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SAINT IGNATIUS-VALLEY FORGE SECTIONAL BASEBALL RECAP.

By Eddie Dwyer, 05/13/10, 12:00AM EDT

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Saint Ignatius' standout senior third baseman/pitcher Mike Burke said he didn't feel much pressure during Thursday's Division I sectional final at Valley Forge.

The University of Buffalo recruit added that he was just happy to help his team and provide a little spring board that hopefully will keep the 'Cats advancing from this point on.

Saint Ignatius, with Burke sending all of the Wildcats' faithful home happy, defeated the spirited Patriots, 4-2, in the spacious ball yard behind Valley Forge high school. Under the OHSAA tournament rules, the 'Cats were designated as the “home team.”

In improving to 19-6, Saint Ignatius advances to Monday's district semifinals at Lakewood Stadium. The Wildcats, the top seed at Lakewood, will face the winner of the Rhodes-Parma sectional final, which is being played on Saturday morning. The first pitch on Monday is scheduled for 4 p.m.

“Mike was certainly the key to the victory,” said Saint Ignatius coach Brad Ganor after Burke went 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs batted in and two runs scored, and struck out six and did not yield a hit in two innings of clutch relief. “Not for one second did we come into this game thinking we were going to win by 10 (runs). I told our kids that (the Patriots) were going to be emotionally ready and the longer they hung around, the more emotional they were going to get.

“Maybe that's good for us. Maybe we needed that playoff scare right out of the gate. In years past, we always kind of rolled in the sectional. It was kind of a no brainer. Today, we had to think a little bit, pitch a little bit and get key hits.”

The early pitching came from the dominant right arm of senior David Deliz, who yielded two hits, struck out 10 and walked three in 4 1/3 innings of work. Both of the hits against Deliz (4-2) were singles off the bat of senior center fielder P.J. Adams.

Sophomore left-hander Zak Shockley came on in relief of Deliz and ended the top of the fifth with two strikeouts.

In the top of the sixth, however, Valley Forge got back in the game on a hit batsman, a pitch in the dirt and an RBI single by senior catcher Frank Zelley that cut the deficit to 4-1. After a wild pitch and a walk, the Patriots had runners on first and second with no outs.

Enter Burke.

Burke, who started the game at third base before taking over on the mound, would find himself in a second-and-third and no-out situation after his battery mate couldn't handle his first pitch.

Bearing down, Burke overpowered the next batter with a strikeout and appeared to have a called strikeout for the second out of the inning. However, the called third strike bounced off the catcher's glove and, in attempt to complete the strikeout, the catcher fired a throw that sailed into right field. A run scored and now Valley Forge trailed, 4-2.

Keeping his composure, Burke recorded his third strikeout and the four-out inning ended on a 2-1 putout at the plate off a passed ball. Burke wrapped up his save by recording three of his six strikeouts in the top of the seventh.

The Wildcats, playing their first game since May 6, combined a lead-off walk by senior left fielder Kevin Hopkins, a sacrifice bunt by junior first baseman Mike Horejsei and an RBI single to right-center field by Burke into a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Two-out, run-scoring line-drive singles by Burke and senior designated hitter/second baseman Zach Seybert pushed Saint Ignatius' lead to 3-0 in the third, and Burke gave the 'Cats a 4-0 advantage by turning on an inside pitch and powering a home run to deep left field with one out in the bottom of the fifth.

“It was a fastball inside,” said Burke, who has now said goodbye to Mr. Rawlings five times this season. “I went up there just trying to hit the ball, not worrying about what might happen, what could happen or what should happen. I was very relaxed.”

Burke's all-around performance enabled Coach Ganor and his entire staff to relax.

“I thought we did a nice job rising to the occasion,” Coach Ganor said. “They had one job to do, there were no other games to think about and they won. And that's the most important thing.”