Lady Wildcats Comeback Falls Short
CM Ousted 6-5 in PIAA Round of Eight
GRANTHAM – There almost was another miraculous comeback win for the Central Mountain softball team.
But whereas the Lady Wildcats came film five down to Win their first round PIAA playoff game, this time the LadyCats fell two runs short of pulling off another two-out seventh inning win.
Thursdays result was a 6-5 qualtertinad round Win for Souderton, the Big Red moving on to the state semifinals, Central Mountain taking the two hour bus ride home from Messiah College with a heart-breaking loss to end an otherwise exceptional 18-4 season.
The game was similar to Central Mountains 7-6 win over Manheim Township: falling behind early, then rallying late. While the Lady Wildcats clawed back from a 6-1 deficit to Manheim to win, this time another 6-1 deficit was too much to overcome.
But this Lady Wildcat team certainly tried. Down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, CM pulled Within one with a 4-mn inning. Avery Shaffer hit a bullet to the Souderton shortstop who thought she fielded it cleanly for an out at ground level; but the umpire ruled a trap and Shaffer went to second on an errant throw. Emily Strouse was hit by a pitch and Moriah Lindsey drove in Shaffer with a single to right center.
Central Mountain then loaded the bases on a fielders choice off the bat of Jess Strouse. Following a fly-out from Lauren Russell, Mariah Major got another run home with a sacrifice fly. Bree Hilly followed with a 2-RBI single to make the score 6-5 Souderton with two innings to go.
Sophomore Emily Strouse, on in relief of starter Rachael Shady, held Souderton in check over her two and two-thirds innings of work, allowing just one bunt single while striking out four to keep CM in the game.
But Central Mountain went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth and looked to the seventh to try and even the score or win the game.
After one out Jess Strouse drilled a single and Russell followed with a single to right, they ultimately ended up on second and third with one out, but Souderton got two ground-ball outs to come away a winner.
Central Mountain outhit the District 1 team by an 8-6 margin but six Shady walks and a couple costly CM errors proved too much to overcome.
The first Wildcat run came in the fourth inning on a single from Shady but a teammate was thrown out at home for the final out to end the inning on her hit.
Russell led Central Mountain with two singles and six additional Wildcats had one single apiece.
| June 5, 2014 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| SOUDERTON | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| CENTRAL MOUNTAIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
