,” Conor said of the promising juniors from last year’s highly successful JV team. “If I had to choose one of them to take along on a vacation, I would take all of them.”

More from Pluta: “I think us (seniors and juniors) lifting together in the off season built a lot of team chemistry. The younger guys are so confident in their abilities that no one is afraid to make a mistake. I think that when you’re confident, you play to the best of your ability."

VIKING PRIDE: St. Joseph and John from Strongsville leads the way with five players on the Wildcats’ 20-man 2013 roster – Hennessey, Rolle, Gulick, Fabian and Khoury.

A NEW HOME AND ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE SLATE: The Wildcats’ home games this spring will be played in Classic Park in Eastlake, the home of the Lake County Captains.

Saint Ignatius is scheduled to open its season on April 1 at Boardman. On April 3, the ‘Cats travel to Amherst Steele to face the highly regarded Comets and in what is an overnight stay trip, Saint Ignatius will be in Chillicothe on April 5 to play Bishop Watterson (1 p.m.) and Grove City (5 p.m.) and on April 6 the ‘Cats will gas up the bus and head from Chillicothe to Dublin Jerome for a doubleheader with the Celtics (11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.).

The home opener against Nordonia is scheduled for April 10 at Classic Park and the annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament is ticketed for Classic Park on May 4-5. In what will be a rematch of last year’s regional semifinal, won by the Demons, 6-4, Saint Ignatius will play under the lights at Westlake on April 16. The ‘Cats will also return to Progressive Field this season for a prime-time match up with Avon Lake on April 26 and the games versus rival St. Edward are slated for April 24 at Classic Park and May 11 at Baldwin-Wallace. For a look at the complete schedule go to www.ignatius.edu, click on athletics and click on baseball.

Eddie Dwyer will be writing the best preview out there for the Saint Ignatius Wildcat Baseball team in the week of March 18.

For the Wildcats' schedule, go back to ignatius.edu/baseball.

The preview is right around the corner!

*PRIME TIME BASEBALL: Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor confirmed that his Wildcats will play Avon Lake in Progressive Field on April 26th. The first pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

-Eddie Dwyer

A Day That Was Cherished By Many

Saint Ignatius senior baseball standout Dan Rowbotttom reflects on National Signing Day

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright February 2013

Ohio City - With his parents, grandparents and other family members in attendance, Saint Ignatius baseball standout and senior captain Dan Rowbottom signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday afternoon to further his education and athletic career at the University of Illinois.

Dan joined several of his classmates in Saint Ignatius’ Breen Center for the Performing Arts on what was “National Signing Day” for student athletes from the Class of 2013.

After members of the media interviewed and photographed many of the Wildcats and rightfully proud family members and friends took their photos, Dan Rowbottom shared with the Corner the many emotions he was experiencing on such a special day.

“It means a lot, especially to get it (his college decision) officially off my shoulders,” said Dan. “It’s really exciting, a big deal. Saint Ignatius and all of the coaches really did a great job of helping us with this. Now I can go and just play the game I love.”

And he plays it well.

Dan will be entering his third season as middle infield mainstay for Wildcats Head Coach Brand Ganor, who has now honed the skills of nearly sixty players who have or will have gone on to play at the next level. Last season, a
spring in which Saint Ignatius was the only team in Ohio to play exclusively with wood bats, Dan hit .313 with nine doubles, three triples and a home run, and combined with shortstop Mike Ruffing '12 in forming one of the strongest middle infields in the area. Dan's efforts helped Coach Ganor's Wildcats to a Division I regional-semifinal appearance.

A Sun Newspapers All-Star selection for 2012, Dan will serve as one of Coach Ganor's captains for the 2013 season. He will join senior pitcher Kyle Pluta, senior infielder Tyler Finkler and senior outfielder Conor Hennessey in that leadership role.

“It’s really exciting, because we have a lot of talent this year, a lot of talent,” Dan said. “A lot of veteran guys and good pitching again, we’re definitely going to make a run. We just have a close-knit group of guys. It's going to be a fun season, it really is.”

Dan emphasized that the best part of the day was having his family there to share his special moment.

“One of my grandparents (Sam Geraci) is in the hospital and couldn’t be here today,” Dan said. “Both sets of my grandparents are usually my biggest cheering section at the games, they come to every game. They’re great, they really are.

“My cousin got off work to be here today and of course my mom and dad went with me on all of my recruiting visits,” Dan continued. “They’re so relieved and so happy for me. I can’t thank them enough.”

Dan said that he wanted to keep his options open and not commit to a college or university too early.

“I had a couple of early offers and I was pretty set on Cincinnati to be honest,” he said. “Illinois was never a school I looked into, but it came up after I had a real good weekend at a tournament. I made a visit and I just loved it. I felt like I fit in there. I love everything about it.”

Dan said he wants to definitely major in business. “Both of my parents are doctors, so I know I don’t want to do that,” he said with a wide smile that was accompanied by laughter.

The Corner had the opportunity to congratulate most of the Wildcats during their special day, but let this old-timer just say it one more time along with a sincere Thank You for the privilege to have covered and reported on your many
accomplishments.

May God Bless You Always, Eddie

Posted by Eddie Dwyer

It's never too early to talk baseball, so we thought we would give you a look at what head coach Brad Ganor has worked up for his Wildcats this spring.

There are plenty of attractive dates, including an early season overnight trip to Chillicothe and Dublin (that's Ohio, not Ireland).

