Wildcats at 13-0 after 9-2 win over Shik

MILL HALL, PA – Wednesday marked one week since the Central Mountain baseball team had a game but the Wildcats showed no ill effects in rolling to a 9-2 rain-splattered win over visiting Shikellamy at Mill Hall Community Park.

The victory put Central Mountain at 13-0 on the season, 9-0 in the Heartland Conference and likely will maintain the team’s number four statewide ranking, according to MaxPreps.

The Wildcats peppered Shikellamy starter Brady Wilson for 13 hits, drilling the ball to all fields. Coach Mike Kramer said he liked that his hitters were able to take some Wilson breaking pitches to the opposite field for solid base hits. Elek Fravel led the offense with three singles, Nate Helms with a game-opening triple and a two RBI double. Connor Foltz finished with a triple, a single and two RBIs and Braylen Corter finished with two singles and an RBI.

Gabe Johnson had a single, a sacrifice fly and two runs batted in, Levi Schlesinger in with a double, Cru Stover with a single and an RBI and Kevin Grenninger with a perfect bunt single.

Meanwhile starter Brady Myers and relievers Chase Brush and Dallas Alexander held the Braves to four singles. Three of those hits came in the third inning when Shik scored its two runs off Myers, driven in by pitcher Wilson with a single.

Myers settled in after the second and only gave up a fourth inning single, pitching into the sixth inning. When he walked the first two batters in the sixth, coach Kramer summoned Chase Brush to the mound. He got a double play on a soft line drive to Corter at second who threw to first to double-up the runner, then ended the inning with a strikeout. Alexander gave up a walk in pitching a hitless, scoreless seventh inning.

Myers finished with five-plus innings of work, striking out nine and walking three. The three pitchers combined struck out 10 Braves.

The Wildcat win maintains a two-game lead in the Heartland Conference. Next up is a Saturday 11 a.m. test at Williamsport, 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Heartland. CM edged the Millionaires by a 3-1 score in their first meeting on April 19. Shikellamy falls to 3-5 in the Heartland, 5-7 overall.

S      0 0 2 0 0 0 0 = 2-4-1

CM 1 2 0 2 0 3 x =  9-13-1