Berea, Ohio - Trailing, 10-8, after junior Matt Ferritto came on in relief in the top of the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, Coach Brad Ganor's resilient Wildcats refused to lose a game in which both teams left it all on the field for three hours.
Sophomore Michael McNamara, one of the premier underclassmen in Ohio, led off the bottom of the seventh by drilling a 3-2 pitch into center field for a base hit.
Senior catcher and co-Captain Drew Asadorian then smoked a ground ball past the third baseman for a base hit, putting runners on first and second with no outs.
After a fly out to center field, Uniontown Lake, for the second time in the game, brought in a new pitcher with a 2-0 count on the batter.
Dynamic junior middle infielder AJ Gaich greeted that new arm with an RBI double that cut the deficit to 10-9, and, after an intentional walk to senior designated hitter and co-Captain Tommy Grosel, Saint Ignatius had the bases loaded with one out.
Coach Ganor's ball club would tie the score at 10 when junior pinch runner/outfielder Luke Cooper, a gifted athlete, made a great read on a pitch in the dirt and raced home with the tying run.
Following Cooper's heads-up play and an intentional walk to University of Cincinnati recruit Jack Eyink, Ferritto, who was battling a headache and was scratched from the starting lineup, stepped in the batter's box and hit an authoritative ground ball that allowed Gaich to beat the throw home for the winning run.
As the sun was starting to give way to dusk, both teams lined up on Baldwin Wallace University's Fisher Field, shook hands and recognized each other's efforts.
Uniontown Lake lost for just the sixth time in 18 games this spring and Saint Ignatius, which out-hit the Blue Streaks, 17-8, improved to 11-6.
The Wildcats are seeded No. 1 for the OHSAA Division I Strongsville Sectional/District and the Lake Blue Streaks, the pride of Lake Township in Stark County, are seeded fourth at the OHSAA Canton Division I Sectional/District.
EARLY FIREWORKS FROM BOTH SIDES: After Uniontown Lake jumped on the 'Cats for five runs in the top of the first inning, big-game tested Saint Ignatius responded with a six-run bottom of the first. The first inning lasted 58 minutes.
Providing the key RBIs in the bottom of the first inning were Jack Eyink, senior outfielder Jordan Asimes with a two-run swing of the bat, a run-scoring double off the fence in left field by Michael McNamara, a game-tying, run-scoring double by Drew Asadorian, and a run-scoring single by sophomore outfielder Erik Daugenti that put Saint Ignatius in front, 6-5.
Uniontown Lake, on the strength of a four-run second inning and a run in the top of the fourth, moved to a 10-6 lead.
With two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats, behind the powerful hitting of junior first baseman Austin Jones and an RBI single by junior infielder/outfielder Michael Holdsworth, a Nebraska recruit, closed to 10-7.
Saint Ignatius, continuing to put the pressure on the Blue Streaks, set the stage for its late heroics by scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth inning off a double by Asadorian and a run-scoring, two-out infield hit by the always hustling Gaich.
FROM COACH GANOR, WHO WILL SEND GIFTED JUNIOR ANDREW MULHERN TO THE MOUND AGAINST LONGTIME RIVAL ST. EDWARD (15-5) TODAY (THURSDAY) AT 5 PM ON FISHER FIELD: "Resiliency," Coach Ganor said of Saint Ignatius' dramatic victory. "That's the best part about it, the kids did it. I am really proud of them for not giving in and finding a way to get it done in the end.
"Mike (Michael McNamara) leading off with a hit (in the bottom of the seventh), getting those guys on base and putting the pressure on Uniontown Lake was huge," continued Coach Ganor, who also pointed out the two key shutout innings in relief by junior Leo Eyink, Jack's brother, which came in the fifth and sixth innings.
Have a great rest of the week and we will see you back at Fisher Field today (Thursday) for another chapter in the storied athletic rivalry that is Saint Ignatius versus St. Edward.