Central Mountain senior Madison Hardy celebrates after the Wildcats turn a double play in Thursday's game. TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette

As Central Mountain defended Armstrong and its four-run lead in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings of Thursday afternoon’s PIAA Class AAAAA State Quarterfinal game, Wildcat fans that didn’t claim seats paced back and forth. Some held seats early on when Central Mountain’s four-run lead kept it confident. But in those moments, holding on for any kind of composure through nervousness, fans knew what opponent Armstrong was capable of.

On the field, the Wildcats stayed calm and poised behind what had already been a strong five innings of defensive work prior. Central Mountain not only stayed poised and confident after a three-hit sixth inning by an Armstrong River Hawks team bracing for a comeback, the Wildcats finished the game strong with two groundouts to shortstop and one final strikeout for ace pitcher Adalynn McKeague in a 4-1 victory.

It was the 16th win of the season for the Wildcats, but more importantly qualified Central Mountain for its first trip to the state semifinal in the school’s history. Fans may have been nervous, but Central Mountain trusted each other– their work ethic, their character and most important their ability in one another– to finish what was started.

Central Mountain truly used an all-around collective effort defensively to make program history. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t the flashy, ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 plays that did it– although there were one or two– but instead the routine plays that pushed Central Mountain over the hump.

The Wildcats have been great defenders all season, but those were oftentimes overlooked by how talented the batting order is and how much the offense shines. Seven of Central Mountain’s 16 wins this season have come by 10 or more runs and each game a different Wildcat has stepped up and made some amazing plays.

But as the playoffs rolled around and the weather warmed up, this experienced group has seemed to understand the simple nuances of the game. That it would not always be the big, flashy plays and the blowouts that would help this team make a deep run.

The Wildcats didn’t need as much defense in the 10-run win over Penn-Trafford on its home field. But Central Mountain knew, especially its three and four-year starters, the time to face an opponent where it would need to sell out in all facets of the game would come into play.

And Central Mountain was ready for that on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats gave up five hits on two or three that dropped into no-man’s-land. On the positive side, there were many balls that were hit into those same areas, like deep into right field or in an in-field gap, where Central Mountain was forced to get out of its comfort zone and sprint forward on or move back on.

The Wildcats made unbelievable, championship-like plays, and that’s the reason they are in the position they are right now.

Senior third baseman Harley Kunes made an incredible diving stop on a ball hit by Armstrong’s Jessie Pugh, the River Hawks’ arguably second best player on the team who went 1 for 3 on the day, and threw from her knees after gloving the ball. She knew she would not have enough time to get up and get the ball over to first baseman Madison Hardy, who made an incredible, low scoop to make the first out of the inning.

It ironically (and confidently) gave her the power to hit a three-run shot out to left field after freshman left fielder Camdyn Weaver hit her second consecutive home run in the state tournament.

In the top of the third inning junior right fielder Taylor Doyle essentially owned that top half and retired the River Hawks. She was ready to move to her left and make a routine catch on a flyball hit in foul territory. A few pitches later she made a running catch, closer to the infield than outfield, and responded to her teammates telling her to make a heads up play throwing to first base for a critical double play.

Those plays shifted the game for Armstrong and left them empty in both their hearts and on the scoreboard. But those plays would not have been possible without senior pitcher Adalynn McKeague holding down the fort in the circle.

Central Mountain’s all-time leader in strikeouts threw a one-hitter threw the first five innings and didn’t walk any batters until the top of the fifth inning. The one out was a single but she stranded that runner.

As McKeague leads, and the Wildcats have let her for the course of four years and have become comfortable relying on her, Central Mountain’s defense follows. It’s worked in the past, but it’s worked even better this season and the Wildcats look their best when McKeague is sharp and the defense is selling out for her.

“That’s from my experience when you have a standout pitcher the defense tends to play better. They don’t want to let her down and I think they do that with her,” coach Caldwell said.

REVENGE IS SWEET

Central Mountain’s win is not only sweet that the season lives on and that the Wildcats are one step closer to a state championship, but it had some unfinished business to take care of. The Wildcats were in the same scenario with Armstrong two seasons ago with different results as Central Mountain dropped its quarterfinal game, 13-5, that sent the Wildcats packing.

Fittingly enough, some of this roster was there for that game in a different location at Saint Francis University. Katelyn Bowman was a freshman and Kunes, Hardy, Sophie Mitchell and Addy McKeague were all sophomores. Furthermore, Caitlyn Watson was a senior and now-graduated Allison Lininger was a junior.

That game wasn’t necessarily a bad one. The Wildcats had eight hits and scored five runs and Hardy homered. But it clearly wasn’t enough as now-senior Jessie Pugh hit a grand slam which highlighted a big run for the River Hawks.

That was the beginning of a one and two-year learning cycle for a group of now five seniors that grappled with that experience and had to learn or grow from it in order to get back to

That group learned from the highs-and-lows of a season, and more importantly, experienced the playoff nature of a strong state playoff team.

Armstrong, like Central Mountain, is a powerhouse in its own right. The school is just nine years old but they have made four consecutive district finals appearances and were runners-up in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Armstrong lost to Shaler Area, the 2023 state runner-up, last year in the semifinal round.

Thursday afternoon’s win was a full-circle moment for Central Mountain. A big win to make school and program history and revenge on a team that stole what could have been program history two years ago has to feel pretty good. Now the Wildcats must use that to fuel what it hopes for to win, all one game at a time.