Central Mountain Softball Edges Midd-West, 1-0

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – The softball teams from Central Mountain and Midd-West High Schools sped through their Tuesday game in record time, a contest which took one hour and 17 minutes from start to finish.

When Lady Wildcat junior pitcher Maddie Knepp forced a fly-out to centerfielder Morgan Wetzel to end the game, Central Mountain had earned a 1-0 victory in a game highlighted by great defense (no errors in the contest) and great control from the pitchers (one total walk allowed).

The victory put Central Mountain at 9-4 on the year after a 2-3 start. The loss dropped the hard-luck Mustangs to 0-11. Midd-West starter Bella Paraa used off speed pitches to keep the usually hard-hitting Lady Wildcats to just three singles. But CM bunched two of those hits in the bottom of the third to produce the game’s only run. Alyssa Fisher had a lead-off single and Alexis Strouse sacrificed her to second. Cait Brush followed with a single to put Fisher on third. Fisher was able to score on a ground-out to short from Josie Dershem and Central Mountain had the game’s first and only run.

Knepp scattered five singles in her rout-going performance, striking out six and walking one. Paraa was equally impressive, touched for just three singles, Fisher and Brush in the third and Morgan Wetzel with a single in the first.

The Lady Wildcats will be back in action Wednesday, hosting Altoona (0-11), then a Heartland Conference showdown at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Lady ‘Dogs are 10-0 overall, 5-0 in Heartland Conference play.