On April 16, the Wildcats will travel to Westlake for an under-the-lights rematch of last season's Division I Regional semifinal, won by the Demons. Classic Park will be the site of the first of the annual two-game series between the Wildcats and rival St. Edward, with the date slated for April 24, and Classic Park will host the prestigious Ohio Jesuit Tournament on May 4 and 5. Saint Ignatius will be returning to Progessive Field this spring for a game on April 26. The time and the opponent are to be determined.

The weekend of May 10-11 is one to mark on the calendar, as Saint Ignatius and Lakewood will meet in tradition-rich Lakewood Stadium on that Friday night at 7 and on Saturday the 11th, it's the second regular-season encounter with St. Edward at Baldwin Wallace. The first pitch from B-W will be 4 p.m. These two games drew exceptional crowds last season on what was a beautiful May weekend. We'll keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature is kind two years in a row.

Lakewood Stadium created a true baseball atmosphere last year, with pre-game introductions of each player and coach and some lively music between innings. And the same can be said for B-W, which also hosted the second regular-season meeting between the 'Cats and the Eagles last spring. That day included freshman and junior varisty games between Saint Ignatius and St. Edward, which only added to what was a competitive, but well-played and good-natured late morning and afternoon, complete with a picnic.

Rounding third and heading home. Here is the 2013 schedule   

Saint Ignatius Varsity Baseball

2013 Schedule

Date                                      Opponent                                           Location                                               Time

4/1, 4:30 pm                                         @Boardman                         Boardman  HS                                 

4/3, 4:30 pm                                        @Amherst                            Amherst HS

4/5, 1 pm                                         vs. Bishop Watterson               Chillicothe                                         

4/5, 5 pm                                         vs. Grove City                          Chillicothe                                         

4/6,11 am                                         @Dublin Jerome                      Jerome HS

4/6, 1:30 pm                                     @Dublin Jerome                      Jerome HS

4/9, 4:30 pm                                     @Jackson                                Massillon Jackson HS

4/10, 4:30 pm                                  Nordonia                                Classic Park

4/11, 4:30 pm                                   @Hoban                                 Archbishop Hoban HS

4/13, 11 am                                      @Canfield                               Bob Cene Park

4/15, 4:30 pm                                   @SVSM                                   Patterson Park

4/16, 7 pm                                       @Westlake                               Westlake HS

4/18, 4:30 pm                                  Twinsburg                              Baldwin Wallace                           

4/20, 11 am                                      @Mansfield                             Madison HS

4/20, 1:30 pm                                  vs. Midview                              Madison HS

4/23, 4:30 pm                                  vs. Willoughby South              Classic Park

4/24, 4:30 pm                                  vs. St. Edward                         Classic Park

4/26, TBA                                          vs. TBD                                   Progressive Field

4/27, 10 am                                      @Strongsville                          Strongsville HS

4/27, 12:30 pm                                  vs. Avon                                Strongsville HS

5/1, 4:30 pm                                     Kenston                                Classic Park

5/4, 10 am                     Ohio Jesuit Tournament vs. Walsh Jesuit, Classic Park

5/4, 5 pm                                         OJT vs. St. Xavier                    Classic Park

5/5, TBA                                         OJT vs. St. John's Jesuit            Classic Park

5/8, 4:30 pm                                     @NDCL                                 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin HS

5/9, 4:30 pm                                    @Cuyahoga Falls                   Water Works Park

5/10, 7 pm                                       @Lakewood                           Lakewood Stadium

5/11, 4 pm                                      St. Edward                             Baldwin Wallace

5/13, 5 pm                                     Tallmadge                              Baldwin Wallace

5/17, 5 pm                                    @Canton Central Catholic         Central Catholic HS

5/20, 4:30 pm                               @Brunswick                              Brunswick HS

5/15-5/16, TBA                            Sectional                                  TBD                             

5/22-5/23, TBA                            District                                    TBD                                   

5/30-5/31, TBA                            Regional                                  TBD                                    

6/7-6/8                                        State Semis & Finals                Huntington Park

By John Fanta '13  SSID

Former Wildcat infielder and Georgia Tech standout Derek Dietrich, who is in the class of 2007 at West 30th and Lorain, has been traded to the Miami Marlins. Dietrich, who was a phenomenal all-around player at Saint Ignatius High School, is on the move. He is in the minor league's as he will stay in the Sunshine State and will head to Miami.

We’re talking baseball: Congratulations go out to Saint Ignatius senior pitcher Kyle Pluta, who, said Wildcats head baseball coach Brad Ganor, has committed to a scholarship at Tiffin.

Kyle is a mainstay on a pitching staff that helped lead the Wildcats to a 20-win season and a Division I District Championship in May.

Kyle’s commitment raises the number of players in Coach Ganor’s program who have been placed at the next level to nearly 20, something Saint Ignatius baseball can be very proud of.

Posted By Eddie Dwyer

WE'RE TALKING BASEBALL: Congratulations go out to former Wildcats Co-Captain Mike Horejsei '11, who walked onto the Ohio State University baseball team this past week as a left-handed pitcher.

"Mike's a great kid," said Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor. "A lot of hard work is paying off for him. He was at Ohio State's Mansfield campus last year, which is why he did not try out."

Although he did pitch for the Wildcats, Mike was best known at Saint Ignatius for his hitting and his solid all-around play at first base.

