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."