Berks Sports Report

Nick Fiorini-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It only took three batters for Wilson to grab a lead against rival Gov. Mifflin. Christo Hunsicker blasted a towering home run to left field and the Bulldogs cruised to a 10-3 victory. “I knew it was out off the bat…against Detwiler that’s a huge start,” said Nick Fiorini. Wilson tacked on four runs with two outs in the third frame. Fiorini ripped a RBI double to right-center. Cooper Kennedy followed with a ground ball to shortstop that was mishandled, allowing another run to score. It was one of eight errors for the Mustangs including six in the first three innings. They allowed five unearned runs. Designated hitter Matt VanOstenbridge made it 5-0 with a two-run single to center. The Bulldogs added another run in the 4th on Fiorini’s two-out single to left. The senior center fielder went 2-for-4 with a walk. He has a team-high .419 batting average with 25 RBI. Sophomore shortstop Jack Gabel increased his average to .403 with three singles. “He’s gonna be really good. He’s gonna be a big, big, big player for us next year,” emphasized Fiorini. Hunsicker limited Gov. Mifflin to three runs on four hits over five innings. The 6’2 junior struck out five and walked three. He’s (2-1, 3.08) with 32 punch outs and just seven walks in 25 innings. Dylan Barrett gave the (14-3, 9-3) Mustangs their first hit, a RBI double down the right field line in the 4th inning. Gov. Mifflin got within 6-3 an inning later. Branson Adams’ double drove in a run. Travis Jenkins knocked in another run when he beat out an infield single. Ethan Grim grounded out to third with men on second and third base to end the threat. Wilson got some breathing room with four runs in the 7th. C.J. Fernandez provided a two-run single up the middle. The senior second baseman is hitting .361 out of the No. 9 hole. Sophomore relief pitcher Evan Glucksnis committed a throwing error on a grounder back to the mound that allowed two more runs to cross the plate. The (13-6, 9-3) Bulldogs completed the regular season sweep of the Mustangs. “It’s a huge rivalry. It’s always gonna be big. There’s a lot of people here,” noted Fiorini. Wilson claimed the Division 1 championship and ended Gov. Mifflin’s eight-game winning streak. Bryce Detwiler was charged with six runs, three earned, on six hits in five innings. The UConn commit didn’t get much help from his defense on Friday afternoon in Shillington. Detwiler was 1-for-4 at the plate. The junior entered the day with a lofty .569 batting average. Adams had a pair of doubles and Barrett finished 2-for-3. Sophomore Ben Kulp tossed two scoreless innings for the Bulldogs. Although there wasn’t a postgame celebration, Fiorini was pleased with the outcome. “It gives us a lot of momentum going into playoffs,” he said. The BCIAA quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday.

Berks Baseball Playoff Picture

Paul Roberts — Thu, 02 May 2024 13:39:00 +0000

The Berks County baseball playoffs begin one week from today. Here’s a look at the playoff picture as we head down the home stretch of the regular season.

Gov. Mifflin has a one game lead over Wilson for the top spot in Division 1. The Mustangs host the Bulldogs tomorrow afternoon. Wilson won their first matchup 6-5 in nine innings so the Bulldogs would have the tiebreaker if they win on Friday.

Twin Valley has wrapped up the Division 2 championship. The Raiders have only lost once in league play this season. Fleetwood is in second place in the division. The Tigers and Muhlenberg are in good shape to get the two at-large berths based on their power rankings.

Berks Catholic clinched the Division 3 crown with a 5-3 victory at Oley Valley on Wednesday. The Saints are marching on to the BCIAA playoffs for the first time since 2018. Meanwhile, the Lynx travel to Brandywine Heights this afternoon in a pivotal game. The winner of the crossover matchup between the second place teams in Division 3 and Division 4 automatically earns a spot in the county playoffs. The Bullets are one game behind Kutztown in Division 4.

Kutztown is on the road tomorrow versus Tulpehocken. The Cougars beat the Trojans 7-1 three weeks ago. Even if Kutztown and Brandywine Heights end up with identical league records, the Cougars would win the division based on a higher power rating.

The Berks League quarterfinals are scheduled for next Thursday at Owls Field in West Lawn and Muhlenberg. Those doubleheaders will begin at 4pm. The semifinals are on Saturday, May 11th at Owls Field. The championship is set for Monday, May 13th at FirstEnergy Stadium. First pitch is at 6:05pm.

