By Eddie Dwyer
Berea, Ohio - As this corner has said more than once this "spring," you have to be tough-minded and resilient to play high school baseball in Northeast Ohio, especially if you are among the area's Independent programs.
After their originally scheduled opponent for Wednesday evening, the Green Wave of Holy Name, deferred to a league makeup game, the Baseball Wildcats of Head Coach Brad Ganor were able to secure a matchup with Elyria Catholic, one of the top Division III programs in Ohio.
Behind an offense fueled by the red-hot bat of senior right fielder Jack Eyink and senior center fielder Evan Henry, along with other clutch swings, Saint Ignatius won for the ninth time in 14 games this season, 9-3, over the always sound EC Panthers.
Wednesday evening's game on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University, the home of Coach Brian Harrison's Baseball Yellow Jackets, saw Saint Ignatius snap Elyria Catholic' s nine-game winning streak.
The Panthers of Head Coach Bruce Lisicky entered the matchup with the Wildcats ranked eighth in the Division III State Poll by The Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association. Saint Ignatius is the state's 17th-ranked Division I team by the OHSBCA.
Elyria Catholic is the two-time defending Great Lakes Conference Champion and has won 31 consecutive conference games.
Saint Ignatius, which will return to Baldwin Wallace University's Fisher Field on Friday to host the Benedictine Bengals in a 5 PM first pitch, took a 4-0 lead over Elyria Catholic and never looked back.
Endless hustle junior middle infielder AJ Gaich got the first-inning charge started by lining a 1-2 pitch into left field for a base hit and Jack Eyink followed with a sharp single to left field.
With one out and runners on second and third, senior designated hitter JJ Conway brought home the game's first run on a 5-3 ground out and an error opened the door for the Wildcats' second run.
After Saint Ignatius junior starter Matt Geraci pitched his third consecutive 1-2-3 inning, Jack Eyink led off the bottom of the third with a line shot to center field that was too hot to handle.
Following a walk to junior left fielder Michael Holdsworth, Conway laid down a bunt that put runners on second and third. Senior first baseman/co-Captain Tommy Grosel then sent a ground ball to the left side that the shortstop lost control of and, after an infield hit by junior third baseman Matt Ferritto and an error off an ill-advised throw, Saint Ignatius led, 4-0, entering the top of the fourth inning.
Coach Ganor gave Geraci the rest of the evening off after Matt's three perfect innings included 37 pitches and three strikeouts. Matt is now 3-2 on the season.
Taking the mound for the Wildcats in the top of the fourth inning was another talented member of the starting rotation, junior Andrew Mulhern.
Panthers 2017 second-team All-Ohio selection, junior center fielder Leighton Banjoff, led off the fourth inning with a single to right field for his team's first hit of the game. Banjoff, like Saint Ignatius' Holdsworth, is a Nebraska recruit.
Undaunted, Mulhern set down the next two batters on ground outs and with two outs and the bases loaded, Andrew coaxed a 5-3 ground out.
Riding the emotion of Mulhern's gutsy inning, the 'Cats pushed their lead to 5-0 when Henry laced a one-out triple down the right-field line and scored on Jack Eyink's high-chopper infield hit.
After another composed inning from Mulhern that featured a text-book charge and throw by Ferritto and an inning-ending strikeout with a runner on third base, Coach Ganor's big-hearted team took command with a three-run bottom of the fifth that was highlighted by a lead-off triple from Grosel and two-out RBI hits from versatile senior Jordan Asimes, Gaich and the ever-present Jack Eyink.
Elyria Catholic would score two runs in the top of the sixth by taking advantage of two walks, a couple of stolen bases, a run-scoring single by junior second baseman Gavan Hrobat and a wild pitch.
Saint Ignatius scored its ninth and final run in the bottom half of the sixth, as senior outfielder Mark Bobinski led off with a walk and sophomore second baseman Danny Castenir was hit by a pitch with two outs. The 'Cats then utilized some heads-up base running in advancing runners to second and third, and scored their ninth and final run off a wild pitch.
This corner would be remiss if I didn't point out the exceptional running and diving catch in foul territory by the Panthers' junior right fielder Cameron Engrish in the bottom of the sixth and the two-out, run-producing hit by Banjoff in the top of the seventh.
As a brisk early evening on Fisher Field came to a close, the scoreboard's final line read 9-13-1 for Saint Ignatius and 3-4-1 for Elyria Catholic.
FROM COACH BRAD GANOR, WHO RETURNED TO HIS HEAD COACHING DUTIES ON WEDNESDAY AFTER BEING ILL FOR THREE DAYS: "We put up five zeros (scoreless innings) in a row and I talked to Matt and Andrew before the game and told them that I know it's tough when you're not going to go the whole game, when you're on a pitch count and are only going to go a couple of innings. It's hard to maintain your focus, but I thought they did a fantastic job of being in the moment, which today was for them to get their work in, but still be part of the game.
"Jack Eyink had another huge day with three hits and it was nice to see Evan get the triple and Tommy leg out a triple.," Coach Ganor continued. "It was a good day all around. I thought Elyria Catholic was a good hitting team. They have a good arm (pitcher), I know, that we didn't see today. But compared to some other teams we played this season, they were a very good hitting team."
IT'S ALWAYS ONE TO CHERISH: A tip of the cap goes out to sophomore Danny Castenir, who came up with his first Varsity hit in the bottom of the second inning on a one-out single through the right side.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT TODAY'S (THURSDAY) HIGHLY ANTICIPATED JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL GAME BETWEEN THE WILDCATS AND THE EAGLES OF ST. EDWARD HAS BEEN MOVED TO BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY'S FISHER FIELD. THE FIRST PITCH IS SLATED FOR 5 PM, BUT A WISE OLD JV COACH REMINDED ME THAT SOMETIMES A JV GAME STARTS A FEW MINUTES EARLY.
THIS OLD MAN BEHIND THE MASK IS LOOKING FORWARD TO COVERING AND REPORTING ON THE WILDCATS-EAGLES JV MATCHUP. BUT THEN I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO HIGH SCHOOL GAMES SINCE THE LATE 1950s AT STORIED WEST TECH FIELD. TWENTY-FIVE CENTS ADMISSION FOR KIDS, THAT IS IF YOU DIDN'T TRY JUMPING THE FENCE BEHIND THE HOME PRESS BOX SIDE.
We will see you out on Eastland Road today in historic and NFL Draft-minded Berea, Ohio. Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to get home for the Draft following the 'Cats-Eagles JV encounter.