Wildcat Baseball Falls in D-6 Finals
ALTOONA – At some point one would think the Central Mountain baseball team’s run of misfortune in the District 6 championship game would come to an end.
Not this year.
A dispiriting trend of one-run losses in the Quad-A title game continued on Tuesday for the Wildcats, a heartbreaking, final inning 6-5 loss to defending district champion State College.
It marked the fourth straight year Central Mountain finished as district runners-up.
The Wildcats scored first in the top of the second on a Caleb Seyler booming triple followed by a safety squeeze bunt executed perfectly by Ryan Yost.
But State would answer with one unearned run in the bottom of the second and two more in the third because of errors on the left side of the Wildcat infield.
State College would add a fourth run in the bottom of the fourth and took a 4-1 lead into the top of the sixth and called on previously un-scored upon closer Ken Craig to finish out the game.
But Central Mountain bounced back, plating four runs built around an RBI triple from Zach Skrtich, an RBI single from Clayton Butler and an RBI single from Ethan McGill. But when Dylan Kerstetter grounded into a bases-loaded, one-out double-play the inning ended, the Wildcats with a 5-4 lead.
Seyler pitched a one-two-three bottom of the sixth and Central Mountain needed three more outs to claim the second district title in school history. But it didn’t happen.
The Little Lions used a bad-hop single, followed by a misplayed bunt to put runners on second and third with no one out. Senior Cayden Stover relieved the junior Seyler at that point and Seyler moved to first base; Seyler then made a perfect throw home to Yost on a State bunt try for the inning’s first out.
State had a runner steal second, putting the tying and winning runs in scoring position with one out. Calvin Sichler ended the game when he drilled a ground ball past the third base bag, two runs crossing the plate and crushing Wildcat hopes for the title.
Three State College pitchers held Central Mountain to seven hits. Yost ended with two bunt singles, he and Butler the only Wildcats with two hits.
Seyler was the hard-luck loser, responsible for all six State runs, only two of which were earned. Keith Lebarron picked up the win with a perfect top-of-the-seventh for State College.
The Little Lions will advance to the PIAA playoffs, meeting the third place team from District 3 on Monday. Central Mountain ended the season at 10-8, the wins including a complete game effort by Seyler in a 4-2 victory over Mifflin County in the district semifinals last Thursday.
| May 27, 2014 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| CENTRAL MOUNTAIN | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| STATE COLLEGE | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
