Game delayed: Umpire’s sudden illness forces rescheduling of baseball game

Rylan Cagle, Guest Reporter • April 25, 2024 • 557 Views

On three. The boys’ baseball team huddles before going out onto the field.

Most games Altoona’s sports teams play, they warm up, play the game and go home with either a win or loss. That wasn’t the case for the boys’ varsity baseball team in their last game.

This past Tuesday, they traveled to Camp Hill, Pa to take on the 4-3 Cedar Cliff Colts hoping to improve their record to 4-1. The game started with two runs scored in the first inning of the matchup for the Mountain Lions placing them in the lead.

An uneventful second inning was followed by a run scored by sophomore Tanner Stroup in the third, thanks to a well hit ball into left field by sophomore Nicholas Kraft. The score was now 3-0, Mountain Lions on top.

In the following three innings, the Colts went on a run scoring two in the fourth, one in the fifth as well as one in the sixth. The Mountain Lions were now down 3-4 and had to make a statement in the seventh to come back for the victory.

“I thought that it was definitely possible to win the game,” sophomore Dante LaRocco said.

Although the team was ready to win the game, an unexpected factor stopped the game in the bottom of the seventh. The game’s umpire was experiencing dizziness and nausea, with no other replacements able to be found. The game had to be postponed. The game is rescheduled to be finished sometime in May.

The team expressed their emotions, all sharing the same feelings, disappointed but eagerness to finish the game.

“It’s a bummer, but I’m certain we will go back there and finish strong,” Stroup said.

“I really wish we would have just gotten it over with, but now we have to focus on winning the game,” junior Logan Meyers said.

The remaining home games of the season will be played at the Mansion Park baseball field.

Madison Aboud and Ash Carini

About the Contributors

Rylan Cagle, Reporter

I've always loved to write, and after last year's Intro to Pub class, it inspired me to join the newspaper staff. I am a junior here at the high school, and love to learn. Outside of school, I love to be active, from playing pickup basketball, to playing disc golf, and even doing some pickle balling. I also love music. My favorite artists are Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, and Steve Lacy.

Addisen McDonald, Reporter

My name is Addisen McDonald, and I'm a first year staff member on the Mountain Echo. Along with newspaper, I'm also a third year member of the Horseshoe yearbook staff in the position of design editor. Outside of the journalism classroom, I spend my time binge watching "Greys Anatomy," collecting fun sunglasses and practicing baton. This school year I was given the opportunity to be the AAHS feature twirler, which is leading me to achieve my dream goal of becoming a crimsonette at the University of Alabama. I'm so excited to be on staff this year and, as always, roll tide.