Lady Wildcats Down Albert Gallatin, 11-1

Win Catapults CM into PIAA Quarter-Finals

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Central Mountain softball team could not have picked a better time to plays its best ball of the season. The Lady Wildcats put together a third straight all-around complete performance, Monday winning a PIAA first round playoff game over Albert Gallatin. The game lasted four and a half innings in an 11-1 CM win.

The victory puts Central Mountain into the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals on Thursday against the winner of a first round game between West Allegheny and Lower Dauphin. That contest was reported postponed Monday, to be made up Tuesday.

The Lady Wildcats pounded out 15 hits against two Colonial pitchers, leading from the get-go with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Maegan Miller and Josie Dershem started things with a Miller single to right and a Dershem bunt base hit. Winning pitcher Cait Brush sacrificed them up and the first run scored when Skyler Smith grounded out. Morgan Wetzel drove in the second run with a single, Lady ‘Cats up 2-0.

The Gallatin girls would score their only run in the top of the second but Central Mountain put the game away with a 9-spot in the bottom of the third. It was highlighted by a leadoff triple from Dershem and, in her second at-bat of the inning, her 2-run single. Central Mountain used nine hits and a couple Gallatin misplays as they sent 13 batters to the plate.

Meanwhile the Lady Wildcat defense was again superb behind the junior Brush. She spread out eight hits and was in trouble only in the top of the fifth. Gallatin loaded the bases on three straight singles with one out. The next batter stung a groundball to Dershem at second; she tossed it to shortstop Smith for out number two and the Smith relay to Jenni Skow at first ended the game.

Dershem finished with a 3-for-3 performance with her triple and two singles, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Designated hitter Autumn Young went 3-for-3, all singles. Two hits each came from Miller, Brush (both doubles; 2 RBIs), Wetzel and Cassidy Brush. Smith had a single and two runs batted in.

Cait Brush went the distance, five innings, giving up only one un-earned run.

The Monday Lady Wildcats’ win came after a 14-0 win over Meadville last week and the 6-1District 6/9 title win over DuBois the previous week. Central Mountain is now 15-7; Gallatin finished at 20-5.