BEREA, OH - Baseball has officially returned for the Wildcats, although Northeast Ohio weather hasn't followed suit. Fresh off a 9-5 win in 30-degree temps against Lakewood, the Diamond Cats were back in action on Thursday and Friday to host North Ridgeville and St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Temperature-wise, Thursday was a complete 180 from the frigid temperatures the Wildcats faced on Tuesday. The Wildcats and Rangers played in 60-degree temperatures at Fisher Field on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University.
Taking the bump for the Wildcats would be Mercyhurst commit Brandon Rose. The first inning would be bumpy for the senior, after striking out the lead-off man, Rose would give up a walk, and after an error on Brett Krugman, there were two on with one out. Nick Mealey and the Rangers struck first with a two-RBI single. Rose would strike out the following two batters to get out of the inning.
The Wildcats bats were silent in the first two innings. Rose got into a rhythm, striking out the side in the second inning. He gave up a lead-off single in the third but struck out the following three batters, putting his total at eight.
The Wildcats bats would come alive in the third with back-to-back singles from Max Hirsch and Marcus Tekancic. Jackson Anthony would place a perfect bunt to score Hirsch to put the Cats on the board. Sophomore Brayden Colleran would knock in the tying run with a single.
Rose came out for the fourth, went 1-2-3, and struck out his ninth batter. Rose would finish his day in the fifth with another 1-2-3 inning to keep the game tied at two.
Vance Brody came into pitch for the Wildcats in the top of the sixth. The Rangers would take a 3-2 lead after an RBI double from Mealey. The Wildcats would limit the damage as Mealey looked to extend that double to a triple, but the relay throw from Anthony to Tekancic to Krugman was executed perfectly. Brody struck out Chincar to get out of the sixth.
Brody came back in for the top of the seventh and would pitch a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two.
In the bottom half of the seventh, the Wildcats were looking for a rally. With one out, Tekancic drew a walk. Krugman roped a screamer to the Ranger third baseman, who would throw to second for the force but was a tad late as Tekancic was safe.
Anthony hit a grounder to the second baseman with two on and one out but could not field the ball cleanly, and Tekancic scored the tying run. That brought up Colleran; on the second pitch of the at-bat, Colleran got a hold of one for base knock in the outfield that brought in the game-winning run in Krugman, and the Wildcats won 4-3.
The Wildcats would schedule a game for Friday against St. Vincent-St. Mary with the impending storms on Saturday. Senior
Patrick Cousineau got the start for the Wildcats against the Irish and would open the first with a 1-2-3 inning.
In the second, the Wildcats would commit an error that would open the door for SVSM. With two on and no outs, Owen Mikin would throw out an Irish base stealer at second. But after a walk and hit-by-pitch, the Irish struck with an RBI single from Logan Henderson. A RBI Fielder's Choice would make it 2-0 after two.
The Wildcats first base runner came in the third after a walk from Max Hirsch. A single from Brett Krugman would put two Wildcats on with two down. Krugman would get caught in a rundown between first and second, which allowed Hirsch to steal home. Krugman would return to first safely, and Hirsch would make it a 2-1 deficit.
Cousineau would pitch a 1-2-3 fourth inning, but the Wildcats bats were stifled in the bottom half. Cousineau would finish his day in the fifth, allowing just three hits, one earned run, and striking out one.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats would load the bases with a Tekancic single, Hirsch walk, and Krugman single. Irish's Tyler Sloan did a fantastic job walking the tightrope, as he would allow just one Wildcat run with bases loaded and no outs. Despite the Wildcats not being able to break the game open, they would tie it on an RBI fielder's choice from Colleran.
Senior Gianni Anthony would pitch a scoreless sixth, and sophomore Trey Powers would pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning. This opened the door for another dramatic finish from Berea.
As Hirsch and Krugman struck out, the inning didn't start how the Wildcats wanted it to. But two-out magic was in the forecast for the Cats. Jackson Anthony would walk, and the Irish elected to walk Colleran, bringing up junior Jacob Merheb.
On a 1-0 count, Merheb ripped a base hit to left field, and coach Ganor waved home Anthony. The throw was not in time, and the Wildcats walked it off for a second consecutive night, defeating SVSM 3-2.
The Diamond Cats have opened the 2025 campaign with a 4-1 record, with their loan loss coming against Cox (VA) in the season opener. The Cats have a busy week ahead with games against Normandy and Walsh Jesuit on Wednesday and Friday at Brookside Reservation, both 5 p.m. starts. They will travel to Olentangy Berlin on Saturday, with the first pitch at noon.
Gallery: (4-9-2025) Saint Ignatius vs. North Ridgeville
