Myers 2-hitter leads Wildcats to 4-1 win over BEA

MILL HALL, PA – A shutdown pitching performance from junior Brady Myers, perfect fielding and clutch hitting led undefeated Central Mountain to a 4-1 Wednesday win over visiting Bald Eagle Area, the top-ranked team in PIAA District 6 Class AA.

Myers struggled in the first inning. He walked leadoff hitter Kahale Burns and Gavin Eckley sacrificed Burns to second; Burns would score on a Taten Yoder single and BEA had the early lead. Myers then walked a batter and hit a batter to load the bases but got an inning-ending strikeout to leave three Eagles on the bases.

BEA would only have one baserunner the rest of the game, a sixth inning single from Camron Watkins. Otherwise Myers was untouchable, a complete game 2-hitter with 12 strikeouts and the two walks and the hit batter in the first.

Meanwhile Central Mountain pecked away at Eagle ace, senior right-hander Tyler Serb. They got one run back in the bottom of the first: Nate Helms drew a leadoff walk but Kevin Grenninger’s sacrifice attempt was unsuccessful, Grenninger on first with one out. He advanced to third on two wild pitches and scored on an RBI groundout from Cru Stover, the game tied at 1-1.

The Wildcats took the lead for good in the second inning and it came with two outs. Gardy Fravel singled, followed by a Helms single. Grenninger worked a walk to load the bases and Gabe Johnson drove in two runs with a pop-fly single into short centerfield.

CM added an insurance run in the fifth. Grenninger singled, stole second and scored on a two-out line drive double down the left field line from Connor Foltz to put the home team up 4-1.

Myers struck out the side in the top of the seventh and the Wildcats moved to 12-0 on the season, the Eagles falling to 10-3.

Wildcat coach Mike Kramer said Myers “had command of his pitches” after the first inning and “kept a really good team down.” He said it was “amazing” that Myers only allowed one baserunner after the first. He again lauded his team for its clutch two-out hits and praised Connor Foltz for his clutch double. Foltz was off to a slow start this season but coach Kramer he just needs to relax, terming his junior centerfielder “a great baseball player.”

Serb held Central Mountain to five hits, Foltz’s double and singles from Helms, Johnson, Grenninger and Gardy Fravel. He went the distance for BEA, six innings, five hits, four runs, two strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter.

Central Mountain, now 12-0, will return to Heartland Conference play with a trip to Shamokin (1-11) on Friday. BEA fell to 10-3 with the loss. The Eagles will be at undefeated Mt. Union on Friday.

BEA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1-2-0

CM   1 2 0 0 1 0 x = 4-5-0