Wildcat Streak Ends at 6; Stunned by Penns Valley

MILL HALL—The Central Mountain baseball team had its six game winning streak come to a screeching halt Friday at Mill Hall Community Park.

Previously unheralded Penns Valley, 2-6-1 coming in to the game, put together a 3-run final inning outburst against reliever Cayden Stover to take a 4-1 lead. The Wildcats put up two runs in the bottom of the inning but fell a run short, losing 4-3.

Junior Caleb Seyler was strong for Central Mountain through six innings, giving up three hits overall and one first inning run. The game was 1-1 when he departed but Stover, coming off a pinkie finger injury on his pitching hand and in his first appearance in more than a month, came in and picked up a strike out, gave up a walk and then got a second strike out. But the Rams followed with a single, a 2-run double and another RBI single, netting three runs on three hits. The inning ended on Stover’s third strikeout.

Central Mountain mounted a comeback in the bottom of the inning. With one out Kenny Heverly, who did not start, delivered a double; sophomore catcher Isaac Porter, in his first start, drove in Heverly with a double, one of two Porter hits, moving to third on the throw in. Dylan Kerstetter grounded to short to drive in Porter, cutting the deficit to one run. Toner Corl, who entered the game late, singled to keep the game alive but Stover popped out to the catcher to end the contest.

The Wildcats, now 8-3, will try to bounce back Monday at home against defending District 6 Quad-A champion State College (9-3). The Little Lions will be coming off a 7-1 Friday win over Central Dauphin East.