Cam Burr-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:23:00 +0000

It doesn’t matter how many games you’ve seen, you never know exactly what will happen when you head to the ballpark. Wilson and Muhlenberg squared off in a key Division 1 battle on Monday night in Laureldale. The outcome wasn’t determined until Tuesday morning after the PIAA made an interpretation. Cam Burr was sent to the mound with a man on first base and nobody out in the top of the 7th inning. The Muhls were up 3-2. However, the All-County selection had thrown 90 pitches on Friday which requires three days of rest. Longtime Muhlenberg coach Brian Kopetsky said he simply got caught up in the emotion of the game. He had Burr intentionally walk Nick Fiorini and then brought in sophomore righty Cole Moody. Muhlenberg contacted the BCIAA after the game to explain what happened. The BCIAA notified the PIAA and a rules interpreter deemed that since Burr didn’t actually throw a pitch, there was no violation. An intentional walk doesn’t require a pitch to be thrown. Moody made a terrific sliding catch of Cooper Kennedy’s bunt. The 6’2, 200-pound sophomore then fired to second base for a pivotal double play. “Oh my God, talk about being an athlete there. I don’t know how much better you could draw that one up,” emphasized Burr. Moody ended the tense affair by striking out designated hitter Ben Kulp who had homered in the 2nd inning. The (11-5, 7-3) Muhls and the (11-6, 7-3) Bulldogs are tied for second place in the division. They’re one game behind Gov. Mifflin. Burr scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Gavin Moody in the bottom of the 1st inning. Matt VanOstenbridge put Wilson in front 2-1 in the 5th with a RBI single to right field. VanOstenbridge, who was coming off a no-hitter against Exeter, didn’t allow a hit through five frames on Monday. Sophomore Cooper Burr, Cam’s younger brother, got Muhlenberg’s first hit in the 6th inning. No. 9 hitter Anthony Cipolla followed with another single. Cam Burr, a Kutztown University commit, singled to right to even the score at 2-2. “He was throwing me a lot of off-speed, a lot of junk. It was definitely an approach to sit back and drive it the other way,” explained Burr. Gavin Moody knocked in Cipolla with a sacrifice fly to center to give Muhlenberg a 3-2 edge. The inning came to a close with Kaleb Mendoza getting thrown out at the plate on an attempted double steal. Christo Hunsicker started the 7th with a bloop single to center field. That’s when Burr replaced Ethan Weiler on the hill. Weiler (3-1) allowed ten hits, but just a pair of runs. The 6’2 junior struck out three and walked one. VanOstenbridge gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits and a walk. The Penn State commit had seven strikeouts. The southpaw entered the night with a (3-0) record and a 0.52 ERA. Fiorini and C.J. Fernandez had two hits apiece for Wilson. The Muhls rallied late after dropping three of their previous four contests. “It just shows our character and that we can get through anything as a team. We’re the comeback kids,” stated Burr.

All-State Team-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:08:00 +0000

A pair of high school girls basketball players from Berks County were voted to the Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ All-State team. Wyomissing’s Amaya Stewart is a first team selection in Class 4A for the second straight year. Exeter senior Grace Reedy made the third team in Class 5A.

Stewart averaged 19.5 points while leading the Spartans to their second consecutive Berks League and District 3-4A championships. In the second round of the state playoffs, the 6’1 junior poured in a career-high 33 points in a 62-52 victory over Neumann-Goretti. Wyomissing finished (31-1) and reached the PIAA-4A semifinals. Stewart will enter her senior campaign with 1,339 career points. She improved her range last season and made 21 treys. Stewart has averaged a double-double since her freshman year. She’s a two-time Berks County Player of the Year.

Reedy has led the BCIAA in scoring the past two seasons. The 5’9 guard averaged 21 ppg. this year. She connected 35 times from beyond the arc. Reedy dropped 21 points in the opening round of the District 3-5A tournament at Manheim Central. That performance made her Exeter’s all-time leading scorer. She finished her career with 1,403 points. Reedy is a two-time All-County pick.

