By Kenny Varner

LEWISTOWN – MIfflin County brought out the bats Friday to end the week on a good note, posting 13 hits en route to the 16-6 victory of Heartland conference leader Central Mountain in baseball action.

The Huskies offense jumped out ahead early posting 12 runs in the first three inning and was able to ward off a late rally by the Wildcats to picked up its third win of the season and second for the week.

On the mound and in the batters box Xavier Smith dominated throwing three innings and allowing just a run. At the plate he was purely perfect going a sizzling 4-for-4 at the plate with 3RBIs and scored three times as well.

Teammate Tucker Gill bookended Smith’s pitching at the plate with a strong sixth inning of no run ball.

All in all, the “Purple and Black attack” had four Huskies’ hitters with multiple hits.

Besides Smith and Gill’s multi hit performances, MIfflin County had Ryan Kanagy (2-for-3 3RBIs) and Luke Lyter (2-for-4 RBI, 2 runs).

“What a difference a day makes. It was a good all around team effort. We had a bunch of guys contribute today,” said MIfflin County coach John McGonigle. “We told the kids before they started yesterdays in the past, just get ready for today’s game and they did just that. I was happy with the performance the whole way around.”

After sending the Wildcats down 1-2-3 in the first, the Huskies took advantage of three first inning errors by Central Mountain to jump out to a 3-0 advantage.

Farrell Souders started off the inning reaching on an error in left field by Central Mountain.

Gill followed as he hustled out a bobbled play at shortstop to put runners on first and second and nobody out. Souders scored on the error, making it a 1-0 advantage.

Smith roped a screamer back into centerfield, moving Gill up to third.

Jaxson Pupo brought in Gill as he lifted a long fly into right field, also allowing Smith to move up to third.

Smith rounded out the first inning scoring, making it home safely on a Ryan Kanagy single, giving his team a 3-0 advantage after one.

In the second, Central Mountain battled back scoring a run, cutting it to a 3-1 ball game.

But the offense was just starting to pick up steam in the second when the Huskies plated another run.

Landon Eichhorn led off the second with a blast into center that allowed him to roll in with a stand up double.

With one out, Gill crushed an RBI single to up the lead back to a three run contest.

Smith came out in the top of the third and continue to set up and send them down.

Offensively, everything clicked for MIfflin County in the third as they went around the line up and then some as they crushed the ball leading to an 8-run inning to catapult the lead to a very comfortable 12-0 lead going into the fourth.

However, in the fourth, the Wildcats came rolling back, picking up four in the fourth and one in the fifth.

But the game belonged to the Huskies as they added four runs in their part of the sixth to end the game in a 10-run ruled six inning contest.

Mifflin County 16, Central Mountain 6

CM 010 410 x –    6  7  4

MC 318 004 x – 16 13 3

WP: Xavier Smith

LP: Brady Myers

Multiple hitters: Central Mountain – Kevin Grenninger 2-for-3 RBI, Aaron Miller 2-for-2 run, Gardy Fravel 2-for-3 RBI, run. Mifflin County – Tucker Gill 2-for-3, 3RBIs, 2runs,Xavier Smith 4-for-4 3RBIs, 3runs, Ryan Kanagy 2-for-3 3RBIs, Luke Lyter 2-for-4 RBI, 2 runs.

HR: CM – Connor Foltz. MC – None.

3B: None

2B: CM – Nate Helms. MC – Landen Eichhorn.