Central Mountain softball shucks Shik, 11-2, for win#11

By Tom Elling,

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – On a chilly damp Tuesday afternoon, Central Mountain turned up the heat on the #2-ranked team in the Heartland Conference, running away from the Lady Braves of Shikellamy, 11-2. Shikellamy had three losses coming into the game (including an extra-inning ‘L’ to Central Mountain back on April 2). But as Shik coach Wiest stated prior to the game – “All three losses were by a run.”

Shikellamy came into the game with a remarkable .421 team batting average, having scored 100 runs for the season – 32 of those in their last three games. Central Mountain pitching and defense had been as stingy as Ebenezer Scrooge in allowing just 12 runs (averaging just over a run per game).

The old adage good pitching stops good hitting was never more evident than in this contest. Allison Lininger upped her record to 5-0, allowing just two unearned runs on four hits. She struck out 5 and walked none. The latter was not lost on Coach Fred Caldwell.

“She (Lininger) was in command of her pitches and had some nice defensive plays behind her, especially by left-fielder Sophie Mitchell who made two outstanding catches. That said, we did have an uncharacteristic four errors tonight. We won’t be able to do that in some of our games down the road.”

Those two catches the coach mentioned included a diving backhanded grab near the left-field fence in foul territory and, perhaps a home-run robbing against the fence in the 3rd inning. Oh, and Mitchell staked a good claim for player-of-the-game going 2 for 4 at the plate with a 3-run dinger in the bottom of the first.

After Lininger set the Braves down in the first, Caitlyn Watson worked a base on balls. Allison Lininger (who had three hits in addition to her fine pitching) laid down a perfect bunt for a single. After a strike out, Mitchell took a 3-1 pitch about 20 feet to the left of the centerfield flagpole over the fence to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

The Lady ‘Cats followed with another run in the bottom of the 2nd. Harley Kunes opened the frame with a husting infield base hit. She moved to first on a nifty fake bunt- hit away single by Kaitlyn Bowman. They moved up a base on a passed ball then Kunes scored on a sac fly by Watson.

Shik score a single run in each of the 3rd and 4th innings on miscues by the usually sound infield.

The Lady Wildcats took over in the last three innings scoring one in the bottom of the 4th; two in the 5th and four in the 6th.

Top hitters were: Lininger, Kunes and Bowman with three hits and Mitchell with two hits , including her three-run HR. Madisyn had the other hit.

Central Mountain is now 11-1 on the season and in first place in the Heartland Conference I and sits atop the District 6 Class 5A rankings. The next game is Thursday at Shamokin, followed by a Friday evening game at Jersey Shore.