Rounding the corner, heading to football practice on Tuesday for some insight on the Cardinals and then on Wednesday it's off to one of my favorite stops during my nearly four decades at The Plain Dealer - Aldersyde Drive in Shaker Heights. Ah, the memories are so thick I have to wipe them away from my face.    

By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright August 2012

The corner would like to express its congratulations to Wildcats senior second baseman Dan Rowbottom, who on Friday committed for further his education and baseball career at Illinois.

Dan, who also considered Cincinnati and Wright State, batted .313 this past spring with nine doubles, three triples and a home run, and combined with shortstop Mike Ruffing '12 in forming one of the strongest middle infields in the area. Dan's efforts helped Coach Brand Ganor's Wildcats to a Division I regional-semifinal appearance.

A two-year varsity mainstay and a Sun News All-Star selection for 2012, Dan will serve as one of Coach Ganor's captains for the 2013 season.

Again, congratulations to Dan, his family, Coach Ganor and the entire Saint Ignatius baseball program.

BASEBALL

Pitcher of the Year: Senior right-hander Matt Hoyer. Matt, who is bound for Mercyhurst on a football scholarship, helped lead Coach Brad Ganor’s Wildcats to a 20-10 record and a Division I regional semifinal appearance by going 7-1 on the mound with a 1.91 earned run average. With Matt showing the way, pitching coach T.J. Donovan ’94 watched his staff compile a 2.03 ERA and throw nine shutouts.

Defensive Player of the Year: Senior center fielder Tim McCoy. The best at the 8 position that this old-timer has had the privilege to cover, Tim displayed an exceptional and accurate throwing arm and the feet, body control and quick reactions that allowed him to run down several balls in the gaps and take away home runs with leaping catches at the fence. He also hit .361 in the Wildcats’ all-wood bats attack. Tim will be furthering his education and baseball career at the home of the NCAA back-to-back Division III national champion – Marietta College.

Offensive Player of the Year: Junior left-fielder Conor Hennessey. The Wildcats’ catalyst at the leadoff position, Conor batted .352 with six doubles and two triples. He also was a force on the base paths and played a solid 7 spot.

Captains Awards: The honors went to three of the best all-around leaders in the history of Wildcats baseball - senior shortstop Mike Ruffing, Tim McCoy and Matt Hoyer.

Coaches’ Cups: This prestigious distinction for 2012 couldn’t have gone to better young men, senior right fielder Dan Oaklief and senior first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter Stephen Alexander. As Coach Ganor put it so well, Dan and Stephen are players you want to emulate, athletes who exemplify everything you want in a Saint Ignatius player.

*Two of Saint Ignatius’ three captains for next year were selected by the team. They are gifted second baseman Dan Rowbottom ’13 and Conor Hennessey ‘13. Dan hit .313 this spring with nine doubles, three triples and a home run.

Today's Sectional Semi-Final game vs Maple Hts has been moved to All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon and will begin at 7 PM.

By Eddie Dwyer

SAINT IGNATIUS WILL TRAVEL TO WALSH JESUIT ON MONDAY FOR A JESUIT CUP FINALE AT 4:30 P.M.

The Wildcats, who have a busy week as is (6 games in all), will make-up their affair with Brunswick that was called off due to inclement weather last week. That game is set for this Friday @ 4:30 PM.  The SIBN will broadcast Wednesday's game against Kirtland and the whole Ohio Jesuit Tournament. Every game will have live video from Avon, so tune in for six baseball games in two days.

Here is this week's schedule:

Saint Ignatius will now take a 6-4 record into Wednesday's home game against St. Edward. The first pitch from Avon's All-Pro Freight Stadium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. John Fanta '13 of the SIBN, who did a great job bringing you the action from Hartsville, will team with Trent Kennedy '13 and Connor Martens '13 for the play by play and color commentary on Wednesday.

After the Wildcat baseball team had lost on Day 1 at the Southeastern Classic in South Carolina, there was no doubt that Matt Hoyer would be ready to go in a must-win situation if the team was to keep their hopes of winnning the whole thing alive. The team kept very quiet throughout Thursday, as they got ready for the Peters Township (PA) Indians, who had lost 3-2 on Day 1 to the Cuthbertson Cavaliers. With thoughts of that Day 1 walkoff from the Gaffney (SC) Indians, Saint Ignatius  was hungry for the win. Hoyer threw 6 innings and was really solid, only giving up six runs on three hits. Saint Ignatius had numerous oppportunities in the game to get going early, as they left nine baserunners on in the game, in which two of those innings they left the bases loaded. Due to 2 passed balls from Watftshake, the Indians' starter, the Wildcats were able to tie it at 2 in the 4th. In the 5th inning, after the Wildcats drew 2 walks, and Lucarelli getting hit by a pitch, Tyler Finkler drew a 2 out walk to bring in the go-ahead run. With Matt Hoyer throwing only 61 pitches and keeping the Indians contained offensively, the top of the 7th came. Although sophomore Nick Longo gave up a leadoff double and a walk, the fierce Matt Lynch came on. After walking an Indian, Lynch went on to a strikeout, infield fly, and a final strikeout  to close the door on Peters Township, after they loaded the bases with nobody otu. This comes a day atr Lynch had given up a walkoff single to Jaylen Miller of Gaffney. When asked what he felt during the inning, he said: "I really felt confident in my fastball, and I saw that none of them (Peters Township) could really get on it. I knew the curve ball was the pitch I needed to close the door, and it was right there." Lynch was just fantastic, working every hitter to a tough challenge. The junior was able to get the save.

