Millionaires Hold Off Wildcats, 7-5

AdminApril 8, 2019Last Updated: April 8, 2019

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WILLIAMSPORT – It was a competitive game between two longtime competitive programs and in the end the Williamsport Millionaires remained undefeated on the season, downing Central Mountain by a 7-5 score at Logue Memorial Field Monday evening.

Millionaire starter Jonathan Zayas and reliever Joe Fagnano combined on a 6-hitter to send the Wildcats to their third defeat in five games. Williamsport moved to 4-0 with the win.

The Wildcats were done in by walks and errors at inopportune times, especially in the first and third innings when Williamsport scored three runs in each. Even with that, Central Mountain battled throughout and took a 4-3 lead with four runs in the top of the second. And once the Millionaires tied things at 4-4 after two, the Wildcats took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth, only to have Williamsport score three runs in the bottom of that inning to take the 7-5 lead that would end as the final score.

Central Mountain did threaten in the top of the seventh, Zach Eck hit by a pitch leading off and Tanner Lavelle followed with his third of three singles, putting the tying runs on first and second. Aaron Swartz scacrificed them to second and third but Millionaire reliever Joe Fagnano came back with a strikeout and groundout to end the game.

The Wildcats’ second inning saw walks to Donovan Burnell and Rocco Stark, followed by an RBI single from Cy Probst, another RBI single from Trea Gentzel, a sacrifice RBI bunt from Eck and Lavelle’s first RBI single. The inning might have been even bigger as Eck appeared to beat out his sacrifice bunt, called safe by the base umpire. But the home plate umpire ruled that Eck missed the first base bag and called him out.

Central Mountain’s fifth and final run came in the fourth after Gentzel walked, moved up and scored on Lavelle’s second RBI single. But Zayas put up 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth and Fagnano picked up the safe with his scoreless seventh.

Caleb Shade went the first five innings for the Wildcats, touched up for seven hits and seven runs, five of them earned; he walked four and struck out two. Zane Probst pitched a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts.

Lavelle finished with three of the Wildcats’ six hits, the others from Cy Probst, Gentzel and Swartz.

Coach Mike Kramer had to juggle his lineup as starting shortstop Aiden Major was out with illness. Some sloppy play was observed, something the coach said the team has “got to fix. We need to play more relaxed in high pressure situations.” He liked the Wildcat competiveness, “We got down early but answered right back; we showed character and kept battling and just fell short.”

The Wildcats will look to bounce back when they return to Heartland Conference play at Jersey Shore (0-3) on Wednesday, a make-up game from last Friday.