Matt VanOstenbridge-Wilson

On Senior Night at Owls Field, a junior led Wilson to victory over Gov. Mifflin. Matt VanOstenbridge tossed a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 win. “It’s huge…every sport we have at Wilson it’s huge. We know it’s gonna be a battle every single time,” said VanOstenbridge about the rivalry with the Mustangs. The southpaw has 61 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 41.2 innings this year. He’s only allowed 24 hits. The Bulldogs’ ace threw 95 pitches, 63 for strikes. UConn commit Tyler Minick was on the mound for Gov. Mifflin. He struck out four of the first seven batters he faced. Designated hitter Nick Fiorini opened the bottom of the 4th with an opposite field triple to left. Rafael Fernandez followed with a double to left-center to knock in the lone run. Minick prevented further damage by striking out Charlie Frantz with the bases loaded. The 2022 Berks Player of the Year gave up six hits to six different players over four innings. He struck out eight and walked two. Minick has 23 strikeouts and five walks in 16 frames this season. Matt Novotny took over on the hill. The senior right-hander struck out Jordan Shutter with men on second and third to end the 5th inning. Wilson left nine runners on base. VanOstenbridge didn’t allow a hit until Darien Troche singled to left in the 5th. Bloomsburg commit Xander Velez ripped a one-out double in the 7th. VanOstenbridge punched out Matt Koehler before getting Troche to ground out to third base to end it. The lefty gave credit to the senior class. “They’ve been very good leading our team. [If] we had a bad inning, they get us up, get us cheering and they’ve been doing a really good job,” remarked VanOstenbridge. The (13-4, 9-2) Mustangs had already wrapped up the Division 1 championship. The (12-6, 8-4) Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five. They swept Gov. Mifflin in the regular season. “We’re looking strong heading into the postseason,” said VanOstenbridge. The Berks County quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday at Muhlenberg and Owls Field. The Bulldogs and Mustangs are two clubs to keep an eye on.