MILL HALL–Central Mountain hadn’t really put a game together this season where its looked solid in just about all facets of a game. On Wednesday afternoon, when cross-county rival Jersey Shore came to town, the Wildcats put on a solid early season performance on the mound from its two pitchers while producing nine hits at the plate in a 6-0 conference victory over the Bulldogs.

Central Mountain produced one of its best games so far this season. No team produced a run in the opening two innings, but in the bottom of the third inning the Wildcats scored on a couple of errors by the Bulldogs. Those errors was all the team needed and it opened a door of daylight.

The momentum from Shore’s errors in the bottom of the third inning led to runs by pinch-runner Cayden Culvey, Kevin Grenninger and Gardner Fravel. Although the Wildcats finished the inning with two left on base, one earned walk in the inning was enough to help Central Mountain stay on its attack.

Grenninger, who played outstandingly at the plate, posted a 3-4 outing with two runs while Probst and Foltz went 2-4, respectively. Although he didn’t add any runs, Gabe Johnson’s RBI helped score a run for Central Mountain.

These savvy veterans continue feeding off anything they’re given, and when an experienced team like Central Mountain scores runs that way and jumps ahead in a game, it’s a tough team to play against.

“Those guys are all solid because they work hard,” Central Mountain coach Mike Kramer said. “They executed today, put some good bunts down, had quality at-bats. They got on base and scored when they needed to.”

Central Mountain has made it clear that when they put its guys on base, they’re going to find a way to score. Even when they get caught in tough situations–or situations where they’re close to putting runners in scoring position–the team still finds a way to score in the next inning and keep the pressure on its opponents.

“It’s definitely a momentum boost to score first,” coach Kramer said after the win. “That’s one of our goals. Putting those runs up in the third helped Chase (Brush) on the mound. He found his command and he looked better throughout the game, attacking hitters rather than pitching around them.”

Central Mountain only put together three hits in the opening two innings of the contest. The Wildcats were getting hitters on base–as Central Mountain left one runner on base each after the first two innings–but they weren’t capitalizing with runs on the scoreboard by the end of the inning.

With Grenninger, Probst, Levi Schlesinger and Foltz giving the Wildcats offense a scoring boost, Central Mountain–specifically Brush on the hill–began to loosen up during the top of innings. The multitude of at-bat hits helped Brush focus on an exact game plan of how he could attack Jersey Shore and keep the road team on its heels.

Once Brush got a feel for how he needed to attack his pitching, the defensive game became a piece of cake for Central Mountain. Brush totaled 83 pitches on the afternoon with nine strikeouts and only two walks in four innings of play.

“I just wanted him to go after hitters, force them to put balls in play early and not get too crafty with it,” coach Kramer said. “That’s how he attacked them as the game went on and I was happy with how he ended up doing well at the end.”

Brady Myers, who relieved Brush at the top of the fifth inning, stepped in and picked up right where Brush left off. Myers’s pitching was crucial in preventing any Shore comeback. But when he stepped in, the three-sport athlete produced well. Myers pitched three innings and produced three strikeouts, including a six-up-six-down to close the Wildcats’ sixth consecutive win.

“Brady did an outstanding job,” coach Kramer said. “He’s got that mentality that when he comes in he expects to do well. I’m very excited for what he has and what he can do in the future for us.”

Every player has played a part in Central Mountain’s league-best 6-0 start. But what stands out for the team this season is its pitching. Cru Stover and Ashton Bennett pitched a combined no-hitter in Monday’s 13-point victory over Shamokin. On Wednesday, it was Brush and Myers doing the dirty work.

Central Mountain without question has hitters who can perform at the plate, but an underrated reason why they may perform better than people think is because of the array of pitchers this team can put on the hill and still thrive on both sides of the field.

“We’ve got to continue working at it; each day they’re continuing working on pitching skills,” coach Kramer mentioned. “It’s nice to hold teams to none … they’re (the pitching staff) going to keep putting them out there and they’re going to keep doing what they do.”

Central Mountain 00 3 0 1 2–6

Jersey Shore 0 0 0 0 000–0

Brady Myers, Chase Brush (4). Shore pitchers:

W: Brush L: Connor Griffin

Top Central Mountain hitters: Kevin Grenninger 3-4, 2 runs; Kelvin Probst 2-4; Levi Schlesinger 1-3; Connor Foltz 2-4; Gabe Johnson RBI. Top Jersey Shore hitters: Mason Wynter 1-3; Connor Griffin 1-3; Kooper Peacock 1-3; Ian Carlin 1-3.

Records: Jersey Shore (0-5), Central Mountain (6-0).