Central Mountain with 14-4 baseball win over Shamokin

MILL HALL, PA – It was not Central Mountain’s sharpest game of the season, but the Wildcats did more than enough to hold off winless Shamokin on Monday, pulling away for a 14-4, 5-inning win. The Wildcats are now 6-3 on the year, with a five game winning streak. The Indians are now 0-9.

It’s a busy week for Central Mountain and Coach Mike Kramer felt that the usual energy was lacking against a team that has struggled this year. But he was able to play a number of younger reserves and noted that their contributions, including a 2-for-2 game from backup catcher Nate Helms, including three RBIs; two hits and an RBI from relief pitcher Gabe Johnson ; and Levi Schlesinger with a single.

The Wildcats put up three runs in the first and two more in the second to take a 5-0 lead, backed by two innings of one-hit ball from starter Cayde McCloskey. But in the fourth inning the Indians jumped on two ‘Cat relievers and put together one hit, three walks, an infield error and two hit batters to plate four runs (this from a team which had scored only five runs in its first eight games).  That effort put the score at 5-4, Central Mountain. But the Wildcats responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth and another six in the bottom of the fifth to end the game on the 10-run rule.

Central Mountain had hits up and down the line-up. Peyton Johnson continued his torrid season with a 3-for-3 day with a homerun and two singles, two RBIs and two runs scored.  Aidan Major had two singles, Helms with two, freshman Connor Foltz with an RBI double (after losing a 2-run triple for batting out of order earlier in the same fifth inning), Tanner Swinehart with a triple,  Chase Brush with a double, Cy Probst with a 2-RBI triple and Kayden Falls with a 2-RBI double.

Now 6-2 in the Heartland Conference, their busy week continues with a Wednesday trip to Mifflinburg (2-7-1; 2-5-1), back home with a Friday showdown with first place Selinsgrove (9-3;7-2), then a Saturday visit to Montoursville (5-3; 4-3).

S       0  0  0  4  0 = 4-3-2

CM 3  2  0  3  6 = 14-15-1