Wildcat softball blanks ‘Shore for win #9 in five innings, 12-0

By Tom Elling

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – Jersey Shore came to the Central Mountain Athletic Complex with a sparkling 6-0 record. Central Mountain was 9-1. Something had to give.

The game had been anticipated to be low-scoring. And it was –  for a while. The Lady Wildcats scored in the bottom of the third and added two more in the fourth to go out in front 3-0. Shore’s ace frosh Isabelle Engel had struck out four, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the 2nd with one of those punchouts.

But in the 3rd, it was back-to-back walks that put Harley Kunes on second and Sophie Mitchell on first. Madison Hardy cracked a hard drive to the right of slick-fielding Jocelyn McCracken at first knocking in Kunes. That was followed by a runner-interference call giving Madisyn Wian a base hit but the runner at first was ruled out number two. Engle got out of that jam with another strikeout. CM led 1-0 after three.

Shore got their first of two hits in the 4th when Grace Lorson smashed a one-out single into left field. She stole second on the next pitch, but was stranded there on a fly out and Addie McKeague’s 9th strike out. That would be Shore’s only threat of the game.

McKeague was masterful allowing just two singles (one of them an infield hit), while striking out eleven- walking none. She upper her W-L to 5-1.

The defense really didn’t have lot to handle as McKeague was in command on the mound. She allowed just two balls hit into the outfield – one a base wrap to right by mound opponent Engle. The other a flyout to center.

The Lady ‘Cats had seven hits and a 3-0 lead going into the fifth inning. After Engle walked Hardy, ‘Shore coach Chris Lorson pulled his starter. From then it was a mixture of bases-on-balls and a relentless hitting attack that sent nine players to the plate. Each one got aboard with the punctuation point added by a game-ending grand slam by Sophie Mitchell, setting the final at 12-0.

The hitting stars were plenty. Caitlyn Watson had a double and single with an RBI; Allison Lininger was 2 for three with an RBI; Madisyn Wian and Kaitlyn Bowman added two hits, and McKeague helped her own cause with a two RBI single in the 5th.

Coach Fred Caldwell was more than pleased with the outcome. “We’ve really come along as a team and have been hitting the ball like I knew we were capable. We put it all together the last few games. We have some really tough games coming up- four of them next week.”

Central Mountain is at home on Tuesday, facing Shikellamy- a team they beat in 8 innings the first go-round. Then they have Mifflin County, Shamokin and a trip to Jersey Shore in a rough stretch.

The prospects look bright even with that grueling several days. But as, coach Caldwell put it, “The girls are playing their best all-round ball at this time.”