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Wildcats Pick Up Third Straight Win over Warriors

By Brendan DeVenney '17, 05/09/17, 9:45AM EDT

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A pitchers' duel turned into a hitting bonanza, with Jacobs tabbing 3 hits.

Saint Ignatius Baseball entered Monday’s affair with Walsh Jesuit having not played a game in an entire week.

The Wildcats last played on Monday, May 1 at Canton Central Catholic and won, 3-0. Then the Wildcats’ game on Tuesday versus Mentor was rained out and had no game scheduled for Wednesday. On Thursday, their matchup versus Eastlake North was cancelled and no game scheduled for Friday. To make matters worse, the Ohio Jesuit Tournament was cancelled due to the severe weather in Toledo at Saint John’s Jesuit.

So the Wildcats, much like the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a lot of rest entering a highly anticipated ballgame with Walsh Jesuit at Baldwin Wallace University. In the Wildcats’ first game of six games in six days, the Wildcats played with a sense of urgency, and as high school athletes just eager to play baseball again.

The urgency resulted in a 10-6 home victory.

Connor Adams, the Louisville recruit and WEWS Channel 5 McDonald’s Student-Athlete of the Week, threw 2 ⅓ shutout innings to start the game. Adams allowed just one hit and struck out one Warrior. His outing was shortened since he will be starting on Friday in the Sectional Final game of the OHSAA Division I Baseball Tournament.

Both the Wildcats and Warriors got men into scoring position early in the game, but could not bring them home. In the second inning, Adams showed why he’s a recruit to the No. 2 team in the country in Division I baseball, getting out of a bases-loaded jam versus a strong Walsh Jesuit lineup.

The Wildcats who struck first off Walsh Jesuit starter Yassir Kahook, who entered with a 2-2 record. Griffin Hunt led off the bottom of the fourth with a huge triple to right center. Pinch runner Joey Gutbrod then scored via a slick RBI single to left by Jack Siefert to make it 1-0 Wildcats. Then with one out, Michael Holdsworth grounded out to first, allowing to Alec Guy, pinch running for Siefert, to score from third and give the Cats a 2-0 lead.

A 2-run lead wasn’t enough for this hungry ballclub, however. The Wildcats added five runs in the fifth. With two runners in scoring position, Tommy Grosel bounced a sacrifice bunt right back to relief pitcher Kevin Jarvis, who then attempted to get Seth Warren out at home with a glove toss. Warren had too much speed, though, beating the tag. Siefert then singled to load the bases.

The next at bat, the Warriors’ pitcher threw a wild pitch, allowing Mark Geraci to score from third. Following that, Ryan Jacobs hit a two-run RBI double to center scoring two Wildcats and making it 6-0. Demchuk then roped an RBI to center to bring home Jacobs and conclude the onslaught in the fifth, making it 7-0 Saint Ignatius.

Walsh Jesuit did not surrender despite the deficit. The Warriors caught fire late and had a huge rally in the sixth. Brendan Regan, a Michigan State recruit, entered the inning at 0-for-3, but got the Warriors on the board with an RBI single center field. Then Walsh Jesuit cashed in on a bases-loaded walk to make it 7-2 Wildcats. The visitors didn’t stop there. With two outs, Jace Burke, an Evansville recruit, slapped an RBI single to make it 7-3. Then the big blow came on a three-run RBI double to left by Easton Kindall, making it a one-run ballgame, 7-6 Wildcats.

But back came the Cats, and won the game in the next half-inning. The Wildcats got back two runs in the same at-bat on two wild pitches, and then an RBI groundout made it 10-6 Saint Ignatius heading to the seventh inning.

Danny Adler then came on in the seventh and closed out the 10-6 win over Walsh Jesuit.

“It was good to have the bats going after a week off,” Manager Brad Ganor said. “But we were cruising there for a while, and let them back in it, and sometimes to build confidence, you have to win ugly, and that’s the most important thing, being able to learn how to win in those situations. You’re up 7, let them back in the game, but then you put more runs on the board. And that’s a confidence builder more than anything.

“We talked before the game about how we’re going to use this to peak at the right time, which is on Friday. The only game that matters this year is Friday. We’ll work on getting in a groove and getting guys comfortable, but all in preparation for one game, which is on Friday.”

Saint Ignatius used five different pitchers, with Griffin Hunt getting the win, coming in relief for Adams and throwing 1 ⅔ innings, striking out three and allowing one hit.

Monday was the third time this year the Wildcats scored double digits, previously winning 10-1 over Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s Prep. Seth Warren went 2-for-2, drawing two walks. Siefert went 2-for-3 with an RBI. And Jacobs went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI’s.

Saint Ignatius now gears up for their Tuesday evening game with the 15-7 Nordonia Knights at Baldwin Wallace University at 5:00 p.m.