Travis Jenkins-Gov. Mifflin

Gov. Mifflin and Muhlenberg were battling for first place in Division 1 on Wednesday at Owls Field in West Lawn. This prime time matchup in the Berks County Baseball Showcase lived up to expectations. Sophomore Travis Jenkins hammered a 2-run triple in the 6th inning that led the Mustangs to a 3-1 victory. “It was tense. This was a big game for us, big game for them,” said Jenkins. The left-handed hitting center fielder gave credit to relief pitcher Matt Novotny. The senior threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. “I don’t know what to say. He did a really good job. [He] did what he had to do and came up clutch for us,” remarked Jenkins. The (8-4, 6-2) Muhls got on the board in the top of the 3rd thanks to Shane Rosenberry’s sacrifice fly to center. However, Muhlenberg only got one run out of that bases loaded with no outs situation. UConn commit Tyler Minick allowed two hits and two walks over four frames. The Berks Player of the Year in 2022 struck out three and hit a batter. The (11-3, 7-1) Mustangs tied it in the 4th on a two-out RBI single by Darien Troche that deflected off the first baseman’s glove. Senior Dalton Follweiler held Gov. Mifflin hitless for the first three innings. He entered the game with a (3-0) record and 0.91 ERA. Follweiler gave up three runs on five hits and one walk in 5+ innings. The righty had four strikeouts. Bryce Detwiler and Bloomsburg commit Xander Velez opened the bottom of the 6th with singles. That set the stage for Jenkins. He’s part of a very talented sophomore class that includes Detwiler, Ethan Grim, and Matt Koehler. “I have no worries about the next couple years,” stated Jenkins. Grim punched out two batters in the 7th for the save. Velez went 2-for-2. Gov. Mifflin finished with six hits, while Muhlenberg managed just four. Senior third baseman Derek Wilson was 2-for-2 with a walk. The Mustangs swept the regular season series. They beat the Muhls 15-3 on April 3rd. When asked what he likes to do for fun, Jenkins replied “Practice more baseball.”