In conclusion, the Wildcats will take on the Cuthbertson Cavaliers Friday @ 11 AM at Jimmy White Park. They will have sunny skies and a temperature around 70 degree for the first pitch. Cuthbertson beat Peters Township on Wednesday 3-2, and they won Thursday against Gaffney by a run. If the Wildcats are able to defeat the red-hot Cavaliers with starter and Marshall recruit Zak Shockley, they will rely on run differential to try to get to the final. They MUST win out though Friday in Hartsville. That's all for now, but tune into the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network for live coverage of Day 3 from the Southeastern Classic, as John Fanta and President Father Bill Murphy, S.J., will have the call under the sunny skies at Jimmy White Park. See you Friday from SC.

FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE 2007 AND THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS, COACH BRAD GANOR AND HIS WILDCATS WILL BE COMPETING IN WHAT IS ONE OF THE PREMIER HIGH SCHOOOL BASEBALL TOURNAMENTS IN THE NATION.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT APRIL 2012

NOT ONLY IS THE COMPETITION OUTSTANDING, BUT THE EFFORTS AND ENDLESS DEDICATION PUT FORTH BY THE HARTSVILLE COMMUNITY ARE UNMATCHED. AND THIS CORNER SPEAKS FROM EXPERIENCE AFTER HAVING THE PLEASURE AND PRIVILEGE TO COVER AND REPORT ON THE SOUTHEASTERN BASEBALL CLASSIC DURING SAINT IGNATIUS’ SECOND TRIP TO HARTSVILLE IN 2010.

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE 2012 SOUTHEASTERN BASEBALL CLASSIC, WHICH WILL BE PLAYED IN ATMOSPHERE-RICH JIMMY WHITE PARK. SAINT IGNATIUS FINISHED 3-1 IN EACH OF ITS TWO PREVIOUS TRIPS TO HARTSVILLE (2007 & 2010).

HERE IS THE WILDCATS’ SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK.

PLAYER APPRECIATION NIGHT, TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 6 P.M.: The tournament gets underway with Base Running Competition, Long Ball Competition and Coaches Fungo Competition. The night usually includes a guest speaker, as in 2010 when Tommy John gave a memorable talk, and a special Scholarship Award Winners program. In 2010, Wildcats football and baseball standout Kevin Hopkins ’10 was a Hartsville Scholarship Winner and center fielder and football mainstay Kory Gillissie ’10 finished third in the base running competition, going home-to-home in 15 seconds.

As part of the tournament, there are player awards presented to the standout performers from each team and that usually takes place during a special tournament breakfast on the final day of competition.

Saint Ignatius versus the Gaffney (SC) Indians, Wednesday, April 11 at 4 p.m.:The Wildcats, behind a deep pitching staff, some clutch hitting by junior left fielder Conor Hennessey, junior second baseman Dan Rowbottom, senior center fielder/left-handed pitcher Tim McCoy and senior first baseman/outfielder/catcher Stephen Alexander, and a sound defense headed by senior shortstop Mike Ruffing, senior catcher Andrew Piscioneri, McCoy and Hennessey, enter the tournament at 5-1 The ‘Cats have won five in a row, including some dramatic finishes (see the corner’s stories below). Now in his eighth season as Saint Ignatius’ skipper, Coach Ganor comes into Hartsville with a career mark of 155-50, including a program-record three consecutive state final four appearances (2007-’08-’09).

Gaffney, the 13^th largest school in South Carolina, is located in the Cherokee County School District. Although the Indians won state championships in both softball and baseball during the 2008-09 school year, they are better known for their prowess in football and basketball. The boys basketball program has won five state titles and the football program has produced the most South Carolina High School League State Football Championships with a total of 15 and three Big 16 AAAA State Football titles.

As for baseball, Gaffney finished 15-9 last year under head coach Jeff Osment, including a 7-3 record in Region III-4A competition. The Indians returned five starters from last season and won four of their first seven games this spring. On the Gaffney players to watch list are Michael Wright, Sr., P/IF; Josh Mata, Sr., C; Joey Copeland, Sr., OF/P; Ryan Frock, Sr., IF; Clay McKowen, Sr., IF; Jaylen Miller, Jr., P/IF; Bryce Spurlin, Jr., OF; Kellon Stanley, Jr., Util/P; Josh Soreno, Soph., IF and Zach Wood, Fr., IF. *Wright and Mata are the mainstays on a team that has a solid mix of veterans and new faces.

Saint Ignatius versus Peters Township, Thursday, April 12, 4 p.m.: It will be an Ohio-Pennsylvania encounter in Jimmy White Park, as Peters Township, also nicknamed the Indians, hails from McMurray, Pa. McMurray is 15 miles south of Pittsburgh.

After compiling a 20-3 record last season, Joe Maize’s Indians stand 2-4 in the early going of 2012 and enter the Southeastern Baseball Classic having won their last two games.

Although Peters Township is carrying a .257 team batting average, two of their leaders – Andrew Erenberg and Matt Loether – are hitting .500 and .400, respectively.

Former Peters Township standout outfielder Justin Bianco was drafted in the third round out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June 2011. He carried a .580-plus batting average his senior year. Justin is in the Rookie level of the Diamondbacks’ minor league system.

