SAN FRANCISCO - All it took was one big inning and some late hand-wringing for Sacred Heart Cathedral to pick up a big win over rival St. Ignatius in the annual Bruce-Mahoney game on Saturday, in front of a capacity crowd at USF's Benedetti Diamond.
Trailing 3-0 headed into the top of the fifth inning, the Fightin' Irish exploded for six runs, and then held on for the dramatic 6-5 victory.
SHC opened the top of the fifth inning by stringing together seven straight singles. The first three, which concluded with a bunt single from Martin Chavarria, loaded the bases. Eric Ochoa, Aedan Leary-Vallejo, and Eric Casillas then each drove in runs with singles to tie the game, and Matt Palomino's line drive to center field scored Ochoa, breaking the tie.
After St. Ignatius starting pitcher Dominic Tognotti notched consecutive strikeouts to put the rally in jeopardy, Jack McDowell came through with a two-run single for Sacred Heart Cathedral (10-1, 2-1 WCAL), extending the lead to 6-3 by the end of the inning.
The Wildcats (5-5, 1-2) had plenty of fight remaining, though, and chipped away at the lead when Marvcus Guarin singled to score Louis Gaitley in the bottom of the fifth inning, making it a two-run game.
The sixth inning went quietly for both teams, and the Fightin' Irish got only a single from Palomino in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for a possible SI comeback in the bottom half of the inning.
Gaitley renewed hope for the Wildcats with a one-out double, and cut into the lead when he scored on Jack Hanley's two-out single to left field. Pinch runner Nate Cushner then stole second base to get in scoring position, but Frank Marcon came through on the mound for SHC, striking out Jack Rocca to end the game.
Sacred Heart Cathedral now heads to Riordan on Tuesday, while St. Ignatius looks to bounce back at Bellarmine.
