By Chris Check                                                                                                                              NE Regional Scout

STRONGSVILLE- North Royalton played a very efficient game yesterday in defeating No. 1 seed St. Ignatius Wildcats, 5-2.

The No. 3 seeded North Royalton Bears took the tough road in the Strongsville Division I Baseball District, also beating the No. 4 seed Berea-Midpark and No. 2 seed Strongsville.

The game started as expected, with both starting pitchers holding the opponents lineup in check. The Wildcats’ Nick Margevicius (Rider commit) and the Bears’ Frank Frate (Walsh U. commit) each got 4-6-3 double plays from their respective defenses as the game entered the third inning scoreless.

North Royalton struck first when third baseman Tyler Pencak doubled deep to the right center gap, then moved to third on a wild pitch. 

After a comebacker to the mound, Royalton struck again with an RBI single by senior second baseman Nate Kocan and an RBI double by senior shortstop Bryan Bielak (Walsh U. commit).

Margevicius remained poised getting the next two hitters to ground out to keep the rally in check.

St. Ignatius came right back in the bottom of the inning with three straight hits form the seven, eight and nine hitters in the order. Senior second baseman David Bodziony singled sharply to left, junior Jake Kucia singled through the hole to left field and left handed sophomore Dennis Grosel slapped a line drive down the third base lane scoring Bodziony from second base. 

Frate then regrouped getting an infield fly, a fly out to left and a pop up to right, to keep the lead at 2-1.

Junior center fielder Garret Strom delivered a big two-out, two-RBI double driving in seniors Branden Walsh and Jack Marousek, extending the lead to 4-1.

The Wildcats failed to score in the bottom of the inning despite hits by junior catcher Alex Panstares and Bodziony.

Frate again held the Wildcats scoreless in the fifth after runners reached on a walk and an error with one out, inducing a pop-out and a fly-out to center field to end the inning.

Panstares gave the Wildcats some life in the sixth with a lead-off hit eventually scoring on pinch hitter, Quillen Austria’s single into left field, off North Royalton reliever Alex Sir Louis, who came on with one out in the sixth. 

St. Ignatius senior Shane Skuhrovec kept the game close for the Wildcats, throwing a perfect fifth and sixth innings.

Pencak gave North Royalton a needed insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, scoring after getting hit by a pitch, moving to second on a passed ball and eventually scoring on a Wildcat infield error.

Sir Louis got the top of the St. Ignatius line-up in order to record the save for the District championship.

North Royalton will meet No. 23 ranked Lakewood St. Edward next Thursday in the regional semifinal, possibly at Cuyahoga Community College.

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NORTH ROYALTON            002 200 10 -- 5  
ST. IGNATIUS                  001 001 0x -- 2