Saint Ignatius versus Cuthbertson, Friday, April 13, 11 a.m. : The ‘Cats will match skill levels with the Cavaliers from Waxhaw, North Carolina.

Cuthbertson is known as a pitching powerhouse that has produced current college players Peter Hendel (University of North Carolina) and Preston Morrison (Texas Christian University), and this season’s ace of the Cavaliers’ staff, Clemson recruit Cameron Tekker.

And behind the plate for Cuthbertson head coach Travis Little is one of the top catching prospects in the nation – North Carolina State University signee John Mangum.

Last season, the Cavaliers finished 24-3 and won their second consecutive Rocky River 1A/2A conference tournament before advancing to the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs. On the mound, Coach Little’s team recorded a 1.18 ERA and held opponents to just a .134 batting average.

After starting this spring at 6-1, Cuthbertson carried a 7-3 record into Friday’s action.

Although he didn’t get off to a great start at the plate this season, Mangum batted .458 last year with a team-leading eight home runs, including a walk-off homer over rival Piedmont in the semifinals of the conference tournament. He signed a national letter of intent with North Carolina State after considering Appalachian State, Western Carolina and the Charlotte 49ers.

In an outstanding feature by the Union County Weekly’s Aaron Garcia titled “Behind the Mask,” there is a quote by Coach Little about the tough and tenacious Mangum that goes: “You could stick a screwdriver in his chest and he’d still go out there and play nine innings.”

NOTE: If the Wildcats advance to Saturday’s championship game, it would be at 6:30 p.m. We’ll keep you posted during the week.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Coach Ganor and his team will again be the guest of Coker College head baseball coach Dave Schmotzer for two practices during the week on the Coker Cobras’ Tom J. New Field.

Schmotzer, a graduate of Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, where he was an outstanding all-around athlete, has won more than 600 games as a head college coach. He and his twin brother, Dan, who is Coker’s head basketball coach, were recently inducted in Padua’s Hall of Fame.

The Schmotzer family was a household name around the Cleveland-area sandlots and at one time Dave's mother served as the head of the food services department at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This corner not only had the privilege to watch the Schmotzer brothers compete for Padua, but also covered and reported on their brother, Tim, when Tim was coaching basketball at St. Edward and North Olmsted, and baseball at John Adams.

A SOUTHEASTERN BASEBALL CLASSIC FLASHBACK: In 2007, former Saint Ignatius and Georgia Tech standout shortstop Derek Dietrich blasted a majestic home run in the Wildcats’ 10-7 win over DeMatha (Md.) at the Southeastern Baseball Classic.

It was a mammoth shot in the third inning that cleared the right-field light tower at Jimmy White Park and landed 465 feet away in a field, according to grounds-crew measurements.

"Derek crushed it. It looked like a golf ball as it left the park," said Coach Ganor.

Dietrich's blast followed a three-run homer by winning pitcher Ben Jurevicius, who was 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.

Dietrich, who had a personalized license plate in high school that read MLB 1 Day, also pitched the seventh inning and earned the save.

A second-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek is one of the top prospects in the Rays’ organization.

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW: T.L. Hanna High School, which defeated Saint Ignatius in the 2010 championship game of the Southeastern Baseball Classic, is the home of James Robert Kennedy, Jr. or “Radio.”

Radio was a young African American mentally challenged man who befriended Coach Harold Jones in 1969. The two became great friends and Radio was granted the title of being enrolled in the 11th grade at Hanna for as many years as he pleased. He has helped out in many school roles. Radio became the subject of national media articles back in the mid-1990s and eventually a movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris.

Sports Illustrated first published the story to introduce Radio to the national spotlight, which was then picked up by Readers Digest and the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. The events of the movie take place when the school was at the Marchbanks campus. The movie was filmed for the most part in Walterboro, South Carolina.

IN CLOSING: I hope you find this look at the Southeastern Baseball Classic helpful and informative. The preview we did from the corner on the Boardman Spartans earlier this week was put to good use by the SIBN, as John Fanta ’13 turned to it several times during his broadcast comments on the Spartans. John will be providing live audio coverage from Hartsville this coming week.

Once again, I want to thank the student body at Saint Ignatius for the many letters of encouragement I received these past few weeks. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make the trip to Hartsville because I am undergoing a surgical procedure for skin cancer on Tuesday. However, I will make every effort to keep you posted on how the team is doing in South Carolina and, God willing, will be back in the dugout for the St. Edward game on April 18 at All Pro Freight Stadium.

The Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network has you covered with wildcat baseball. They will bring you 18 regular season games and full playoff coverage. Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 PM the 4-1 varsity wildcats will take on Youngstown Boardman at 4:30, starting with the Murphy-Bergin Pregame Show at 4:15 PM. John Fanta, Greag Ziton, and Jeff McCormick have all the action for you for the home opener at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon! Tune in to watch and stay up to date on games @SIHSSports, our twitter feed! Go Cats!

Here's our complete schedule, and here is the link for the SIBN page to navigate to the broadcasts:

https://www.ignatius.edu/sslpage.aspx?pid=497

Amherst, Ohio – Don’t ask Saint Ignatius’ “Cardiac Cats” what they are going to do for an encore.

Just sit back and enjoy it because this is a group of special young men who leave their egos at home and simply enjoy playing together.

