Lady Wildcats Host ‘Toona Wednesday

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP — If ever a team looks ready for the postseason, the Central Mountain High School softball squad certainly does.

The Lady Wildcats finished the regular season with a 15-3 mark and, according to the most recent MaxPreps compilation, a number three ranking among all state softball teams.

The showing earned Central Mountain a number one seed as the District 6 Quad-A playoffs are to begin on Wednesday of this week, a home 4 p.m. game with number four seed Altoona (3-15).

The second Wednesday district semi-final will see number two seed Mifflin County (14-3) host number three seed State College (11-9). Semi winners will meet next Wednesday, May 28, at the Penn State softball complex for the district crown.

Coach Dave Peters’ team finished with a 4-game winning streak in a regular season which saw a 4-0 mark over the rest of the district Quad-A field: 8-0 and 20-5 over Altoona; 10-1 over Mifflin County; and 13-7 over State College.

The Lady Wildcats lost a host of 4-year starters from the 2013 squad but newcomers joined returning regulars to post an outstanding regular season.

The team has featured solid hitting and defense and a dominant senior season from starting pitcher Rachael Shady. The right-handed Shady finished 12-2 with an earned run average of 1.67, striking out 73 in 88 innings of work.

The Lady Wildcats hit .376 as a team, led by juniors Bree Hilty at .462 and Jess Strouse at .444. Other average leaders were Moriah Lindsey at .441, Avery Shaffer at .425, Mariah Major at .400 and Lauren Russell with a .391 average.

Russell drove in a team-leading 23 runs, including seven extra base hits. Strouse had 10 doubles and two triples, despite missing a recent game with a bad back; she is expected back for districts.

Shady was second in RBIs with 18 and Strouse third with 15. Shady, Jordan Kaler and Shafer all had two homeruns each.