It certainly wasn’t the position they wanted to be in coming off a tough loss on the road. But the Central Mountain staff trusted the junior to get them out of the jam, and that trust paid off in a big way on Monday afternoon.

Though Karstetter’s first batter fought for a walk to load the bases, he responded by forcing back-to-back flyouts. Blake Walker would finish the job from the mound an inning later, as Central Mountain’s previous four-run cushion proved just enough to grant it the 4-3 victory over HAC-I rival Shore.

“Just had to have confidence out there and trust your defense behind you,” said Karstetter on his mindset entering the sixth. “And you have to believe in yourself too.”

“Trust the defense. Trust yourself,” emphasized Walker. “That’s all you need.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Austin Frank (11) high fives a teammate during a high school baseball game against Jersey Shore on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

It certainly wasn’t the most relaxing win for fans, likely drawing deja vu following a similar win over Dubois last Tuesday. But like last week’s victory over the Beavers, the Wildcats (10-3) stepped up when a mattered, a conclusion head coach Mike Kramer was happy to see.

“(Shore) came to play. They were one hit away from tying it up or going ahead, and they had some opportunities earlier, just like we had,” said Kramer.

“Nolen came in during a tight situation and allowed us to finish with Blake in the end.”

After struggling to find its offensive spark early, Jersey Shore (5-9) began breaking through with six outs to spare. Central Mountain starting pitcher Aiden Jones had pitched a solid game, throwing five scoreless innings while striking out four and allowing three hits. But his arm had finally started slowing down, with the Bulldogs taking advantage.

Back-to-back doubles from Nolen Pauling and Carter Rhinehart got Shore on the board. Then, Mazden Lupton forced a fielding error on a hard-hit grounder to shortstop Darius Shade to narrow the gap to two, with an ensuing single forcing the lineup change.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Aiden Jones starts from the mound during a high school baseball game against Jersey Shore on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

Karstetter struggled initially, allowing a walk and battling Shore’s Mason Winter through an eight-pitch at-bat. But Winter’s attempt at helping the Bulldogs tie it fell one run short, resulting in Rhinehart getting home but being caught by Felix Oquendo in centerfield. And another fly out to Josh Ludlow in right ended the inning, with Central Mountain’s lead surviving at 4-3.

From there, it was just a matter of trusting the team’s most trustworthy arm. Shore had the momentum, but Central Mountain had its ace available. And Walker needed just 14 pitches to seal the deal, as he retired a side that featured Shore’s top two batters and closed out the save with a strikeout.

Offensively, the Wildcats steadily built their eventual four-run lead through the first five innings. Two double plays from Jersey Shore kept it within one through three, but an active fourth and fifth granted Central Mountain the cushion it ended up needing.

In the fourth, Josh Ludlow belted what was perhaps the biggest hit of the run all the way to the outskirts of the parking lot, resulting a triple that seemed to jumpstart the Wildcat offense. Luke Nonemaker followed him up by batting him home on a sac fly before Felix Oquendo completed the three-hit inning with an RBI bunt, batting home Dane Hanna.

“Just take what you can get,” said Ludlow when discussing what went right on the triple. “Just take your pitch, slam it and bring that energy to everyone.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Felix Oquendo (4) slides safely back to first as Shore's Grayson Confair (7) fields a throw during a high school baseball game on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

“I was hyped. I was trying to get everyone in the dugout to get up, like we all need to start scoring. Then, we scored,” he added on the inning.

That energy carried into the fifth.

Walker led off the inning by fighting for a walk. And though Central Mountain’s next three at-bats would feature outs, sound base running from Walker and two well-placed sac flies allowed him to get home, granting Central Mountain its fourth run.

Walker finished with two hits, getting on base on all three plate appearances and scoring the team’s last run. Felix Oquendo, Ludlow and Dane Hanna made up the team’s remaining runs, and Oquendo, Aiden Jones and Luke Nonemaker contributed RBIs.

All in all, it was a strong win for the Wildcats, one which improved them to 10-3 on the season. There are certainly aspects they have to improve on, particularly on the offensive end, but they keep finding ways to win tight games.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Josh Ludlow (27) celebrates after hitting a triple during a high school baseball game against Jersey Shore on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

“We’re really winning those one-run games. We’re playing under control, not getting uptight,” said Kramer. “We just need to be able to score more runs. This is probably the one of the lowest run-scoring teams we’ve had, but we have the potential.”

“We still have things to work on, but we’re just going to build off every win. And then, we’re going to win the state championship,” Ludlow emphasized.

For now, they look to carry that momentum into Tuesday, as they prepare to host Shamokin (1-15) for Senior Day. The Bulldogs will look to build off a strong performance and close out a three-game skid on the road on Tuesday, taking on Selinsgrove (5-8).

“Shamokin’s going to come to play; they’re a pesky team,” said Kramer. “We need everybody in the dugout to be locked in and focused and just play the game one pitch at a time.”

Both games are set for 4:30 p.m.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Carter Rhinehart (2) throws the ball cross-body during a high school baseball game against Central Mountain on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

Central Mountain 4, Jersey Shore 3

Jersey Shore 000 003 0 – 3 6 0

C. Mountain 100 210 X – 4 5 2

Mason Winter, Ben Gill (5), Greyson Confair (6) and Hunter Enders. Aiden Jones, Nolan Karstetter (6), Blake Walker (7) and Watt Probst. W – Jones. L – Winter. SV – Walker.

Top Jersey Shore hitters: Nolen Pauling 2-4, 2B, run; Carter Rhinehart 1-4, 2B, RBI, run; Mason Winter 1-2, 2B, RBI; Mazden Lupton run; Tucker Hanna, Greyson Confair hit. Top Central Mountain hitters: Blake Walker 2-2, run; Josh Ludlow 1-2, 3B, run; Dane Hanna 1-1, run; Luke Nonemaker 1-2, RBI; Felix Oquendo RBI, run; Aiden Jones RBI.

Records: Jersey Shore 5-9 (1-5 HAC-I); Central Mountain 10-3 (7-1 HAC-I).

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore calls a mound visit during a high school baseball game against Central Mountain on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Mason Winter starts on the mound during a high school baseball game against Central Mountain on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Josh Ludlow (27) and Jersey Shore's Nolen Pauling await the call at second during a high school baseball game against Jersey Shore on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Yayfran Sanchez (13) prepares to be hit by a pitch during a high school baseball game against Jersey Shore on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Mill Hall Community Park. The Wildcats won 4-3.