Thursday evening at Amherst Steele High School, the 2012 Saint Ignatius varsity baseball team rode an outstanding effort in relief by senior right-hander Scott Chase and a two-out, bases loaded triple to deep right field by junior second baseman Dan Rowbottom in the top of the 10^th inning to a 7-3 victory over the Comets.

In winning their second extra-inning game in as many days, the Wildcats improved to 2-1 on the young season. Amherst, which rallied from an early 2-0 deficit by scoring its three runs in the bottom of the third inning, slipped to 1-2.

“He gave me the inside fastball,” said Rowbottom of the 1-0 pitch he drove off Comets junior fire-baller Shawn Reid. “On my previous at-bat, he beat me on it (the inside fastball) and got me to pop up. So I tried to just focus on staying on it and getting that pitch that I could drive. It just played out the right way.

“We always know that we’re not out of a game, no matter what,” Rowbottom continued. “It’s kind of cool, because even if some guys are struggling, there is always someone there to pick them up. No matter what anyone is doing, we’re together as one. We have something special here, it just feels awesome.”

Coming off Wednesday night’s 8-7, eight-inning victory at Twinsburg, Saint Ignatius scored single runs in the top of the second and third innings en route to its early lead on a brisk evening in Lorain County.

Senior first baseman Stephen Alexander, who has found the Wildcats’ new wood bats to his liking, led off the top of the second by going the opposite way for a line-drive single to left field. Junior third baseman Tyler Finkler moved Alexander over with a sacrifice bunt, Chase, who started the game in right field, singled to left and senior shortstop and tri-captain Mike Ruffing drove in the first run of the game by slapping a ground ball to deep shortstop for an infield hit.

In the top of the third, Rowbottom led off with a double to the gap in left-center field, senior center fielder and tri-captain Tim McCoy followed with a base hit and senior catcher Ralph Lucarelli loaded the bases with no outs by drawing a walk.

Alexander brought home the second with a ground out to the right side, but Amherst starting pitcher Ryan Lamb prevented further damage in that inning by getting the next two batters on a strikeout and a ground out.

A missed sign in the first inning and the inability to break the game open in the early going were the things that Saint Ignatius’ veteran hitting coach Matt Blazer reminded the Wildcats about before they enjoyed their trip home.

The Comets, under the direction of head coach Allan McConihe, loaded the bases in the bottom of the third on one-out base hits by senior shortstop Maximo Meggitt and junior first baseman Corey Stamco and a walk. Amherst then caught a break when Chase, hustling after a fly ball to right-center off the bat of senior catcher Aaron Bledsoe, lost his footing.  It went as a three-run triple and a one-run lead for the Comets that they held until the top of the seventh.

Coming up with some of the same late-game heroics they put forth against Twinsburg, the Wildcats tied the score in the seventh on a one-out single by McCoy, a walk to Lucarelli and an RBI single to right field by Alexander.

After Saint Ignatius’ sophomore left-hander Nick Longo threw four solid innings in his varsity debut, striking out five, Chase took the mound in the fifth inning and more than made up for the play in right field, when Amherst’s outfield grass wasn’t kind.

“I told Rowbottom that I messed up out there and was going to help them out and do whatever I could,” said Chase. “We come out fighting. This is a great team this year, we don’t stay down.”

To say Chase “helped his team out” would be an understatement.

In pitching six shutout innings, Chase yielded just two hits, struck out four and did not issue a walk. A well-spoken and amiable young man who recently wrapped up a solid wrestling season at 182 pounds, he said the ability to locate his fastball was the real key for him.

With Chase keeping his team in the game, the bases-loaded stage was set for Rowbottom when junior infielder Cole Neito led off the 10^th by beating out a slow roller down the third-base line, Chase laid down a bunt that was designed as a sacrifice, but went for a base hit, and spirted and talented junior left fielder Conor Hennessey was hit by a pitch with two outs.

After Dan delivered his authoritative triple, he came home to score the ‘Cats’ seventh run off an errant relay throw and Chase banked the W by retiring the Comets in order in the bottom of the 10^th.

“Two days in a row in extra innings and the resiliency to come back, I think it’s just a special group,” said Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor, who watched his team put together its second consecutive game with more than 10 hits. “They’re a special group and I can say special even though we’re only three games into the season. They believe in each other, we’re using the whole bench and everybody’s doing something different. There are no selfish attitudes, just a lot of heart.”

Next up for the Wildcats is Saturday’s trip to Dublin Jerome High School in Franklin County for a doubleheader against the Celtics from Jerome and the Zanesville Blue Devils. The games are slated for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

By Eddie Dwyer

Conor Hennessey provides both the game-tying hit in the top of the sixth and the go-ahead RBI hit in the eighth. Ralph Lucarelli, Stephen Alexander and Scott Chase also deliver big hits and clutch defensive plays by Andrew Piscioneri, Tyler Finkler and Cole Neito, along with some exceptional base running by Dan Oaklief, play major roles. Keeping the Wildcats in the game with outstanding efforts out of the bullpen were Matt Lynch and Matt Hoyer (winning pitcher), and shutting the door with three K's in the bottom of the eighth was Tim McCoy (save).

Twinsburg, Ohio – As far as Saint Ignatius’ gifted and gritty junior left fielder Conor Hennessey is concerned, it was all about executing in a manner Wildcats head coach Brad Ganor expects from his teams.

