Baseball

Tigers cruise to title

WINGATE -- A photographer and moms took photos of the Hollidaysburg baseball team as it posed for posterity on a warm, sun-splashed Monday evening at Bald Eagle Area High School.

Most of the second-seeded Golden Tigers were smiling broadly just minutes after they beat top-seeded Central Mountain, 9-1, to capture the school's first District 6 Class 5A title since 2017 and snap CM's five-year title run.

Senior Carson Kensinger posed stern-face.

He was urged from among the photographers to smile.

"Nope," he said. "Job's not finished."

While he never relented in smiling, Kensinger certainly made his teammates and fans smile during the district title game thanks to his pitching and hitting.

Kensinger hiked his pitching record to 7-0 by tossing a three-hitter, striking out nine and walking one in a complete-game, 104-pitch outing. He also terrorized the Wildcats offensively, going 3-for-4 with a mammoth three-run home run over the center field fence and four RBIs.

"I've had to see every senior class since I've been here go on hard, close games against really good teams," Kensinger said. "We just couldn't beat Central Mountain. I was not walking out of here without a win. This is just the first of many for us. This is our year. We're going to keep going on with it."

With the game tied, 1-1, through the first three innings, Kensinger pitched pretty stress-free to catcher Cayden Gibbons until the fourth inning when the Wildcats loaded the bases on a walk, hit batsman and an infield hit.

But Kensinger worked out of the jam by striking out Connor Foltz and Jase Seltzer.

That's when the floodgates opened for the Golden Tigers, who scored four runs in the inning.

"You've just got to battle," Kensinger said. "You can't give in to any team, no matter who they are, what they're saying or how loud they are. I've had this game marked on my calendar for months."

"We count on him for a lot of stuff," Hollidaysburg coach Jon Szynal said, "and we always have. We don't get too rattled when something like that happens to him. He's been through it so many times. He figures out a way."

With runners on first and third and one out, Ty Szynal hit a sinking bullet into left field that left fielder Isaiah Maldonado tried to make a shoestring catch of, but the ball zipped by him. Brady Steiner scored from third and Bradey Micheals scored from first, and Szynal wound up with a triple.

"It was kind of the spark that we needed to get going there," Coach Szynal said.

Hileman chased Szynal home with a single to right. Kensinger plated him with a two-out single to right.

The Wildcats threatened again in the bottom of the fifth as Maldonado reached on an error and Gardner Fravel singled to start the frame.

Gibbons' errant pickoff attempt of Maldonado at second base skipped into center, but center fielder Hileman threw Maldonado out at third base for the first out. Fravel was stranded at third when Blake Walker hit a long fly ball to left that was caught by left fielder Szynal for the third out.

Kensinger added the cherry on top of the cake in the top of the seventh when he hit his three-run shot that hit the scoreboard beyond center field. He celebrated wildly as he trotted around the bases.

"Yeah," he said smiling, "I couldn't control myself. I got a little bit out of myself."

The only question was whether Kensinger would finish the game on the mound. He began the bottom of the seventh having thrown 92 pitches - 13 shy of the maximum 105. Teammate Paul Wedel warmed up twice in the bullpen late in the game. But Kensinger got a quick fly ball out, strikeout and ground ball back to him to finish it off.

The Golden Tigers will play the winner of today's game between DuBois and Obama Academy next week in a sub-regional game.

"I'm going to enjoy this one for a little bit," Coach Szynal said, "and see what exactly is going on."

HOLLIDAYSBURG (9): Hileman cf 422, Karageanes 1b 400, Kensinger p 413, Banks 3b 300, Gibbons c 401, Bell cr 000, Steiner ss 411, Hockey 2b 211, Michaels rf 220, Szynal lf 322. Totals: 30-9-10.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (1): G. Fravel ss 301, Grenninger rf-p 300, Walker 3b 300, Moyd dh 200, Probst c 302, Wian cr 010, E. Fravel 1b 200, Foltz cf 300, Seltzer 2b 200, Beard ph 100, Maldonado lf 300, Myers p 000, Lavelle rf 000. Totals: 25-1-3.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Hollidaysburg 100 040 4--9 10 2

Central Mountain 010 000 0--1 3 1

Errors--Hileman, Steiner; G. Fravel. 2B--Probst. 3B--Szynal. HR--Kensinger. RBIs--Kensinger 4, Szynal 2, Hileman, Karageanes, Banks. SAC--Hockey. LOB--Holldaysburg 3, Central Mountain 5. HBP--E. Fravel.

PITCHING

Hollidaysburg: Kensinger (W)--7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO.

Central Mountain: Myers (L)--6 IP (pitched to 2 batters in 7th), 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO; Grenninger--1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

Records: Hollidaysburg (13-6); Central Mountain (13-7)