Matt VanOstenbridge-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:12:00 +0000

Wilson senior Matt VanOstenbridge had to deal with back tightness this season. It’s safe to say that the Bulldogs’ ace is healthy again. The southpaw tossed a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood last week. On Wednesday, VanOstenbridge was even better. The Penn State commit fired a no-hitter against Exeter in the Berks County High School Baseball Showcase at Owls Field. “It felt amazing. Everything was working, all four pitches…I felt very effortless. I felt very smooth,” he said. Wilson rolled over the Eagles 11-0 in five innings. VanOstenbridge struck out ten, walked one, and hit a batter. The lefty hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings. He needed just 68 pitches to get through five frames. VanOstenbridge helped himself with a RBI single in the second inning. C.J. Fernandez followed with a two-run single to center field. Wilson tacked on four runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Cooper Kennedy and freshman Ryan Marmolejos provided RBI singles and VanOstenbridge added a sacrifice fly. Kennedy, a senior outfielder, made it 10-0 with a bases-clearing triple to right-center in the fourth inning. Kennedy and Christo Hunsicker had two hits apiece. Sophomore Jack Gabel went 1-for-3. The shortstop is batting a team-high .422. Nick Fiorini doubled and was hit twice by pitches. The senior center fielder is hitting .413. Fiorini leads the team with 19RBI and nine extra-base hits. “We’re really, really good top to bottom. We don’t have a weak link in our lineup. Our pitching is really good. We have so many arms,” remarked VanOstenbridge. The (10-4, 6-2) Bulldogs are tied with Gov. Mifflin atop Division 1. VanOstenbridge (3-0, 0.52) has 43 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He’s only given up seven hits. The All-County pick from a season ago explained why he’s headed to Penn State. “It’s close to home. It’s every kid’s dream in Pennsylvania to play for Penn State…The facilities are amazing. The coaches are amazing. Everything about it was the perfect fit,” he replied. Exeter junior Gavin Miller took the loss on Wednesday afternoon. He entered the contest at (6-0) with a 2.36 ERA. Miller was charged with seven runs, five earned, on six hits. He lasted 2.1 innings. Sophomore Liam Porter allowed four runs on four hits for the (8-6, 3-5) Eagles. Meanwhile, Wilson has a mix of experienced players with some young talent. “This is my favorite team. These guys are awesome,” said VanOstenbridge after a Gatorade cooler filled with water was dumped on him.

Matt Koehler-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 12:03:00 +0000

Gov. Mifflin is one of the top teams in Berks County, as well as Class 5A in District 3. The Mustangs could be even better next year and that’s a scary thing to think about for their opponents. They had seven juniors in the starting lineup for the Berks High School Baseball Showcase at Owls Field. Gov. Mifflin cruised past Muhlenberg 10-0 in five innings on Wednesday night. Matt Koehler is part of that talented junior class. The 6’3 third baseman went 2-for-3 with 2RBI out of the No. 6 spot in the order. He crushed a double to left field in the 3rd to knock in a run and put the Mustangs up 6-0. “We were really motivated because they beat us on our field and they acted really excited,” said Koehler. The Muhls took the first matchup 4-3 in Shillington two weeks ago. This was a much different story. Bryce Detwiler went the distance and allowed just a pair of hits. The UConn commit struck out eight and walked two. “It’s not only what he shows on the field. He’s always hitting after practice. He never lets up,” remarked Koehler. Detwiler and Ethan Grim had two hits apiece. Travis Jenkins singled and was on base three times. Detwiler, Grim, and Jenkins are all juniors. Gov. Mifflin scored twice in the second inning on a RBI single by Koehler and a sacrifice fly from Bryce Wunderlich. The (11-2, 6-2) Mustangs blew it open with eight runs on eight hits in the third frame. Grim knocked in two runs with a couple of singles during the hit parade. Dylan Barrett, Joey Berg, and Detwiler provided RBI singles as well. Dante Casantini added a line drive RBI double down the right field line. Gov. Mifflin piled up a dozen hits from nine different players. Aaden Lopez was charged with four runs on one hit and four walks. The junior righty hit two batters over two innings. Lopez has issued 24 walks in 17 innings this season. Koehler noted that their game plan was to be patient at the plate. Cole Moody replaced Lopez with no outs and two runners on base in the top of the third. The sophomore gave up six runs on six hits while getting just one out. Muhlenberg is still in the race for the Division 1 title. The (9-4, 5-3) Muhls trail the Mustangs and Wilson by one game. Koehler, who led Gov. Mifflin’s basketball team with 11.5 ppg., knows that nothing has been settled. “It’s gonna be a tight race going to the end,” he stated.

All-State Team-Boys Basketball

Paul Roberts — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:09:00 +0000

Two high school basketball players from Berks County were selected to the PA Sports Writers’ All-State team. Reading’s Yadiel Cruz is a first team pick in Class 6A. Kingston McKoy of Berks Catholic was named to the third team in Class 4A.

