Homer in bottom of 9th ends Lady Tigers season
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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
WINGATE -- Just seconds after Cora Myers' home run over the left field fence gave top-seeded Central Mountain a 2-1 win over second-seeded Hollidaysburg in their District 6 Class 5A nine-inning championship game, an emotional scene unfolded on the field.
Hollidaysburg catcher Sydney Shay was consoling pitcher Maria Malone with a hug near the pitching circle at Bald Eagle Area. The only seniors on the team were realizing their season and high school softball careers were done.
After an epic game that included a lightning delay of 1-hour, 10 minutes, this one hurt.
"I wasn't able to play my whole senior season," Malone said as she fought back tears. "I have something called thoracic outlet syndrome. To see my team come here and put up a fight is absolutely amazing. Just to see us come here, overcome and shock a lot of people, is absolutely amazing.
"I've worked very hard and very long with my catcher, Sydney Shay. She's caught every single pitch from her freshman year until my senior year. She works as hard as I do."
The Lady Golden Tigers, who finished 10-11, gathered in the outfield as Central Mountain was celebrating. Afterward, veteran Hollidaysburg coach Mike Harris, tipped his cap to his team.
"I'm so proud of them," he said. "We said all year just give us your best, and whatever happens, happens. Our kids played so hard, and they laid it all on the line, just picked each other up and played absolutely phenomenal. Central Mountain made one more play than we did. That's how it goes."
"That was a fantastic high school softball playoff game," Central Mountain coach Fred Caldwell said. "They don't come much better than that."
Lightning and thunder forced a delay with two outs in the bottom of the second. But soon after the game resumed, the Lady Golden Tigers broke a scoreless tie. CM pitcher Adalynn McKeague hit Maggie Hicks to start the third, and Maya Gearhart walked.
A.J. Good then chased Hicks home with a single to give her team a 1-0 lead. Hollidaysburg, though, stranded two runners in scoring position in the inning. It left six on base in the game.
"We were worried how we were going to behave after that break," Harris said, "and we came out and got a run. We left a lot of runners on base. That girl is really good that's pitching for them. She moved the ball really, really well."
"A lot of teams slow down after breaks like that," Malone said. "I'm very happy to see us come back after that with such a positive attitude."
The Lady Wildcats' best chance to score came in the fourth with three straight singles off of Malone. Katelyn Bowman's hit to left field for the third hit was gathered in by Hollidaysburg left fielder Mikaylah Vincent. Her perfect throw to Shay at home cut down Madison Hardy for the second out of the inning.
"She's one of our best athletes," Harris said of Vincent. "She drilled that ball to home and made a really nice play and got the run out at home. That was huge. That got everybody fired up.
"We work on those plays all the time at practice," Malone said. "To see that play out is amazing. Repetition really does pay off."
Malone tossed a five-hitter, struck out 10 and walked one, while McKeague hurled a four-hitter, struck out 10 and walked two.
"She was unbelievable," Harris said of Malone. "She was our rock all year. She was phenomenal today. It's a shame that it's how it had to go down.
Central Mountain tied the game when Harley Kunes singled, reached second on a wild pitch and scored on a wicked ground ball that careened off of the leg of second baseman Sophia Morris. But Malone finished the inning with two strikeouts.
Malone and McKeague kept dueling in the pitching circle until Myers led off the bottom of the ninth by hitting a rise ball to left field. It appeared Vincent would catch it, but the ball just made it over the fence, touching off a CM celebration Hollidaysburg could only watch.
"I left it over the plate for sure," said Malone, who will continue her softball career at Penn State Altoona. "But she's a good hitter. She deserved it."
"I didn't think it had a chance," Caldwell said. "When she hit it, I just thought it was a fly ball. I was just thrilled."
Hollidaysburg (1): Peacock rf 401, Vincent lf 300, Shay c 400, Malone p 401, Stevens cr 000, Morris 2b 401, Chandler 1b 300, Hicks cf 310, Gearhart ss 200, Good 3b 301. Totals: 30-1-4.
Central Mountain (2): Watson ss 400, Wian cf 400, Kunes 3b 411, Hardy 1b 401, Myers dp 412, Bowman c 201, Wahlers 2b 300, Michell lf 100, Eiler cr-ph 100, Doyle rf 200, McKeague p 000. Totals: 29-2-5.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Hollidaysburg 001 000 000_1 4 2
Central Mountain 000 001 001_2 5 0
E--Morris, Gearhart. HR--Myers. RBIs--Good; Myers. SAC--Vincent; Doyle. SB--Doyle. LOB--Hollidaysburg 6, Central Mountain 6. HBP--Hicks; Mitchell.
PITCHING
Hollidaysburg: Malone (L)--8 IP (pitched to 1 batter in 9th), 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO.
Central Mountain: McKeague (W)-- 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO.
Records: Hollidaysburg (10-11); Central Mountain (13-5)