Johnson and Brush throw latest Central Mountain gem as Wildcats stay undefeated | News, Sports, Jobs

MILL HALL–Central Mountain Baseball doesn’t have an ace. It owns a lot.

Basically, anyone who has pitched Central Mountain this season can be considered an ace. Wednesday at Mill Hall Community Park it was Gabe Johnson and Chase Brush’s turn and they proved it again.

Johnson and Brush combined a three-pointer and Central Mountain went undefeated, defeating Williamsport 3-1 in a well-played, hard-fought game. Johnson threw five shutout innings and hit out 11 while Brush earned the save and fanned out five in two innings. Both excelled in sticky situations, pinning nine runners as Central Mountain (9-0, 6-0) opened a two-game lead over Williamsport (5-3, 3-2) in HAC-I while staying a game ahead remained Selinsgrove.

“It’s great. You know you can trust 7-8 guys in the lineup who can go out and throw a good game. said Johnson. “Not everyone has the same style. We have a few lefties, some throw harder, others have pitches that move a lot. We just have a lot of different weapons.”

Kevin Grenninger, Cru Stover (2 for 3) and Nate Helms hit RBI singles in three different innings while Central Mountain did just enough against Williamsport starter Cayden Robertson, who threw 5 2/3 brave innings. And the way this year has played out so far, giving Central Mountain’s pitchers three runs is like giving them 30.

The Wildcats have held opposition to a run or no run in five of their last six games. They have not allowed more than three runs in a game since the season opener, compiled a tiny 1.23 ERA and conceded just 33 hits in 57 innings. Oh yeah, they also had 91 strikeouts, and yesterday was the second time in eight days that the Central Mountain pitchers combined surpassed 15 strikeouts.

“We’re blessed to have that luxury, to have that depth in the pitching position.” said Central Mountain coach Mike Kramer. “Gabe came out and showed why he’s a legitimate pitcher.”

He certainly did.

Johnson will join his older brother Peyton at the IUP next year and showed why he will serve at the next level throughout the game. The big right-hander allowed just two hits in five innings, hitting the side three times and pinning six runners.

When the pressure was highest, Johnson was at his best. One-out hitters scored in each of the first two innings, and both times he responded by knocking out the next two batters. Johnson started two more in the third inning when he produced his eighth strikeout. It was 1-0 in the fifth as Williamsport loaded the bases with an out and surfaced their No. 2-3 batsmen.

Johnson thundered back again. Mixing a slider that moved like a dancer and a hard fastball, Johnson kept hitters off-balance all afternoon. He initiated back-to-back swinging strikeouts and maintained the lead by one run before Stover extended to two with his opposite field RBI single late in the inning.

“I’m confident that I can get out of situations like this, but I definitely don’t want to get into them. You just have to compete.” said Johnson. “You just have to think that you are better in a situation like this. You have to trust your stuff, trust your locations, trust your fielders, and trust your pitchers, and go out and make good pitches.”

He did so for five innings and Brush espoused the same philosophy after taking over in the sixth. Griffin Vollman hit a one-out double before a walk and interference from a controversial catcher loaded the bases. Christian Franzen hit a grounder that shortened to 2-1 and by the time the ball was booted the Millionaires had bases loaded again.

As he did against Loyalsock last week, Brush owned the moment. In an identical replay of that game, Brush beat out consecutive hitters and stopped Central Mountain by one. Brush hit five in his two innings and worked a perfect seventh inning while the Wildcats continued their hot start.

“Chase had a few things that went against him. He could have easily lost his composure and I congratulate him for keeping his head and just focusing on what he could do next.” said Kramer. “That was key, he didn’t get upset and kept fighting.”

Robertson did likewise, containing a high-scoring offense, pitching his 5 2/3 innings and giving Williamsport a shot at the win. The junior right-hander left five runners on base between the third and fifth innings and hit two straights in the fourth inning after Central Mountain put two runners on the court with no outs. Braylen Corter then singled and right fielder Coen Britton made a perfect one-hop throw home to Caiden Helmrich, who made the day and made it a one-run play.

Robertson was his best performer that season and, along with Ethan Eckard, ensured Central Mountain had the lowest mileage that season.

“He threw really, really well. He picked up speed as the game progressed and showed courage.” said Williamsport coach Kyle Schneider. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season for him and also to the upcoming next season. I really see him developing into a very good shooter.”

The game was scoreless until the third inning when Braylen Corter (2 for 2) hit an infield single, went for second with Gardy Fravel’s Bunt and scored with the RBI’s Kevin Grenninger’s two-out single in opponent’s field. Grenninger’s colorful single was a big part of a fifth-inning rally and Stover’s RBI single made it 2-0. The Wildcats produced a valuable insurance run in sixth place when Levi Schlesinger hit a lead-off single with Corter’s colorful finishing second and hit with Nate Helms’ RBI single.

While it’s not necessarily a good loss, this was a close one for Williamsport. The Millionaires received strong pitching, played excellent defense, and were one shot away from changing the complexion of the game. On the whole, what emerged could help Williamsport move forward.

“It was a fun baseball game. I’m not sure if the result accurately reflects how well we played and were able to play.” said Schneider. “It was a good ball game. They played solid baseball, we knew they would play solid baseball, and we played solid baseball.”

Williamsport 000 001 0-1 3 1

C mountain 001 011 x–3 8 2

Cayden Robertson, Ethan Eckard (6) and Adam Aldenderfer, Caiden Helmrich (4). Gabe Johnson, Chase Brush (6) and Nate Helms. W Johnson, (2-0). L-Robertson. SV brush, (2).

Top Williamsport Hitters: Griffin Vollman 1-2, 2B, BB, R; Aldenderfer 1:1; Coen Britton 1-4; Christian FranzenRBI. Central Mountain top hitters: Kevin Grenninger 2-4, RBI; Cru Stover 2-3, 2B, RBI; Braylen Corter 2-2, R; Helms 1-4, RBI; Levi Schlesinger 1-3, R.

Records: Central Mountain 9-0, 6-0 HAC-I. William Sports 5-3, 3-2.

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