Mason Mace-Berks Catholic

After a bit of a slow start, Berks Catholic is peaking at the right time. The (11-4, 10-1) Saints defeated rival Wyomissing 16-6 in six innings to clinch the Division 3 championship. “It feels great. We were struggling in the beginning of the season, but shortly after that we found it and we’ve been on a roll since,” said Mason Mace. The sophomore shortstop went 3-for-4 with a walk and 5 RBI. Berks Catholic has won six in a row and nine of its last ten contests. Henry Pflomm, Victor Mejia, and Aidan Curley had two hits apiece. Pflomm knocked in three runs and Mejia scored four times. The Saints finished with a dozen hits from seven different players. “I think we have a really good lineup. We’re all hitting well and we’re all doing our jobs at the plate,” replied Mace. Berks Catholic got some help from Wyomissing’s pitchers on Thursday afternoon. They walked eleven batters and hit three more.

Pflomm beat the (10-8, 8-4) Spartans for the second time this spring. The sidearm righty allowed just one earned run on four hits over 6.2 innings in their first meeting. The Saints prevailed 10-2 on April 8th. Pflomm wasn’t as sharp this time around. He gave up six runs, four earned, on eight hits in a complete game effort. The senior hit four batters, but didn’t issue any walks. Pflomm has a 2.46 ERA this year. He’s also batting .419 and is tied for the team lead with 17 RBI.

Noah Rauenzahn was charged with six runs on five hits and four walks. The Alvernia commit hit a pair of batters over three innings. Ryan Graham took over on the mound and allowed five runs, two earned, in 1.2 innings. The senior southpaw gave up three hits and four walks. He’s headed to Alvernia as well. Curran Cirulli was the third pitcher used by Wyomissing. The sophomore permitted five runs, three earned, on four hits over 1.1 innings. Cirulli handed out three walks. Berks Catholic first baseman Cole Harter reached base five times without a hit. He drew four walks and was hit by a pitch.

The Spartans got on the board first with two runs on three hits and an error in the first frame. Rauenzahn helped himself with a line drive single to center for a 1-0 lead. Cirulli then hit a high chopper over third base to bring in another run. The Saints responded with three runs in the second, including a two-run double down the left field line by sophomore Henry Lago. A sacrifice fly by Teddy White in the bottom half of the inning tied it at 3-3. Mejia put Berks Catholic back on top with a RBI single to left in the third. Mace followed with a two-run single down the third base line for a 6-3 advantage. Zander Westwood hammered a two-run triple to right in the bottom of the third. He scored on a groundout by Caleb Goodhead. It was knotted at 6-6 going to the fourth.

A two-run single to center by Mace quickly put the Saints in front 8-6. They tacked on three runs in the fifth, including a two-run double to left-center by Owen Schalk. He walked three times and scored three runs. Berks Catholic added five more runs in the top of the sixth. Pflomm delivered a three-run double to right-center. Mace made it 16-6 with a RBI single.

The Saints reached the BCIAA Championship Game a season ago before falling to Gov. Mifflin 11-1. The Berks County playoffs begin next Thursday. “It’s a very wide open county. I think we’re gonna have a good shot. I think we can make a really good run,” remarked Mace.