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Wildcats roll a seven on the mound and the result is a combined three-hit shutout. Andrew Piscioneri, Tim McCoy and Stephen Alexander lead the "small ball" approach in a 6-0 triumph over Boardman.

By Eddie Dwyer, 04/04/12, 12:00AM EDT

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SAINT IGNATIUS MAKES ITSELF AT HOME IN ALL PRO FREIGHT STADIUM BY WINNING ITS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE GAME.

*A TIP OF THE CAP GOES OUT TO THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM, WHICH IMPROVED TO 5-0 BY DEFEATING WALSH JESUIT IN SULLIVAN GYM ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, AND THE TENNIS TEAM FOR DEFEATING HAWKEN SCHOOL, 4-1, ON WEDNESDAY EVENING AT MAGNIFICAT AND PUSHING ITS RECORD TO 3-1.

Avon, Ohio – After his Wildcats defeated Boardman, 6-0, in Wednesday’s home opener at All Pro Freight Stadium, Saint Ignatius head baseball coach Brad Ganor smiled and said: “Maybe we’re on to a new trend, using wood bats and throwing a different pitcher every inning.”

While the wood bats have been good to the Wildcats during their 5-1 start, which includes five consecutive wins, the decision to use seven arms in seven innings on Wednesday went according to plan.

“We had to get everybody some work because of the time off we’re going to have,” said Coach Ganor, whose team’s next game is on April 11 in the prestigious Hartsville (S.C.) Southeastern Baseball Classic. “And everybody got in the game, which is important. All in all, I’m very proud of them.”

Saint Ignatius, which presented its head coach with his 155th career victory, a number achieved in just seven-plus years, combined its seven arms with an offense that moved runners, ran the bases and provided some clutch hits.

Crafty and cool junior left-hander Tom Rolle led Wednesday’s seven from heaven with a two-strikeout, no-hit first inning. That was followed by a 1-2-3 top of the second from 6-foot-6 senior southpaw Zak Shockley and a strong hitless third inning by 6-5 senior right-hander Matt Hoyer, who is off to a solid start this spring.

Juniors Kyle Pluta and Matt Lynch, senior Scott Chase and sophomore lefty Nick Longo sealed the shutout by committee. Longo struck out the side to end the game.

Playing on the artificial surface in atmosphere-rich All Pro Freight Stadium, the home of the Frontier League’s Lake Erie Crushers, the Wildcats manufactured a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Senior Dan Oaklief, who is recovering from a preseason injury, drew a leadoff walk from the designated hitter spot and stole second base. Junior first baseman Mike LaManna moved Oaklief to third on a ground ball to the right side and Oaklief came home on a sharp grounder to deep short off the bat of senior catcher Andrew Piscioneri.

After Hoyer set down the Spartans (3-2), Saint Ignatius started to take control with a three-run bottom of the third that saw all three runs touch the plate after there were two outs.

Junior left fielder and lead-off catalyst Conor Hennessey started the ‘Cats’ half of the third by ripping a single up the gut. With two outs and Hennessey on third, senior first baseman/outfielder/catcher Stephen Alexander delivered an RBI single to center off a smooth and authoritative left-handed swing.

After Alexander stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, Oaklief, the essence of a team player, brought Stephen home on a grounder to third that saw Boardman’s first baseman unable to dig out the throw from his third baseman.

Oaklief stole second and, after a walk to LaManna, came around to score on a clutch single through the left side by Piscioneri.

“It’s a beautiful field,” said Piscioneri of All Pro Freight Stadium. “It’s the first time we’ve actually had a stable home field. We were excited all day to come out to the field.

“We played small ball really well today,” Piscioneri continued. “We moved people over when we had to and got runs in. We didn’t necessarily get a lot of hits on the board (7 total), but we got RBIs and all of the stuff that counts.”

Piscioneri, who brings some baseball moxie to the field, emphasized how great it is to be back after missing last season with a 50-percent tear to his rotator cuff and a slightly torn labrum, injuries he suffered in the summer after his sophomore year.

“I can’t describe the experience,” Piscioneri said of his return behind the dish, where he did a great job of handling all of the different arms he caught on Wednesday. “I come out to the field every day so excited to catch. There is no pressure. I’m just out here having fun. There is nothing like being back on the diamond.”

The Wildcats, who will face the Gaffney South Carolina Indians on April 11 at 4 p.m. in Hartsville, scored their final two runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single to center field by gifted senior center fielder/left-handed pitcher Tim McCoy, a stolen base by McCoy, a fielder’s choice and a balk.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Coach Ganor said of the Hartsville tournament, where the ‘Cats have finished 3-1 in both of their two previous trips. “The competition is phenomenal and just making the trip and thinking nothing but baseball for a week is a lot of fun.”

CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE CORNER TO THE WILDCATS' JUNIOR VARSITY AND FRESHMEN PROGRAMS, WHO IMPROVED TO 5-1 AND 5-0, RESPECTIVELY, WITH DOMINANT VICTORIES OVER BOARDMAN.