That included in his final game on Pennsylvania high school baseball’s grandest stage Friday at Penn State.

Mussina capped a sensational senior season in impressive fashion, throwing four dominant innings of two-hit baseball in relief while adding a single in his final at-bat to spark a seventh-inning comeback attempt. That rally fell short and Indiana edged Montoursville, 5-4, to capture the Class AAAA state championship at Medlar Field, but Mussina certainly made the most of his final scholastic baseball moments.

“I just have to do my job. I did that one last time (Friday),” Mussina said. “I’d like to go out with a gold medal but that (delivering under pressure) has been kind of what my career has been about. The biggest three games of my career, I came in and thought I did pretty well.”

He sure did. In fact, well is an understatement.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville senior Jimmy Mussina (10) reacts after stealing third base during Friday’s PIAA Class 4A baseball championship against Indiana at Penn State. The Warriors fell 5-4.

Mussina threw 4 2/3 innings of two-hit baseball in a district semifinal win against Athens before closing out Montoursville’s district championship as it defeated highly touted Danville, 7-3.

He was good there, but Mussina became great during states.

The left-hander entered in the third inning of the state quarterfinals and opened with four no-hit innings as Montoursville (20-5) erased a three-run deficit, 6-4. Mussina also hit the go-ahead, two-run double in that game, surrendering just one run and two hits in his five innings.

Mussina was called upon again after Indiana opened a 4-0 second inning lead. While Indiana threw three future Division I pitchers, including Texas Tech-bound Greg Minnick, Mussina was the best on this day.

Mixing his pitches, spotting them and showing no fear, Mussina allowed only a bunt single and an infield single, as well as no earned runs. He opened his outing with six consecutive outs and made one last memory in a season filled with so many good ones.

“You play sports for games like these. There’s no fun in winning 10-0, 13-0,” Mussina said. “That Crestwood game (18-0 first round state tournament win) wasn’t fun. This game was fun. We were battling and getting hyped.”

“Once again Jimmy came in crafty and just did his job again,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said. “Jimmy came in and did a great job.”

The third Mussina to play in a state championship, Jimmy kept the family tradition going strong. It was the climax to a fabulous final season that few saw coming. Mussina struggled offensively last year and did not have his best stuff on the mound after coming up clutch in some tight spots as a sophomore.

Mussina will not play baseball, choosing to study biology at Pittsburgh. That meant he had one last baseball chance and did he ever make the most of it. Mussina became one of the area’s most reliable hitters, especially in big spots, batting .463 with 32 hits and 24 RBIs.

He was just as strong on the mound, going 6-1 with a 0.87 ERA and striking out 48 in 45 1/3 innings. Mussina is not a hard thrower, but he sure is an effective one. He commanded his off-speed pitches well again against Indiana and a team which went 26-1 never made hard contact in four innings against Mussina.

“There’s not much more than you can ask from him,” catcher Noah Kirby said. “He came in and pitched really well.”

Baseball is over now but Mussina authored quite a comeback story in his final season. When the 2025 campaign opened, Montoursville was not sure Mussina would be a full-time starter. By season’s end, Mussina built an air-lock case for all-state honors.

The only question is at what position?

Mussina also made only one error while playing right field and combined pitching, hitting and defensive prowess into one great send-off. Pittsburgh awaits, but Mussina heads there knowing he produced enough senior moments to fill a chemistry lab.

“Jimmy had a great year. For a kid who had 4-5 hits last year and got hit around a little bit to come back like he did says a lot,” Eck said. “To come out and have the all-state type of year he had and to put us on his back down the stretch is just awesome.”