Sentinel photo by BOB HOCKENBROCK Mifflin County’s Jayden Smith slides safely into second base, ahead of the tag from Altoona shortstop Eric McAllister.

By Connor Jackson

Sports correspondent

LEWISTOWN — The Mifflin County baseball team scored four runs in the first inning which carried them through the rest of their game against Altoona Wednesday, winning 5-3.

From the second inning on, it was a pitchers’ duel. With Mifflin County starter Chase Hartung giving up one earned run through 4 â…” innings.

Things got more interesting in the fifth when Altoona’s Tanner Stroup crushed a two-run home run to left-center field, making the game 5-3. Thad Gerwick came in to pitch the rest of the way for the Huskies in the sixth and seventh and closed the game out by striking out Stroup with a runner on first.

“Chase has been pretty dominating in most of his starts this year,” Huskies coach Ray Hoppel said. “Today I felt like he was elevating the ball just a little bit. He drove his pitch count up. I thought Thad really did a good job picking him up, and he threw a gutsy 3-2 slider to end that game against arguably one of the best hitters in the league.”

Jayden Smith hit a two-run double to make the game 2-0 early then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. He later would hit an RBI single in the second inning to make it 5-1 in the second inning.

“He is still kinda working his way back into game shape,” Hoppel said. “The last couple games he has been swinging the bat pretty well. He has been taking what the pitchers have been giving him. He came up with a couple pretty big hits for us today.”

Other than Smith, the rest of the Husky offense was non-existent. With only two hits coming from the rest of the lineup.

“It is frustrating,” Hoppel noted. “We have talked about this on more than one occasion. Having a good start, then maintaining that pressure on the other team. The offense fizzled after the second inning, and we gave them an opportunity to come back.”

The Huskies (8-4) will look to keep winning when they play in the Altoona Curve Invite at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

JUNIOR HIGH

Huskies sweep Spartans

The Mifflin County Junior High volleyball team hosted their final home game of the season taking on the Spartans from Milton Hershey Wednesday evening.

The seventh grade group came away with a win, taking the match in two sets, 25-17 and 25-23. Hanna Mannino led the team with three kills. Ava Moyer and Alivia Rhoades each had three aces, while Ava also added two kills.

The eighth grade team also won in two sets, winning 25-13 and 25-20. Grayce Napikoski led the group with nine kills, four aces and five digs. Addyson Marks had a team high five aces and six digs while Sarah Hartsock dished out thirteen assists and added two aces.

The Huskies are on the road for their final game of the season to take on Millersburg.

FROM TUESDAY

TRACK

Eagles down Huskies

Mifflin County track and field traveled to Cumberland Valley to compete in their last dual meet of the season. Both teams fell to the Eagles. However, on an individual performance basis, the Huskies did very well. Many of the athletes ended their dual-meet season with personal best performances, setting themselves up well for the invitationals and championship meets taking place over the next four weeks.

Girls Results:

Mifflin County 32, Cumberland Valley 118

Taylor Kenepp had a fantastic day on the track, setting two school records in the 100-meter (12.75) and 200-meter (25.96) sprints. Annie Hartzler and Kendall Cavanaugh captured the only first-place finishes for the Huskies in high jump and javelin, respectively.

Place winners:

100 Hurdles: 3rd – Reagan Sheetz (17.91)

100: 3rd – Taylor Kenepp (12.75)

1600: 2nd – Liberty Cook (5:28.40)

400: 3rd – Jovie Kauffman (1:02.82)

800: 3rd – Ava Kratzer (2:29.99)

200: 2nd – Taylor Kenepp (25.96)

3200: 2nd – Amilia Coffey (12:41.29)

High Jump: 1st – Annie Hartzler (4′ 7″), 3rd – Elizabeth Plank (4′ 5″)

Long Jump: 2nd – Annie Hartzler (15′ 3″), 3rd – Maddy Clinard (14’4.75″)

Shot Put: 3rd – Kendall Cavanaugh (31′ 4.25″)

Javelin: 1st – Kendall Cavanaugh (99′ 8″), 3rd – Brynn Rowe (71’6″)

Discus: 3rd – Kendall Cavanaugh (81′ 5.25″)

Triple Jump: 3rd – Maddy Clinard (31′ 7″)

Boys Results:

Mifflin County 53, Cumberland Valley 92

The Husky boys’ team fought valiantly but they were not able to capture the win. Connor Lynch and Reece Bell both stood out by not only taking first place in their events but also breaking into the top-three all-time leading marks for the Huskies. Connor Lynch showcased his speed by finishing the 400 in a time of 51.65 seconds. Reece Bell pushed his personal record closer to the 180′ mark, by throwing the javelin 176′ 2″.

Place winners:

4×800: 1st – Connor Lynch, Camryn Treaster, Zaiden Dashem, Aiden Scavitti (9:00.73)

1600: 1st – Hoyt Rodenbaugh (4:30.28), 3rd – Koy Aurand (4:35.69)

400: 1st – Connor Lynch (51.65), 3rd – Camryn Treaster (53.57)

800: 1st – Aiden Scavitti (2:03.30), 3rd – Trevan Diven (2:07.88)

3200: 1st – Carter Smith (10:12.93), 2nd – Reese Cubbison (10:12.98), 3rd – Wyatt Kauffman (10:12.99)

4×400: 1st – Winston Yetter, Camryn Treaster, Connor Lynch, Trevan Diven (3:35.30)

Long Jump: 2nd – Nevin Farley (19′ 6.5″)

Javelin: 1st – Reece Bell (176′ 2″), 2nd – Jack Suydam (161′ 6″)

Discus: 3rd – Dekker Pietzsch (113′ 2″)

Shot Put: 3rd – Dekker Pietzsch (41′ 2″)

The Huskies distance medley relay (DMR) team of Carter Smith, Reese Cubbison, Connor Lynch and Wyatt Kauffman will run at Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Friday. The rest of the team will be travel to Lock Haven University to compete in the LHU High School Classic.