Wildcats solid in 5-2 win over Millionaires
MILL HALL, PA – The Williamsport baseball team came to Mill Hall Community Park on Monday on fire, winning eight games in a row after an 0-2 start to the season. Host Central Mountain, meanwhile, was coming off arguably its worst performance of the year, a 16-6, six-inning, four-error loss at Mifflin County last Friday.
But as poorly as the Wildcats did at Lewistown, they did that well for Senior Night in Mill Hall. Coach Mike Kramer’s team played its first error-free game of the season in compiling a 5-2 win over their downriver rival. The victory moved the Wildcats to 10-2 on the year and kept them atop the District 6 Class 5A rankings; Williamsport, leading the Central Penn League, is 8-3 overall..
The Wildcats spotted Williamsport two early runs as CM starter Ashton Probst settled in. He gave up an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI double in the second and the Millionaires led 2-0. They would not score again off Probst and sophomore Kevin Grenninger who made his first appearance on the mound a successful one, recording the game’s final two outs to pick up the save and preserve the win for Probst.
Coach Kramer said Probst “set the tone against a solid-hitting Williamsport team.” The lanky senior gave up four hits and the two runs at the start of the game but, coming off an ankle issue, got stronger as the game progressed. He allowed only three singles for the remainder of the game until replaced by Grenninger in the final inning. Coach Kramer lauded the left-handed Grenninger for his first pitching appearance of the year, wanting to get him some work against a Williamsport team with multiple left-handed batters. Grenninger faced two batters, inducing a fly-out to center and a pop-out to short.
And it was Probst who produced the go-ahead hit as the Wildcats put up three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. The first two Wildcats made outs to start the inning, but then Williamsport starter Kydreece Burks walked Gabe Johnson and hit Cayde McCloskey. Cru Stover delivered a single up the middle, driving in Johnson with the Wildcats’ first run. Probst followed with a 2-RBI single up the middle to make it 3-2 in favor of the home team.
The Wildcats added another run in the fourth on the feet of Grenninger. He hit a single to centerfield, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a flyout from Nate Helms and scooted home on a wild pitch. Their final run came in the fifth inning when Aaron Miller picked up his third single of the day, driving in courtesy runner Cayden Culvey.
Miller was one of the four Wildcat seniors recognized before the game and all contributed, as noted by Coach Kramer. Miller went 3-for-3, Probst was a pitching and hitting star, Cayde McCloskey scored on Probst’s single after he was hit by a pitch; McCloskey was also robbed of extra bases by Williamsport leftfielder Trey Murray who made a spectacular diving catch of a McCloskey line drive. And fellow senior Zach Weaver put down a perfect sacrifice bunt in his lone plate appearance.
Two Williamsport pitchers, Burks and Joey Signor, held CM to seven singles: the three from Miller and one each from Stover, Probst, Grenninger and Johnson; the latter also drew three walks on a 1-for-1 day. Millionaire catcher Adam Aldenderfer had two singles to lead his team’s offense.
The Wildcats are to return home Wednesday to host Lewisburg (5-5; 7-5) and finish the week at Danville (6-5; 7-5). Central Mountain remains undefeated in Heartland Conference Division I play with a 9-0 mark, Selinsgrove at 10-0. The Seals, 12-1 overall, lost their first game of the season last Friday by a 6-4 score to out-of-league foe Altoona.
W 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 = 2-7-3
CM 0 0 3 1 1 0 x = 5-7-0
