Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Henry Pflomm has a unique arm slot. The Berks Catholic senior right-hander was one out away from a complete game in a 10-2 victory over Wyomissing on Wednesday. “The fall of my sophomore year, I really wanted to start making an impact on my travel team. I found pitching sidearm was a way I could be effective and it’s been evolving,” explained Pflomm. He held the (4-3) Spartans to two runs, one earned, on four hits over 6.2 innings. “He was able to mix up his pitches for strikes. He threw the splitter for a strike. He threw the slider for a strike so we were able to throw that behind in the count or start off a hitter with that. He kept the ball down most of the game,” noted head coach Tom Frees. Pflomm finished with 101 pitches. He had five strikeouts and three walks. Two of the hits that he gave up were infield singles. “The key for me was getting ahead early so I could have everything on the table,” emphasized Pflomm.
The (4-3) Saints put up two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning. Dom Valent got things started with a single up the middle off senior Chase Bailey. Valent scored on a groundout to second by first team All-State pick Owen Schalk. Victor Mejia made it 2-0 with a RBI double down the left field line. Wyomissing got one run back in the top of the second thanks to two errors. Berks Catholic didn’t commit another error the rest of the game. The Saints tacked on two runs in the fourth for a 4-1 cushion. Gio DiSabatino and Valent provided RBI singles.
Senior southpaw Ryan Graham took over for Bailey in the fifth. Bailey allowed four runs on five hits with four strikeouts and four walks. Aidan Curley walked with one out in the fifth. After stealing second, he came home on a two-out single up the middle by Pflomm. Berks Catholic ended up with eight hits from six different players. Curley and Valent each had two hits and a walk.
The Saints blew it open with five runs in the sixth inning. After an error, freshman Austin Acevedo was hit by a pitch and Valent walked to load the bases with no outs. A bloop single to center by Jack Wentzel made it 6-1. Schalk walked to force in another run and a wild pitch gave Berks Catholic a 8-1 advantage. Curley then ripped a two-run single to left field. Graham was charged with six runs, five earned, on three hits in two innings. He walked three batters and struck out two. The Alvernia commit had two of the Spartans’ four hits. Graham was a second team All-State selection in Class 3A a season ago. He’s 13-for-23 with a team-high 11 RBI this year.
Sophomore Bennett Ernst came off the bench and knocked in a run with a groundout to third in the seventh. Pflomm reached the limit on pitches so Schalk got the final out. Pflomm has an interesting perspective on the rivalry with Wyomissing. “It’s probably one of the biggest in the county. I went to Wyomissing as a child so it’s different being on the other side, but I love it over here. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he remarked. The Saints and Spartans tied for first place in Division 3 last spring with (9-3) league records.
Berks Catholic won 20 games in 2025 under Brandon Shurr. The Saints beat top-seeded Bermudian Springs 8-0 in the District 3-3A Championship. They advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in program history. Berks Catholic is searching for consistency this season. “I think this has to be the turning point. We were talking before the game how something has to change here. We haven’t played our best baseball. I’m pretty confident we can turn it around,” replied Pflomm. He added, “I know that we can make a deep run. I know what we have. They’re a great bunch of guys. We have a lot of talent.”
