Wildcats Drop Senior Game to State College, 4-1















MILL HALL – Veteran Central Mountain baseball coach Mike Kramer did right by the ten seniors on his Wildcat team during Senior Day on Monday. All 10 played the entire game in what proved to be a competitive 4-1 loss to visiting State College.
But the Wildcats were done in by a recent problem, lack of hitting. Three Little Lion hurlers held CM to three harmless singles as the Wildcats fell to 11-7 overall, including losses in three of their last four games. Hits and runs have been hard to come by of late, a 2-0 loss to Bellefonte, a 6-2 win at Mifflin County, then a 4-3 extra-inning loss to Altoona and 4-1 to State College.
Coach Kramer expressed concern about the recent lack of offense. He noted the declining run production and said the problem at this point is “mental,” the Wildcats need to adjust and “attack, not let the pitchers attack them.”
He expressed confidence in the job done by his ten seniors; he said it was an opportunity for a few backups to make a contribution and they did. Central Mountain played solid defense behind senior pitchers Tanner “Spanky” Spangler and Mahlik Houtz. Spangler took the loss, touched up for all four runs, three earned, in four innings of work. Houtz pitched three innings of 2-hit shutout ball in relief.
The problem was the offense. There were singles in inning number four from Houtz and Troy Gardner and a single in the seventh from Austyn Carson but nothing came of them. The lone Wildcat run came in the sixth when Asher Corl walked, moved up on a ground-out and a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch.
Senior squad members were recognized before the game. In addition to Spangler, Houtz, Garden, Carson and Corl, they are Brady Eck, Trevor Hanna, Adam Lindsey, Evan Prough and Austin Rager.
State College moved to 9-10 with the win. Up next for Central Mountain is a Wednesday trip to Williamsport (10-8) and a final regular season home game with Heartland Conference foe Shamokin (6-11; 1-7) on Thursday. The Wildcats, 7-2 in conference play, need to knock off the Indians and hope Selinsgrove (9-8; 6-3) can upset Jersey Shore (12-5; 8-1) Thursday to gain a tie with the Bulldogs for the Heartland crown.
Central Mountain will be playing in the District 6 Class 5A championship game Thursday, May 24 at Blair County Ball Park against Hollidaysburg. The Golden Tigers took a 9-2 win from the Wildcats in a game earlier this season. Hollidaysburg is the defending district champion.
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