After averaging 8.5 points as a junior, Cruz led the Berks Conference in scoring at 22 ppg. in the 2023-24 season. The 6’2 guard hit a team-high 48 triples for the Red Knights. He finished with 729 points as a senior, including a career-high 40 in a 71-62 victory over Harrisburg on January 13th. Cruz shot 54% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc, while averaging 7.2 rebounds. In just two years at Reading, he accumulated 1,010 points. Cruz was voted the Berks County Player of the Year in 2024. He also received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award from the Reading Berks Basketball Association. The Red Knights won 22 games and reached the state semifinals this season.

McKoy made the All-State squad despite playing in only 14 games. Unfortunately, his season came to an end on January 23rd when he suffered a fractured tibia against Reading. Berks Catholic rallied to win that game 61-59 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. McKoy poured in a career-high 29 points in a thrilling 77-73 overtime victory at Trinity in late December. The 6’2 sophomore guard averaged 15 points this year. He also provided elite defense. McKoy was voted to the All-County team as well. The (23-5) Saints advanced to the second round of the PIAA-4A playoffs.

Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:15:00 +0000

Berks Catholic got production up and down its batting order in a 12-8 win over Kutztown. The Saints piled up 15 hits in a battle of division leaders on Monday. Head coach Brandon Shurr likes the depth in his lineup. “I think it’s one of our strengths as a team. We don’t have a big drop off,” he emphasized. Outfielders Michael Bradley and Mikey Fidler combined for six hits, four runs, and 3RBI. They hit seventh and ninth respectively. The Cougars scored twice in the opening frame thanks to a sacrifice fly and a passed ball. Berks Catholic responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Third baseman Aidan Curley stroked a line drive single to center to get the Saints on the board. Bradley then walked with the bases loaded. He’s hitting .455 with a team-high 13 runs this season. Berks Catholic exploded for seven runs in the 3rd inning. Curley, Maxx Mace, Fidler, and Dillon Walls provided RBI singles. Dennys Rodriguez drew a walk with the bases full to make it 7-2. Parker Nein followed with a grounder to shortstop. Kutztown got one out, but couldn’t turn the double play. Walls came around from second base to give the Saints two runs on the play. “He really bothers teams when he’s on the bases. He runs the bases really well,” noted Shurr. Walls went 2-for-5 and knocked in two runs. The sophomore middle infielder leads the club with a .500 batting average. Nein added three hits and drove in a couple of runs. The Penn State Harrisburg commit is hitting .483 with a team-high 13RBI. “He’s really our emotional leader. When he has a good game, the other guys attach to him and go with him,” said Shurr. The (7-7, 5-2) Cougars got a run in the 4th when Ashton Dunn stole third and scored on a throwing error. Dunn’s RBI single to right field in the 5th pulled Kutztown within 9-4. Nein hit a double down the third base line in the bottom of that inning to put Berks Catholic on top 10-4. Fidler and Walls gave the Saints some insurance runs in the 6th with RBI singles. Trey Stricker improved to (3-0, 3.71). The junior righty allowed six runs, five earned, on ten hits over six innings. Stricker struck out nine and walked only one. He has 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. Colten Mathias took the loss. The junior was charged with five runs, four earned, in just two innings. Mathias gave up five hits and walked three. Sophomore Chris Bergstrom allowed three runs on three hits without getting an out. Kole Schuler then took over on the mound. The senior limited Berks Catholic to two runs over three innings. Colin Hamm finished with four of the Cougars’ twelve hits. He had a two-run single off Mace in the 7th. Leadoff hitter Colin Diehl was 3-for-3 with a walk. Kutztown had won seven of its previous ten games. The Cougars remain atop the Division 4 standings. They captured their sixth District 3 championship and reached the PIAA-2A semifinals last year. Meanwhile, the (8-2, 6-1) Saints are trying to win the Division 3 crown and qualify for the BCIAA playoffs for the first time since 2018. “It means a lot to be one of our initial goals,” said Shurr.

