On one of the least ideal days for baseball, Coach Brad Ganor’s team prevails with grit over Mansfield Madison and Midview.
By John Fanta ’13
Arriving to Mansfield Madison High School, the Wildcats got off the bus and saw a moist field as sleet was falling to the ground. It was a morning to be on the couch watching sports highlights from the night before, but instead 6-5 Saint Ignatius was readying for a big doubleheader. After fighting off Twinsburg on Thursday, 18-14, the offense was ready to keep surging. Although it was a little dicey as to whether the games would be played, conditions were good enough for game time to just be delayed from 10 am to 10:30 am between the Wildcats and Mansfield Madison in Game 1 of a doubleheader that featured Madison and Midview.
The starting pitching has been the main issue for the ‘Cats this season, but it wasn’t on Saturday. Nick Margevicius and Matt Lynch threw fantastic starts, as between both games, they combined for 11 innings pitched with only three earned runs. MJ Nara was the only other Wildcat pitcher, as the sophomore saved Game 2 of the doubleheader. The Wildcats triumphed by Madison, 13-2, and edged a tough Midview team in a tight game, 4-2.
Game 1: Saint Ignatius 13, Mansfield Madison 2
Nick Margevicius did not think about the temperatures much at all, as the lefty was very solid to earn his third win of 2013. The Wildcats came out hot, as they gave their starter support. After Dan Rowbottom flied out to lead off the game, Tyler Finkler stepped to the dish and served up a double down the third base line. Nick Fabian would bring him in with two away in the inning to give Saint Ignatius a 1-0 lead. The scoring was not done in the top half of the first inning, as Nick Longo hit an RBI flyout to left. The Wildcats led 2-0 heading to the bottom of the first, when Madison’s Zane Harris gave a ball a ride over the right field fence. The Rams got within a run, as they trailed 2-1 after an inning. Madison knotted the game up in the bottom of the third when Kyle Brust flared an RBI single into right field. Dan Rowbottom got the Wildcats out of the jam in the third with a beautiful falling catch in shallow right field. After the third, it was all Wildcats. The Wildcats loaded the bases up with nobody out and they broke out on a tear. Rowbottom ripped an RBI single into center field, then Conor Hennessey hammered a 2-RBI double into the left-center field gap. Saint Ignatius broke out for a 5-run fourth, but it was not over yet. Cole Nieto would highlight a 6-run fifth inning with a 2-RBI single into left field. Margevicius was such a key though, as he did his thing and only gave up two runs. “Nick’s control is so strong and he knows the strike zone. He is very calm and composed, and knows what he has to do to maneuver through a line-up,” said Coach Brad Ganor. The Wildcats won with the run-rule limit of ten or more being issued after five inning had been played. It was an all-around strong performance to get the day going.
Game 2: Saint Ignatius 4, Midview 2
After some sloppy joe’s and chips, the Wildcats had to step back on to the field for a tougher opponent in the Midview Middies. Coach Ganor went to a guy who has struggled in the starting role, Matt Lynch. As cold as it was in Mansfield was as hot as Lynch’s stuff was on Saturday, though. He was in a pitching duel, and he battled to throw six innings and only give up one earned run. The Wildcats gave him enough support as well, as clean-up Nick Fabian would begin a nice game with a flared RBI single to center in the bottom of the first to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. With sleet mixing in, the chilly conditions could have easily been a distraction in Mansfield. They would not be though, as Saint Ignatius was looking to win their third straight.
In the top of the fourth inning, Midview struck to knot the game up at 1-1 as Dan Rowbottom let a one-hop smash get by him at second base. The Middies were on the board, but Lynch kept it at a tie ballgame with his tough heater and his smooth curve. In the bottom of the fifth, the turning point of the game came as Saint Ignatius looked to give Matt Lynch some run support. On a cold day like Saturday, the ball was going to have to be belted if it was going to clear the fence. The Wildcats’ #9 hitter, Joe Khoury, stepped to the plate and showed why he is one of the toughest hitters to finish a line-up you’ll ever see at the high school level. Joe used pure muscle and hit a 2-run opposite field shot to right, as the ‘Cats took a 3-1 command. The fifth was not over yet, as Saint Ignatius loaded the bases for clean-up hitter Nick Fabian. This time, the versatile Fabian used his bunting skills and execute a pure suicide squeeze to bring home another run. It was 4-1 Wildcats, as the Middies had some life sucked out of them. In the top of the sixth, Lynch got out of a small jam after giving up his first earned run of the ballgame to make it 4-2 in favor of the Wildcats. He would finish at 96 pitches, as the Wildcats got a much-needed strong start out of one of their many senior leaders. Coach Ganor went to his “sophomore battery” in the seventh to try and lock down a save and sweep for Saint Ignatius. Pitcher MJ Nara and catcher Alex Panstares, both up from Tim Clark’s JV team, were fantastic, showing they are worth the call-ups. The fantastic pitching paid off as the Wildcats have now won four of five.
“It was a good day of balance and of guys being on the same page. We have a jam-packed week, so this is a good lead-in,” said Coach Ganor. Assistant Coach Mark Terlep always chimed in with, “This is what we’ve been waiting for with this team. Now, they’ve won three straight and look like they’re getting off the wall at 8-5.”
In the upcoming week, the Wildcats play in some challenging contests, as they begin the week on Tuesday with a battle with Willoughby South slated at 4:30 pm at Classic Park. On Wednesday, the ‘Cats meet the Eagles of St. Edward in Lake County at 4:30 pm as well. Friday night, Saint Ignatius plays Avon Lake at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland at 8 pm as part of the Cleveland Indians Charities High School Hardball Classic. Saturday, the week wraps up with a doubleheader at the home of the Mustangs, Strongsville. Saint Ignatius and Strongsville square off at 10 am and Avon meets the ‘Cats at 12:30 pm.
All games will be broadcasted on the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network.
Tweet me for comments and questions on Wildcat sports @JohnFanta13 or e-mail me at [email protected].