Wednesday evening in Twinsburg’s atmosphere-rich baseball facility, Hennessey and his teammates not only executed when it mattered most, but displayed the camaraderie, flexibility and resiliency that when it is all said and done might be how Coach Ganor’s 2012 Wildcats will be remembered.

Saint Ignatius, with an array of players providing memorable moments, overcame deficits of four, three and two runs before rallying to an 8-7, eight-inning victory over a talented and well-schooled Twinsburg club.  

The Wildcats, who were coming off a tough 3-0, opening-day loss at Massillon Jackson, rode some outstanding pitching by Matt Lynch, Matt Hoyer and Tim McCoy, and Hennessey’s late-inning heroics at the plate to one of the two toughest victories in any baseball season – the first one. I’ll let you guess what the second one is.

In what was an emotional and enjoyable game between two programs with big hearts, Coach Ganor watched his team produce so many heroes that this corner is going to take the liberty of calling this one a “true team victory.”

“Matt Lynch, who was just called up to the varsity two days ago, did a great job of keeping us in the game, Matt Hoyer was phenomenal in those late innings and then Tim (McCoy) coming up big there in the last inning,” said Coach Ganor of some of the diamond drama that took place on the mound. “And offensively, it was a matter of getting the job done – bunting guys over and playing the game the way it is going to have to be played, with small ball.

“I’m very proud,” Coach Ganor continued. “I sincerely believe that other years there are teams that don’t win this game. This team showed a lot of moxie. It felt good.”

Saint Ignatius’ coaching staff wasn’t feeling very good after the top of the first inning. The Wildcats loaded the bases on an error and singles by junior second baseman Dan Rowbottom and McCoy, who is a senior centerfielder, tri-captain and left-handed pitcher. After senior designated hitter Ralph Lucarelli produced the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to deep left field, the ‘Cats ended up stranding runners on second and third.

After setting the ‘Cats down in order in the top of the second, Twinsburg, under the direction of veteran skipper Don Jones, welcomed Mr. Momentum into its dugout by scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. The big blow for the Tigers was a two-out, bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field off the bat of senior designated hitter Matt Jaskiewicz that resulted in a three-run double.

Saint Ignatius, which outhit Twinsburg, 11-7, go back in the game in the top of the fourth on one-out singles by senior first baseman Stephen Alexander and junior third baseman/shortstop Tyler Finkler, a wild pitch and a two-out, two-run single by senior right fielder/pitcher Scott Chase. Scott is in the baseball groove after putting together a solid district-qualifying wrestling season at 182 pounds.

The Tigers answered with an RBI double by Jaskiewicz in the bottom of the fourth, an inning that saw a smooth diving stop and throw by junior third baseman Cole Neito prevent Twinsburg (1-2) from doing further damage.

Trailing, 6-3, entering the fifth inning, the Wildcats kept clawing back. Lucarelli drove in another run with a two-out roller down the third-base line that the Tigers couldn’t turn into an out. Alexander followed with an RBI single that sent senior pitcher/outfielder Dan Oaklief, who was pinch running, racing home from second. In what was a picture-perfect slide around the catcher, Dan got his hand on the plate before the tag. The effort by Oaklief made it a one-run game after 4½ innings.

Coach Jones’ Tigers increased their lead to 7-5 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, only to watch St. Ignatius tie the score in the top of the sixth.

Junior pitcher/first baseman Mike LaManna led off with a walk, Chase reached on a sharp grounder off his wood bat that was too hot to handle, Neito laid down a text-book bunt and a wild pitch made it a one-run deficit again. Hennessey then stepped to the plate and promptly tied the score on a sharp single.

Hoyer, a 6-foot-5 senior right-hander who is bound for Mercyhurst on a football scholarship, took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and threw a 1-2-3 inning against the heart of Twinsburg’s batting order. After the ‘Cats went in order in the top of the seventh, Matt, a tri-captain on a vote by his teammates, again displayed poise and savvy with runners on first and second and no outs, and the game on the line.

The Tigers laid down a bunt that saw Neito charge the ball, field it cleanly and, without any hesitation, turn and fire a perfect throw to Finkler, who was covering third base. Hoyer struck out the next batter and, after senior catcher Andrew Piscioneri made an outstanding block of a ball that was sinking in the dirt, Hoyer (1-0) coaxed the third out on a pop up to Finkler at shortstop.

“It didn’t really matter who I was throwing to, I was just playing the game,” said Hoyer, who emphasized that he was using his usual combination of a fastball and a changeup against the Tigers’ 3-4-5 hitters in the sixth. “The location was big, setting them up inside and then we would paint that outside corner. The pressure was on, but you still have to play the game like you’re playing catch with the catcher.”

Matt said he really likes playing at Twinsburg’s impressive facility, where he has a little history. As Saint Ignatius’ head junior varsity coach Ken Tippy pointed out, Hoyer threw an exceptional game against the Tigers’ jayvees as a sophomore.

Following Hoyer’s heroics on the mound, the Wildcats set up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth on a hit batsman, a sacrifice bunt by Chase and a ground ball to the right side off the bat of senior shortstop and tri-captain Mike Ruffing. The throw from Twinsburg’s second baseman was a bit wide and Mike did an exceptional job of avoiding the tag by the first baseman.

Hennessey came to the plate again and sent a one-out, line-drive RBI single into left field that had the sweet sound of success coming off his wood bat.

McCoy stepped to the mound in the bottom of the eighth and, as cool as another lefty named Sandy Koufax, shook off a lead-off single and struck out Twinsburg’s 3-4-5 hitters en route to earning the save.

