Wildcats Drop 4-3 Toughie to ‘Toona

AdminMay 9, 2018Last Updated: May 9, 2018

2 minutes read

MILL HALL – A slow start and a couple late inning miscues prevented the Central Mountain baseball team from pulling off a come-from-behind win over visiting Altoona on Wednesday, the Wildcats falling short in an 8-inning, 4-3 loss to the Mountain Lions.

Central Mountain, now 11-6, fell behind early and trailed 3-0 after five before getting untracked offensively. Head coach Mike Kramer liked that his team “battled to tie it up” and was pleased “with its heart at the end” but made a point to say the Wildcats came out sluggishly and “can’t wait til the sixth inning” to get going.

Altoona, now 7-9, used two bunts and an RBI double from Owen Kravetz to gain a 2-0 lead in the third and added a third run in the fifth on a single, a bunt and a groundout.

Meanwhile CM was held to two hits, a second inning double from Trevor Hanna and a fourth inning single from Asher Corl, their only base runners through the first five innings off the Mountain Lions’ Jake Stolarski.

The Wildcats went to “small ball” in the bottom of the sixth and produced two runs: Rocco Stark opened the inning with a bunt single and Zach Eck dropped a bunt single for two on and no one out. The rally stalled a bit when Eck got caught off first base. Asher Corl would follow with a single to drive in the first run and Evan Prough drove in the second with a single.

Central Mountain tied the score in the bottom of the seventh inning, started by a leadoff single from Hanna. Tanner Lavelle followed with a bunt single for two on to start the inning. Austyn Carson sacrificed the runners up to second and third and Stark was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Eck brought in the tying run with a sacrifice fly but ‘Toona reliever Cole Gibson ended the inning on a fly-out, the game tied 3-3 in regulation.

Altoona would get what would prove to be the winning run in the top of the eighth. The Wildcats’ Caleb Shade who pitched into the eighth, walked the leadoff batter (his lone free pass) who was sacrificed to second and later scored on an infield fielder’s choice.

Gibson would retire the Wildcats one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win. Shade was the tough luck loser, going 7 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and four runs. Fellow sophomore Zane Probst came in to get the final two outs in relief. Coach Kramer said Shade pitched well enough that he “deserved” to win.

Hanna and Corl each finished with two hits, Eck, Prough, Tanner Lavelle and Stark with a single each.

The Wildcats will host State College (7-10) next Monday, May 14, Senior Day at Mill Hall Community Park.