Wildcats win night-cap, Seals take PHAC
SELINSGROVE, PA – The Central Mountain baseball team pulled out a last-inning 8-2 win in game two Wednesday at Selinsgrove, but it was not enough to deny the Seals the 2022 PHAC title. Selinsgrove came out on top in game one by a 3-1 score in the 13th inning, completing a contest that had gone 12 innings, tied at 1-1, in Mill Hall back on April 14.
The split allowed Selinsgrove (17-2) to finish conference play at 15-1, Central Mountain (15-5) right behind with a 14-2 league mark.
Game two was a pitchers’ duel through the first six innings, the Seals leading 2-1 at that point. But the Wildcats scored seven times in the top of the seventh to earn the 8-2 win.
CM put up 10 hits, led by Nate Helms with three singles. Cru Stover slugged a homerun and a single; Elek Fravel with a homerun and Connor Foltz with a double. Singles came from Kevin Grenninger, Gabe Johnson and Aaron Miller.
Three Wildcat pitchers held the Seals to six hits: Junior Chase Brush went the first three, giving up four hits, two runs (one earned), striking out three and walking one. Sophomore Brady Myers went three shutout innings, surrendering one single, walking one and striking out three to pick up the win. Senior Ashton Probst finished up with a 1-hit, 1-strikeout shutout inning in the bottom of the seventh.
It didn’t take Selinsgrove long to claim the Heartland Conference baseball crown in the Wednesday opener. The Seals, as the visitors batting first. put up two runs to take a 3-1 lead and Seal reliever Josh Domaracki shut out the Wildcats in the bottom of the inning to take the game and the league title.
Meanwhile the Wildcats (14-2; 15-5) know they have earned the number one seed as they prepare to defend their District 6 Class 5A title next week.
Monday of this week was the cutoff date to determine the Districts’ 6-8-9 playoff standings and they showed the Wildcats at number one, followed by Brashear of Pittsburgh (6-4), DuBois (8-8) from District 9 and Hollidaysburg (4-12) from District 6.
The district-posted playoff schedule, subject to change, shows a semi-final contest for Central Mountain in Mill Hall against Hollidaysburg on Monday, May 23, game time 4 p.m. and the championship tentatively scheduled for PGN Field in Altoona on Friday, May 27.
