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.

****And congrats to the Wildcats' Volleyball (3-0 over Villa Angela-St. Joseph), Lacrosse (9-6 at Massillon Jackson) and Tennis (4-1 over Uniontown Lake) teams on their impressive Wednesday performances.

HERE IS THE STORY ON THE VICTORY OVER KENSTON.

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."