Tigers End Wildcats Season In District Final
By Joe Walker
WINGATE – The Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers used a pair of late four run innings to break open a tight 1-1 game and handed the Central Mountain Wildcats a 9-1 defeat in the District 6 Class 5A baseball championship on Monday afternoon. The loss ended the Wildcats season with a 13-7 record.
The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 in the top of the first on singles Jake Hileman and Carson Kensinger, then with one out the Tigers’ Drew Banks hit an infield grounder and the Wildcats tried to turn a double play, but Banks beat the throw to first and on the play Hileman came home from third to score the game first run.
The Wildcats came back and tied it at 1-all in the bottom of the second, as Watt Probst led off with a double and then scored when Connor Foltz hit a two out fly ball to centerfield, that was dropped and allowed Probst to score and Foltz slid into second base., but was then left stranded there.
The game was still tied at 1-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, as the Wildcats loaded the bases with one out, but could not score, as Tiger lefty Kensinger struckout the next two Wildcats to end the threat. Malaky Moyd drew a one out walk, Probst singled and Elek Fravel was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases before Kensinger settled down for the two strikeouts.
The Tigers broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Brady Steiner led off with a single and Bradey Michaels reached base on a Wildcat error. Ty Szynal then hit a single to left that got by the left fielder, allowing Steiner and Michaels to score. Hileman followed with a single, scoring Szynal and then Hileman scored on a single by Kensinger to make it 5-1.
The Tigers then put the Wildcats in a real jam, as they tallied four more runs in the top half of the seventh inning, as the big blow was a three run home run by Kensinger off reliever Kevin Grenninger, who came in to relieve starter Brady Myers with two runners on and no outs. The blow by Kensinger made it a 9-1 game.
Kensinger then set the Wildcats down 1-2-3 in the seventh to give the Tigers the District title, as the Tiger senior went the distance on the mound, as he allowed just three hits, walked one, hit one batter and struck out 10 Wildcats. Kensinger is now 7-0 on the season, with 98 strikeouts on 52 innings pitched and only 17 walks.
The Wildcats’ Brady Myers started for the Wildcats and went six innings and charged with seven runs on seven hits, walking just one batter and struck out four batters. Grenninger, who came in to relieve with two on and no outs in the seventh, allowed two runs on two hits, one walk and struck out two batters.
Kensinger led the Tiger hitting attack, as he went 3 for 4 with the three run home run and four RBI’s. Hileman and Szynal had two hits each, while Brady Steiner and Keagen Hockey added one single each.
Sophomore catcher Watt Probst had two of the Wildcats three hits, one being a double, while Gardy Fravel had the only other Wildcats hit with a single.
The Wildcats finish the season with a very nice 13-7 record, as they graduate nine seniors from the squad. Wearing the Wildcat uniform one last time were seniors Gardy Fravel, Connor Foltz, Elek Fravel, Gavin Bower, Thomas Sprague, Kevin Grenninger, Brady Myers, Ashton Bennett and Chase Beard.
Wildcat head coach Mike Kramer saw his 33rd season come to a close, as he now has 365 career wins and 16 straight winning seasons. Kramer has a good core of underclassmen coming back next season, as eight players with extensive playing time return. So the outlook for another successful season in 2025 looks promising.
