Fischer king: Wolfpack hurler blanks Friars

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Even the guy who was in the middle of the final and biggest play of the Fenwick Regional championship had trouble sorting it out afterward.

"That last play, I had no idea what was going on," St. Ignatius pitcher Jack Fischer said. "I was going to tag all the runners I could."

Fischer wound up getting two putouts and an assist on a controversial game-ending triple play that capped the Wolfpack's 1-0 victory over host Fenwick on Saturday.

St. Ignatius (22-13) plays St. Rita Wednesday in the Class 4A Mount Carmel Sectional semifinals.

The Wolfpack clinched its sixth regional title in eight seasons on a bizarre play that unfolded with two on and none out in the top of the seventh inning.

Fenwick's Joe Horrigan attempted to sacrifice and Fischer dived forward to make the catch. 

"The ball actually did come out of my glove, but it was on the transfer [to throw] and one of the umps said it was a catch right away," Fischer said.

"We saw it differently," said Fenwick coach Dave Hogan, who thought that Fischer trapped the ball. "There was no time for sorting out the proper call. There was so much confusion."

That extended to Fenwick's baserunners, who weren't sure whether they were supposed to tag up or try to advance. 

Fischer threw to first to double off Fenwick's Gino Rooney and St. Ignatius first baseman Mike Jones tried to catch the Friars' Bret Strzelcyk off second base. But Jones' throw went into center field, where Paul Rambaud retrieved it and threw it back to Fischer.

The Wolfpack pitcher then ran down Strelczyk and tagged him for the final out before throwing to second for good measure – just in case Rooney hadn't been called out earlier in the play.

"It was an unbelievable ending to a great game," said Fischer (5-1), who was making his second appearance since missing about three weeks with a groin injury.

The junior right-hander finished with a one-hitter, striking out five and walking six.

"He's a gutsy, gutsy kid," St. Ignatius coach Sean O'Connor said. "We wanted five strong [innings]. He was ready for the sixth [and] he wasn't going to let me take him out in the seventh."

Fischer held the Friars hitless until Matt Gallo hit a long double to right with two out in the fifth. Rooney, who had walked with one out, was thrown out trying to score, from right fielder Sean Brennan to second baseman Jim Javorski to catcher Justin Meier.

"Oh my God, that was unbelievable," Fischer said. "It was awesome. I thought for sure the run was going to score."

Instead, the Wolfpack got out of that jam and scored the game's only run in the bottom of the fifth. Tom Boyle led off with a line single to center and moved up on a wild pitch with two out.

Niko Gomez hit a chopper to the left sider and when third baseman Kevin Sweeney's throw pulled first baseman Rooney off the bag, Boyle scored all the way from second.

O'Connor had no qualms sending Boyle home, considering the way Cam Verbeke was pitching for Fenwick (21-12).

"I don't foresee anyone scoring too many runs off that guy," O'Connor said. 

Verbeke (9-4) went the distance, allowing three hits (two by Rambaud), walking three and striking out 10. That gave him 120 Ks this season, a Fenwick record.

"Verbeke pitched a hell of a game," Fischer said. 

"It's a tough way for Fenwick to go out," O'Connor said.

And a strange way, too.