The Wildcats hit the road again on Thursday, as they travel to Amherst Steele for a 4:30 matchup with the Comets. Sophomore Nick Longo will take the mound.

CASE FOR THE DEFENSE: Along with his key block in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh, Piscioneri also blocked a ball in the bottom of the first inning that would have made Johnny Bench smile and he picked off a runner at first in the bottom of the second. Finkler, who played both third and shortstop on Wednesday, made a running, leaping catch in short left field that took away a base hit and he also ran down a high chopper behind second base and threw an accurate seed to first base to throw out the runner. And then there were the plays by Neito that we mentioned above.

JV AND FRESHMEN OFF TO A SOLID START: Coach Tippy's junior varsity team improved to 2-0 with a 12-10 victory at Twinsburg on Wednesday and Coach Matt Kimmick's freshmen stand 2-0.

By Eddie Dwyer

Jackson Township - Tuesday evening’s season opener at Massillon Jackson didn’t turn out the way Tom Rolle and his Saint Ignatius teammates would have liked it to.

However, if Rolle continues to pitch the way he did in the Polar Bears’ impressive baseball facility, head coach Brad Ganor and pitching coach T. J. Donovan '94 will be grinning from ear to ear all spring.

Making his varsity debut, Rolle, a junior left-hander, struck out 11, issued just one walk and yielded three runs on four hits as the Wildcats couldn’t generate an offensive attack and fell to Jackson, 3-0.

Polar Bears senior right-hander Mike Cooperider, who was pitching from behind in the count for most of the game, yielded just two hits en route to throwing 100-plus pitches and going the distance.

“He did a phenomenal, phenomenal job,” said Coach Ganor of Rolle, who had a stretch that saw him fan 10 of 11 batters, including seven in a row. “We gave up three runs, but it should have only been two. Tom just did a fantastic job in his first start.”

Coach Donovan, who might have found his No. 1 starter, emphasized that Rolle threw just 74 pitches and had four 11-pitching innings.

As impressive as Rolle was, there just wasn’t any offense coming from the Wildcats’ wood bats.

Jackson, under the direction of head coach Bill Gamble, got the only runs it needed in the bottom of the second inning. With one out and nobody on base, the Polar Bears combined a walk, a wild pitch and RBI gap doubles by senior first baseman Quinn Bender and junior designated hitter Andrew Stalnaker into a 2-0 lead. There were only one or two pitches that were hit hard off Rolle the entire game.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when a fly ball that Coach Ganor said probably should have been caught dropped in for a double off the bat of senior shortstop Jeff Edwards. The final run came around to score on a two-out single up the middle by senior third baseman Aaron Hoffman.

Between the second and sixth innings, Jackson couldn’t touch Rolle, as Tom retired the Polar Bears in order in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

After ending the second inning with two strikeouts, Rolle fanned two batters in the third inning and struck out the side in the fourth and fifth innings.

“You can’t ask for anymore, I mean that’s what you are looking for,” Coach Ganor said while discussing Rolle’s numbers.

As far as the lack of offense, Coach Ganor said he is confident that his Wildcats are a good hitting team.

“Over the first three scrimmages we hit the ball so well and today was disappointing,” Ganor said. “He’s not the best pitcher we’re going to face all year and it seemed like we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities with runners on and runners in scoring position.”

Saint Ignatius had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the third, only to watch that threat wiped out by a double play. In the top of the sixth, junior left fielder Conor Hennessey lined a one-out base hit to left-center field and, with his speed, turned it into a hustle double. But Conor was stranded at third base after the next two batters grounded out.

“With 2-0 and 3-1 counts, we weren’t doing anything,” said Coach Ganor. “And those are pitches we have to hit on the screws.

“We’re a very good hitting team, we’re going to be fine,” Ganor continued. “But we have to have a short memory and get ready for tomorrow.”

The Wildcats travel to Twinsburg on Wednesday for a 4:30 match up with the always capable Tigers. Junior right-hander Kyle Pluta is expected to start for the ‘Cats.

Current Baseball Alumni in the Pros:

Matt Kata '95-Houston Astros
Jeremy Farrell '05-Pittsburgh Pirates
Derek Dietrich '07-Tampa Bay Rays

Current Baseball Alumni Playing in College:

Matt Rosinski '08-Miami University
Bryan Conway '08-University of Richmond
Alex Johnson '08-Miami University
Justin Mackert '08-The Citadel
Joe Dorocak '08-University of Dayton
Kirby Becker '08-Marietta College
Aaron Klinec '08-Washington and Jefferson University
Chris Wolfe '08-Ohio Northern University

Frank DeSico '09-University of Notre Dame
Brad Clement '09-Northern Kentucky University
Luke Farrell '09-Northwestern University
Neil Butara '09-Eastern Michigan University
Anthony Ruggerio '09-Niagra University
Chet Lauer '09-St. Peter's University
Mike Konya '09-John Carroll University

Mike Burke '10-University of Buffalo
Jack McLinden '10-Bucknell University
David Deliz '10-Wright State University
Dave Gallgher '10-Mount Olive College
Kory Gillissie '10-Baldwin Wallace College

Marques Pagan '11-Ohio Dominican
Cory Fikler '11-University of Toledo
Joe Greco '11-Flagger College
Neal Jacobs '11-Central Michigan