TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain baseball players meet on the mound during a baseball game against Jersey Shore last Monday.

One Central Mountain team brought its season to a close while the others prepped themselves for the postseason. That was the story of the week for Central Mountain sports. Let’s recap the week that was.

The tennis team wrapped up their campaign on Thursday as they dropped their final match of the season to Montoursville by a 4-1 score. The lone victor for CM in the match was No. 1 singles player Joey McCluskey. At No. 2 singles, Tim Brinker dropped a tough three-set match to his opponent. Central Mountain concluded the season with a 3-13 match record.

Both the boy’s and girl’s track and field teams cruised to Senior Day wins over visiting South Williamsport on Tuesday. The boys’ score was 104-45 and the girls’ 110-35. As the team scores indicate, the CM athletes captured first place finishes in a vast majority of the events and dominated the top three sports in many as well.

Winning multiple events for the Wildcats were Shayden Hill (100 and 200-meter dash), Brayden Stahl (long and triple Jump), and Josiah Allert (high jump and shot put).

On the girls side, dual wins were recorded by Sarah Hall (100 and 300-meter hurdles) and Sofia Kelly (high and triple jump). The CM girls relay teams took first in each of their events as well. Many other solid individual performances were turned in by the CM athletes.

On Saturday, the track and field teams competed in the 19-team PHAC Championship meet at Bloomsburg. Macia Owens (sixth/100-meter hurdles), and Sofia Kelly (fifth/high and triple Jump) were the lone CM athletes that recorded top ten finishes.

In basball, Aiden Jones held Jersey Shore scoreless through five innings of the rematch of rivals on Monday, as Central Mountain built a 4-0 lead before Jersey Shore struck back with three runs in the sixth to close to within a run.

Nolan Kerstetter came on in the sixth to end any further Bulldog threat and Blake Walker came on in the seventh and slammed the door on any hope of a come-from-behind win for the visitors. The Wildcat offense was relatively quiet in the contest as they managed just five hits. Nonetheless, the win was a nice sight for the Wildcats after being stymied in their previous game at Mifflinburg.

Ten Wildcat seniors were recognized prior to CM’s 8-1 victory over league foe Shamokin on Tuesday in Mill Hall. Senior Austin Andrus shined on the hill for CM, as he carried a no-no into the 7th inning before surrendering two hits in his complete-game outing, his second dominant performance against the Indians this season.

The Wildcats banged out ten hits in the contest, with senior Felix Oquendo collecting three with a walk and RBI to lead the way. Seniors Hayes Miller (two singles and two RBIs), Austin Frank (triple), Blake Walker and Watt Probst (doubles) along with Aiden Jones and Andrus (singles) each registered hits to boost the offensive effort for CM.

Unfortunately, things did not go so well for the Wildcats as they traveled to Dubois on Friday to take on Bethel Park in a neutral-site game. CM was limited to just a first-inning run and four hits overall while Bethel Park had their way with the CM pitchers, cruising to an 11-1 victory. Watt Probst accounted for half of the offense, as he had single and double.

Junior standout Camdyn Weaver blasted two homeruns and pitched a complete game to propel the Central Mountain softball team to a 14-5 victory at Dubois on Tuesday afternoon. The 14 runs, which came on 14 hits, served as one of the best offensive performances of the season for the Central Mountain ladies.

In addition to Weaver’s big day, CM batters with multiple hits included Aubrey Eiler (single and homerun), Elise McKean (single and triple) and Payton Hull (two singles). On the downside, Central Mountain’s normally solid defense committed an uncharacteristic five errors in the contest.

The Wildcat hitters continued to roll on Thursday at Mifflin County in a 15-3 win, as they generated 15 runs on 17 hits. Once again, it was Weaver leading the way at the plate for CM, as she wrapped out three hits, including two doubles, while also pitching another complete game, striking out ten Mifflin County batters in the process.

McKean and Aubrey Miller also collected three hits each while Aubrey Eiler and Cirstyn Watson collected two apiece. With the victory, CM moved to 10-4 on the season as they look forward to a showdown with Jersey Shore this week before eyeing up the District 6 playoffs.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Camdyn Weaver pretty much did it all for the Wildcat softball team this week, as she pitched two complete games while also prospering at the plate in wins over Dubois and Mifflin County. An honorable mention goes to Sofia Kelly for her strong finishes in the high and triple jumps. Another goes out to Austin Andrus for his complete game effort in the Wildcats’ baseball win over Shamokin.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

The softball team found their offense last week as they demolished their two opponents by a combined score of 29 to 8. The CM ladies could be a tough out in playoffs if they can continue to swing the bats as they did last week.

FORMER WILDCATS ON CAMPUS

Former Lady Wildcat and current LHU field athlete, Alyssa VanGorder placed eighth in the Hammer Throw last weekend at the PSAC Championships. Central Mountain is well represented on the LHU track and field teams, as numerous former CM standouts dot the roster.

On the women’s team, joining VanGorder are Madison Bair, Mallory Eck and Macy Plowman. On the men’s squad is Sam Wible, Ben Streator, Bryce Warren and Isaiah Brinker. Plowman, Wible, Warren and Brinker are each just freshmen while Bair is a sophomore, so it will be worth keeping an eye open to see how they leave their marks on the LHU program over the next few years.

LOOKING AHEAD

The baseball team finishes their regular season this week with a flurry of games. Today, they will host a solid Hazelton team in Mill Hall before capping it off with road games at Mifflin County on Wednesday and Shikellamy on Thursday. The softball team will be looking for a little payback, as they travel to Jersey Shore on Wednesday to take on the Bulldogs before concluding their regular season at Selinsgrove on Thursday.

Finally, the track and field athletes will be at Mansion Park in Altoona on Tuesday and Wednesday as they compete in the District 6 Track and Field Championships. At that event, Macia Owens will be looking to repeat as a district champion in the 100-meter Hurdles. Sarah Hall could be a major factor in the same event as well.

Also, watch out for Sofia Kelly in the high and triple jumps. Is a breakthrough in line for another of the Central Mountain athletes? Time will surely reveal the answer.

So, whether the CM athletes and teams are competing for a D6 Championship this week or looking to build momentum toward one, this is a big week for all the athletes and teams still in action. Go Cats!