But just when it seemed like the outing was trudging towards becoming a nailbiter, as Shore cut the deficit to four through five, pitcher Joslyn Shultz and the Wildcats’ veteran field removed any doubt. They’d strand a runner in scoring position in the sixth before retiring the side to close it out, taking down the Bulldogs, 7-3, on the road on Thursday.

It wasn’t the most seamless win, with the Wildcats surrendering 11 hits and finding themselves in numerous holes. But their field kept the runs gained off those hits to a minimum, Shultz put her teammates in great position to make plays and the bats provided enough cushion to grant them victory, earning them their fifth straight win and knocking Shore out of first in the Heartland-I.

“Jersey Shore is always a good team, but the girls knew that coming in and I feel like this team that I have, they fight till the end,” said Central Mountain head coach Taylor Thompson on the win. “Truly, I’m happy. They like to give me gray hair, keep me on the edge of my seat. But against a team like Shore, where there’s always room to keep coming back, I thought we fought to the end a little harder.”

In terms of stopping great opportunities, the Wildcat field got to work from the very beginning.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Ava Doyle delivers the ball to the infield TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Taylor Doyle looks to get on baseduring a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the first, got two runners on in the second and a runner on third in the third. Each time, the ball found itself launched deep into right field. And each time, senior right fielder Ava Doyle tracked it down to pick up the third out for her team. The last of those received a ‘she doesn’t like to drop balls’ comment of approval from a Shore fan.

“When I get that much action, I really try to watch the batter the most,” said Doyle when discussing those plays. “That way, when I see it come off the bat, I can track it better.”

That impact extended to the rest of the team’s outfield, as center fielder Taylor Doyle caught deep shots in the fifth and the sixth and left fielder Camdyn Weaver caught two in the third and the seventh. All four were crucial, coming in positions where Shore either had runners in scoring position or was looking for additional sparks to fuel its late momentum.

“We knew coming into this game that the outfield was going to see a lot of action tonight. When they started hitting it out there, we knew we were going to be in for it,” said Taylor Doyle. “But we kind of just kept our cool and played the ball how we knew how to play.”

With that sound play also extending to its infield and Shultz adjusting her game and producing seven strikeouts from the mound, the Wildcats were able to mitigate Shore’s scoring despite its consistency. But it wouldn’t have meant much if their own bats didn’t come to live in the fourth.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Rylan Andrews, left, and Joslyn Shultz, right, smile while preparing for the first inning during a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.

After seeing its two-run lead garnered in the first sit still for a while, Central Mountain’s fourth leadoff hit in a row would gain traction. On a full count, Taylor Doyle fired a liner to left to get on base before Ava Doyle (2-3, 3B) followed her up with a grounder to center, a hit which ultimately allowed both Wildcats to advance into scoring position.

The ensuing bunt from Aubrey Eiler (2-4, RBI) was misfielded, allowing the former Doyle to get home and Eiler to replace the latter at second. And the hits kept pouring on, as Cirstyn Watson cleared the bases with a tear drop to right center, Katelyn Bowman (1-3, 2 runs) delivered a tear drop to left center to put two on and Joslyn Shultz closed out the onslaught by helping two more get home.

By the time the dust had settled, Central Mountain had accumulated six hits and five runs within the stanza, upping its lead to 7-0.

“It was definitely our spark for the whole game,” said Taylor Doyle on the Doyles’ pair of hits to kick of the fourth. “I thought once we all started hitting, it kind of opened our eyes a little to see that we have this game and that we could really do it if we just put our mind to it.”

Eight Wildcats logged a hit through the first four innings, with all nine making it on base and four doing so on multiple occasions. Aubrey Eiler and Ava Doyle finished with multiple hits, with Doyle delivering a second inning fly ball all the way to the wall for a triple.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Taylor Doyle looks to get on baseduring a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to a strong 7-1 and head into a busy week featuring three more games with the momentum from wins over multiple strong opponents at their backs. Next, they’ll face Danville at home on Tuesday, with that game set for 4:30 p.m.

“We play Jersey Shore again on Friday, so they’ll be coming back for some revenge,” said Thompson. “So, we’ll be ready.”

For Jersey Shore (7-4), it was another case of one key inning being the difference. Even then, it still put together a solid response and stood a few key plays from turning the tide.

Lynna Clark made an impact on both sides of the field, putting a well-placed grounder right down the middle of the field for a two-RBI single in the fourth before pitching three sound innings of relief. Through those three innings, she retired the side on every occasion, finishing with three strikeouts while logging just 19 pitches (17 strikes).

“She threw well, threw hard,” said Jersey Shore head coach Chris Lorson on Clark. “She’s going to get the ball to start tomorrow and hopefully she carries it through.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Isabelle Engel fist bumps head coach Chris Lorson after securing the 100th hit of her career on a triple in the third inning during the team's home matchup against Central Mountain on Monday. The Bulldogs fell 7-3.

All nine Bulldogs landed at least one hit on the board, with Dani Miller and Isabelle Engel leading the way with two. With a triple in the third, Engel surpassed 100 hits in her career.

Shore also returns to action on Tuesday. There, it’ll look to put an end to its three-game skid on the road at Shikellamy (4-7), with that game also set for 4:30 p.m.

“Hopefully one of these games, we get the breaks on our side,” said Lorson. “Just got to get the bats working earlier in the game instead of the last half, and hopefully they can keep it up for the whole game.”

Central Mountain 7, Jersey Shore 3

CM 200 500 0 – 7 10 0

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Dani Miller prepares to run for second base during the team's home matchup against Central Mountain on Monday. The Bulldogs fell 7-3.

JS 000 210 0 – 3 11 1

Joslyn Shultz and Katelyn Bowman. Isabelle Engel, Lexi Frey (4), Lynna Clark (5) and Annika Clark. W – Shultz. L – Engel.

Top Central Mountain hitters: Ava Doyle 2-3, 3B, run; Aubrey Eiler 2-4, RBI, 2 runs; Cirstyn Watson 1-4, 2 RBIs, run; Rylan Andrews 1-3, 2 RBIs, Katelyn Bowman 1-3, 2 runs. Top Jersey Shore hitters: Isabelle Engel 2-4, 3B; Dani Clark 2-4, run; Lynna Clark 1-3, 2 RBIs; Mya Lehman 1-1, RBI; Kylie Schall, Kaylei Confair hit, run.

Records: Central Mountain 7-1 (4-1 Heartland-I); Jersey Shore 7-4 (5-2 Heartland-I).

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Cirstyn Watson high fives a coach during a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain starting pitcher Joslyn Shultz winds up a pitch during a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Taylor Doyle looks to get on base during a softball matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday. The Wildcats won 7-3.