By John Fanta ’13
AMHERST – “In baseball, every team gets challenged at some point of the season. I think of this as our challenge. Yes, it’s not the ideal time. Of course you want to start the season well, but we’re 0-2,” said Saint Ignatius Baseball Coach Brad Ganor. The Wildcats’ pitching stuggled as 5-0 Amherst took aim and fired through Saint Ignatius, 10-3.
There is absolutely no panic mode whatsoever, as this team with a lot of talent and depth has the attitude but just is looking for the winning formula. After a scoreless top half of the first inning for the Wildcats, Amherst had men at 1st and 2nd with one out against Saint Ignatius pitcher Kyle Pluta. Amherst senior stud Griffin Weir (who is heading to Stanford in the fall) walked to make the bases loaded. A 2 RBI double by the Comets and another single led to the Comets to have a comfortable 3-0 lead. An RBI groundout gave Amherst a 4-0 lead after an inning. It was the second straight game in which the Wildcats were down 4-0 after an inning.
Amherst tacked an additional run on in the second to make it 5-0. In the top of the 5th, Amherst led 6-0 when the Wildcats’ Quillen Austria came to the plate. He hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped. Two Wildcats came in as the bases were loaded to make it 6-3. Shane Skuhrovec came to bat and bounced a dribbler perfectly down the third base line, which brought another run in to make it 6-3. That would be the closest that the Wildcats would get. Kyle Pluta was the starting pitcher, and after a 29-pitch first inning, the Tiffin-bound pitcher could never find his rhythm. In terms of the big highlight in the rest of the game, Amherst’s Griffin Weir drilled a double off the center field wall to make it 10-3 Comets. The Wildcats could not find any other offense, as they lost their second straight game in tough fashion.
The Wildcats will leave from West 30th and Lorain on Friday to take off for V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe for two games on Friday at the “1st Pitch Classic.” At 1 pm, the ‘Cats take on Bishop Watterson, a team full of tradition out of Division II, and at 4:30 pm, Coach Ganor’s team meets a juggernaut in Grove City. Watterson won on Tuesday over Teays Valley, 8-5, and fell Thursday to Hilliard Darby, 15-6. Grove City came up short in extra innings on Thursday, 9-7, to Thomas Worthington, as they seek to bounce back on Friday. For the schedule of the “1st Pitch Classic,” go to http://www.chillicothepaints.com. On Saturday, the Wildcats take the show on the road to Dublin Jerome, as they’ll stay overnight for two games with Jerome (11 AM and 1:30 PM).
SIBN: All games this weekend are on the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network. I will get underway at 12:45 pm for the full afternoon on the diamond in Chillicothe. On Saturday, I have full coverage from Dublin beginning at 10:45 am. On Friday, my special guest is Father Bill Murphy, SJ, president of Saint Ignatius HS. Follow the games @SIHSSports and @JohnFanta13 in twitter.
TV: Time Warner Cable will have tape delayed coverage of Ignatius Baseball on Friday, April 5. On Channel 1311 at 7 and again at 9:30 pm. Check your local listings.
JV and Freshman Weekly Update: Coach Tim Clark’s JV team has won three in a row, as they have toppled Ashland (12-0), Amherst (5-1), and Brunswick (6-1). The Freshman squad is 1-0 coming off of an Opening Day win over Amherst, 9-4.
I’ll see you on the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network, as the Wildcats look for their first win over the season. What a jam-packed weekend.
Haven’t viewed the 2013 Season Preview yet with Coach Ganor? Here it is:
