Lady Wildcats Roar to States
By Tom Elling
DUBOIS – Just a week ago, Central Mountain eked out a 2-1, 9-inning game to win the District 6 5A championship. And that took a heroic walk-off dinger by Cora Myers and some gritty pitching by Adalynn McKeague. In a late April match-up, the Lady ‘Cats had downed the Lady Beavers by a 5-1 score. So with those results, one might have expected a low-scoring win for Central Mountain. Any who had made that assumption would have been drastically wrong.
The visiting Clinton Countians shook off the ‘rust’ from their bats and took advantage of a walk to Cirstyn Watson, an infield single by Madisyn Wian and (after an out) a deep left field three-run home run (#10) by Cora Myers to take the lead. The bats were not done. Madison Hardy roped a single to the wall in right which was followed by a Katelyn Bowman HR over the leftfield fence. That was followed by two more free passes and after a fly to center, a single through the shortstop hole from Watson loaded the bases. Wian put a charge in her AB with a shot collected by the DuBois SS. Central Mountain was out to a 5-0 lead. Would this be a blow-out game?
Not so fast, as Lee Corso might have said. DuBois’s LF Haley Reed banged a lead-off single to right. After Addie McKeague recorded her first strikeout, outstanding centerfielder Morgan Pasternak blasted a first-pitch offering from McKeague over the fence in center. The ‘Cat pitcher got the next two batters on an infield pop and a flyout to center. The scoreboard read 5-2.
The visitors went 1-2-3 in the 2nd, while DuBois added another run in the home half of the second. Bree Weible worked a 3-2 pitch walk and scored all the way from first on a ‘tweener to right center. McKeague ended up striking out the side, but the board read 5-3 – CM still up.
CM mounted a two-out threat in the third. Sophie Mitchell was walked. Taylor Doyle moved her to third with a single to right. Doyle quickly stole second base. The Lady Beavers’ Ava Baronik got a clutch strikeout to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, DuBois added another run. A walk to Elliote Brewer came back to haunt McKeague. The righty was able to get two easy outs but then Baronik crushed an 0-1 pitch to left for a run-producing double. DuBois was gaining – score 5-4 CM up.
In the fourth inning, Baronik got a flyout and two grounders to third to once again get a 1-2-3 inning. DuBois, with a walk and two singles, loaded the bases with no outs. McKeague settled down recording two more ‘K’s’ – her 7th and 8th. Seemingly out of the inning, she grooved the first pitch to Pasternak. She cleared the bases with a hard drive down the RF line and ended up on third. That was followed by an Audrey Hale moon shot to right center. McKeague got another strikeout, but the ‘Cats were now down by four – 9-5.
The Beaver big inning seemed to awaken the sleeping ‘Cats in the 5th. Madison Hardy singled followed by another Bowman HR – this one over deep center (9-7 DuBois). The ‘Cats were not done. Sophie Mitchell doubled; Doyle beat out a perfect bunt. The hot bat of Watson produced an RBI double, and she scored on a single by Hardy. Hardy gathered her second hit of the inning, knocking in the 6th run of the inning. A fly to center ended that threat, but CM had regained the lead, 11-9. That was when CM head coach Fred Caldwell called in freshman Camdyn Weaver to the mound.
Seemingly proclaiming ‘Hold my root beer,’ DuBois tied the game in the bottom of the 5th. Their first two batters got aboard on a walk and a single. A flyout and a stunning defensive snag by Hardy kept those runners at bay. What looked like an inning-ending groundout was muffed and the game was tied. Still anyone’s game.
Neither team scored in the 6th although Central Mountain loaded the bases with one out. With the infield playing up, the Beaver shortstop nailed Taylor Wahlers on a force out. A fly to center stopped the huge threat. DuBois also threatened with two out. A single error and infield single loaded the bases. With a 3-1 count on the batter, the ball kicked away from the CM defense. The runner at 3rd tried to score but was cut down at the plate. Could this be heading to another nail-biter extra-inning game?
The top of the 7th brought Myers to the plate. She worked a walk and moved up a base on a single by Hardy (her 4th hit). Katelyn Bowman once again delivered with a ringing double to left. Aubrey Eiker entered the game as a courtesy runner for Bowman. She was caught in a rundown which allowed pinch runner Rylan Andrews to add the second run. Baronik ended the inning with two strikeouts. CM had a 13-11 lead.
Relief pitcher Weaver worked a popup and then a hard grounder off her glove bounced to an alert Harley Kunes who grabbed it and threw a strike to Hardy at first. One out to go. Weaver walked the leadoff batter, sending the tying run to the plate. That was when cagey Caldwell called on McKeague to re-enter on the mound. Evidently re-charged, the four-year starter retired the next batter on three strikes. In an amazing irony, reliever Weaver got the win and starting pitcher McKeague got the save.
The ‘Cats won yet another tense game to move to the PIAA State Playoffs.
Caldwell reiterated that this team never feels they are out of a game. “We just hang in there and keep swinging and playing great defense.” As for THAT defense, he singled out Hardy, Kunes and a spectacular play on a hard smash by shortstop Cirstyn Watson. “I felt Adalynn wasn’t the same after the thunder delay,” Caldwell told the media. “She needed a bit of a break, and I thought the change to a left-hander (Weaver) would slow DuBois down. I had intended to bring her back in if it got tense.” It did and he did. McKeague seemed revived and threw harder. She got the final out via strikes. “We’ve won three straight District 6 5A titles and three straight Sub-Regional titles. This will be our third trip to the state bracket. We just need to win four more (referring to wins needed to win the state title).”
With the never-say-die Lady Wildcats, they just may do that.
