Central Mountain bounces back, slips by Mifflinburg at Senior Night
By Tom Elling
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – It wasn’t easy, but the Lady Wildcats showed why they are the #1 Class 5A team in the state as they had to dig deep and come from behind to down Mifflinburg, 4-2 on Thursday.
Mifflinburg (5-11) scored first as their star shortstop Brook Karchner led off the game with a single. She moved to second on an infield out and scored on a Jaden Keister single into centerfield.
Central Mountain tied the score in the bottom of the second. With two out, Allison Lininger singled to right, stole second and scored on a Mifflinburg miff.
Mifflinburg regained the lead in the top of the third. Karchner again was the catalyst with a single and a subsequent stolen base. This time it was catcher Evelyn who plated her with a shot to center.
The Lady Cats took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Caitlyn Watson hit a shot through the infield and hustled it into a double to lead off the inning. Riley Houser followed with a single to put runners at the corners. First baseman Madison Hardy showed a nice piece of hitting going to the right side. Her ground-out to second scored Watson. Lininger followed with her second base rap of the afternoon, driving in Houser.
The home team added an insurance run in the fifth when Harley Kunes drew a walk and moved all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Madisyn Wian. That crafty base-running paid off when Alyssa Fisher flied out to center. Kunes tagged and scored well ahead of the throw home.
Lininger allowed the two runs on five hits, allowing none in the finals three for Mifflinburg. She struck out six and walked none to win her fourth of the season.
Senior Houser played a nearly flawless shortstop with six assists, including the last three in the Mifflinburg seventh.
In the hitting department, Watson as 2-3 with a double and a run scored; Lininger shower her all-round ability with two key singles (scoring a run and driving in another). Madisyn added a double and Houser a single for the only other CM hits.
The Lady Wildcats, now 10-2, will next entertain Bellefonte (10-1) on Monday, May 10; a possible preview of the District 6 Class 5A final later this month.
