In a rivalry showdown that had all the makings of an instant classic, the St. Ignatius Wildcats delivered a moment that will be etched in school lore for years to come.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning and the score deadlocked at 3-3, junior catcher AJ Wineinger stepped to the plate with the game hanging in the balance. The tension at Dekker Diamond was palpable as Wineinger dug into the batter's box against Saint Francis reliever Ian McMahon.
What followed was the stuff of high school baseball dreams.
Wineinger turned on a curveball and sent a towering drive that sailed over the left field fence, a walk-off grand slam that sent the Wildcats faithful into a frenzy and secured a dramatic 7-3 victory over the visiting Lancers on Friday afternoon.
The heroics capped a back-and-forth affair between the West Catholic Athletic League rivals that featured multiple lead changes and standout individual performances on both sides.
Saint Francis struck first in the opening frame when senior Henry Dommer's sacrifice fly gave the Lancers an early 1-0 advantage. The Wildcats responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, as DJ Delaney ripped a double to left field and Beau Schaffer followed with a sharp single down the left field line, putting St. Ignatius ahead 2-1.
The see-saw battle continued in the third when Lancers' Gino Cappellazzo knotted the score at 2-2 with a fielder's choice groundout. St. Ignatius reclaimed the lead in the fourth when senior Emmett Johnson delivered a clutch RBI single to make it 3-2.
Saint Francis answered yet again in the fifth, as slugger Jack Leeper crushed a solo home run to left field that silenced the home crowd and evened the score at 3-3, setting the stage for Wineinger's late-game heroics.
Lost in the excitement of the walk-off was a stellar relief appearance from Wildcats junior Archer Horn, who earned the win with two scoreless innings while striking out four Lancers batters. Horn's dominance allowed the Wildcats to stay within striking distance.
The victory improves St. Ignatius to 16-8-2 overall and 10-4 in WCAL play to finish off the regular season.The WCAL tournament will begin next Tuesday when we host Archbishops Mitty at 4 PM at Dekker Diamond.
