Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

The 2022 Berks County playoffs were a big disappointment for Ethan Grim and the Mustangs. They entered the tournament as the #1 seed, but got upset by #8 Oley Valley 6-1 in the quarterfinals. That left a sour taste in Grim’s mouth. The sophomore right-hander got redemption this year. Grim held second-seeded Wilson to one unearned run on three hits over 5+ innings in Monday’s BCIAA Championship. Gov. Mifflin prevailed 6-3 at FirstEnergy Stadium for its 15th county title. Grim struck out seven and walked two. His fastball hit 88 mph. “I’m good under pressure. I just had to throw strikes,” Grim said. His record improved to (6-2). As a freshman, he went (6-1) with a 1.52 ERA. Grim helped himself against the (16-7) Bulldogs. He went 1-for-2 with 2RBI. His single to right field in the bottom of the 5th gave the (18-4) Mustangs a 6-1 advantage. Grim hit four batters including the first two in the 6th. UConn commit Tyler Minick took over on the mound and got out of the jam without allowing a run. Nick Fiorini ripped a 2-run triple to right in the 7th. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent Gov. Mifflin from claiming its second county championship in three years. Each team finished with five hits. Travis Jenkins was 2-for-3 with a RBI. He’s part of a very talented sophomore class in Shillington. Matt VanOstenbridge, who committed to Kent State this week, was charged with six runs, but only one was earned. The junior lefty gave up five hits while striking out seven in five frames. Wilson’s eight-game winning streak came to a halt. The Bulldogs beat the Mustangs twice in the regular season. Grim gave credit to the twelve seniors on the club. “They have so much leadership. They help us through everything, even when the times are low,” he replied. Gov. Mifflin will face a familiar foe in the opening round of the District 3-5A playoffs. The second-seeded Mustangs host #15 Exeter at 4:30pm on Friday. “There’s a lot of good teams in our district so bear down and get working,” stated Grim.