Luke Wagner-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 12:46:00 +0000

Luke Wagner’s first extra-base hit of the season came at the right moment. Twin Valley’s junior catcher crushed a three-run double off the wall in left-center to put the Raiders up 12-7 in the 8th at Exeter. That was the final margin as Twin Valley extended its winning streak to six. “I was looking to do something big. We needed more runs. He gave me a pitch I could hit and I took advantage of it,” said Wagner. The (8-3, 5-0) Raiders rallied from a 6-2 deficit after five innings. “We never give up. We always have something to say, something to answer,” replied Wagner. Twin Valley got a pair of runs in the 1st off sophomore Kamren Martin. The righty was just called up to the varsity team on Thursday. Martin settled down and allowed two runs on four hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked two. The (6-5, 2-4) Eagles responded immediately with four runs in the first frame. Brandon Weller singled to center field to score Alex Kelsey. Weller, a freshman catcher, had four of Exeter’s twelve hits on Friday afternoon. He knocked in three runs. Jake Franek’s RBI double to right-center tied it up. The Eagles took the lead on a wild pitch and a ground out. They added two more runs in the 2nd inning thanks to four consecutive hits with two outs. Jake Hafer and Weller provided RBI singles. Hafer, Kelsey, and Carter Redding each went 2-for-4. Kelsey, an All-County center fielder who’s committed to St. Joseph’s, scored three runs. The southpaw took over on the mound for sophomore Liam Porter in the 6th with two men on and nobody out. Wagner drew a bases loaded walk to get the Raiders within 6-3. Wagner, who’s batting .323, was walked three times. Logan Crunkleton grounded out to shortstop, but the throw to first base got away. Twin Valley scored two runs on the play. After a single by leadoff hitter Roman Cieless, Ben Vaughan hammered a two-run double to left-center to give the Raiders a 7-6 advantage. They managed five runs on only two hits in the 6th inning. A two-out line drive single to left field by Weller tied the game in the bottom half of the frame. Exeter put runners on first and second in the 7th, but Owen Rhoads got Kelsey to fly out to center to force extra innings in Reiffton. Rhoads earned the win in relief. He limited the Eagles to one run on two hits and three walks over 3.1 innings. “That was big. He’s one of our best pitchers. I was really comfortable with him coming in,” noted Wagner. Jon Oxendine gave up six runs, four earned, on ten hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out eleven and walked one. Oxendine and Rhoads are both committed to Elizabethtown College. Kelsey walked Nate Lord with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run in the 8th. Kevin Eden’s infield single with two outs made it 9-7. Wagner cleared the bases with a double. Wagner, Eden, Cieless, and Vaughan finished with two hits apiece. Designated hitter Paul Colombo was 1-for-3 with a couple of walks. He’s headed to Division II Anderson University in South Carolina. Colombo is batting .483 and Cieless is up to .486 this year. The young Eagles have dropped four of their last five games. They only had two seniors in the starting lineup. Kelsey was charged with eight runs on six hits over 2.2 innings. Exeter committed four errors. Meanwhile, Twin Valley is trying to bounce back from a (10-10) campaign a season ago. The Raiders didn’t qualify for the BCIAA or District 3 playoffs. “We know we’re more than mediocre. We’re pushing ourselves. We’re striving for those playoffs,” stated Wagner.

Garrett Etzel-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:57:34 +0000

Garrett Etzel was an All-County guard at Gov. Mifflin who averaged 19 points per game as a senior. The 2003 graduate has returned to Shillington as the Mustangs’ new varsity boys basketball head coach. “I got a lot of responses from people within the community that are excited for myself and also the basketball program. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Etzel. He’ll be coaching in the Governor Mifflin Athletic Community Center which opened in early December. “This facility is great. You’ve got everything you need here to become a winning program,” replied Etzel. The Mustangs haven’t had a winning season since 2019-20. They went (15-29) over the past two years under Brian Wrobel. He became the head coach after Kyle Conrad passed away from cancer. Gov. Mifflin is part of a highly competitive Division 1 in the Berks Conference. The Mustangs finished (3-8) in league play a season ago. “It’s very tough, and you can tell by the past several years how far some of these teams go in State’s. This is some of the best basketball in the state,” emphasized Etzel. He spent last year as the head coach at Wyomissing. The Spartans ended up (11-11). Etzel was an assistant at Wyomissing for five seasons. He also served as an assistant at Alvernia, his alma mater, for one year. Etzel was named the PAC Player of the Year in 2007. He led Alvernia to conference championships in 2006 and 2007. The 2008 graduate scored more than 1,000 points in his college career. Etzel mentioned that his coaching staff will be finalized soon. They’ll have an experienced group to work with in the upcoming season. Gov. Mifflin’s top five scorers were all juniors including Matt Koehler. The 6’3 wing averaged 11.5 ppg. and connected 43 times from beyond the arc. Point guard Andrew Galantuomo reminds Etzel of himself. He provided nine points a night during the 2023-24 campaign. UConn baseball commit Bryce Detwiler added nearly eight points a contest. Jahmair Johnson, a 6’3 forward, is also part of an athletic junior class. The Mustangs allowed 56 ppg. last year. Etzel will be focused on that end of the floor. “The identity that I need for this team is gonna have to be on the defensive end,” he stated.