Rafael Fernandez-Wilson

Baseball is a team game, but it’s controlled by one person. The man on the mound is the dictator. The Bulldogs were helpless against Julio Ermigiotti at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth Meeting. The Lehigh commit fired a perfect game as Central Bucks West defeated Wilson 3-0 in the first round of the PIAA-6A playoffs. The 5’8, 195-pound righty struck out nine. “He was just pounding the zone. The velocity was definitely up there. Props to him,” said center fielder Rafael Fernandez. Ermigiotti features a fastball that’s 87-90 mph, along with a slider. He got through seven innings with just 80 pitches, 59 were for strikes. Ermigiotti improved to (6-0) this season with a 2.17 ERA. The (20-6) Bucks scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. Alex Valdes and Quinn Illig singled with one out before Matt Carr reached on a bunt base hit to load the bases. No. 9 hitter Jack Hogenauer knocked in the first run with a groundout to third base. Kevin Bukowski followed with a 2-run single past shortstop Trevor Bilodeau. The District 1 champions threatened in the 6th. Freshman Ben Kulp replaced junior southpaw Matt VanOstenbridge with runners on the corners and two outs. Bukowski, who went 2-for-4, flew out to Fernandez to end the frame. VanOstenbridge allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. The Kent State commit had a trio of strikeouts. He was taken out after hurling 101 pitches. “He’s a young kid and we all love him. Best of luck to him in the future. I hope he keeps pumping gas,” replied Fernandez. The (19-9) Bulldogs had won 12 of their previous 14 contests entering Monday. They were the Berks County and District 3-6A runner-up. “This season has truly been unreal. I wouldn’t have wanted to play with anyone else. The culture, the vibes…everything was good. I loved it,” remarked Fernandez. The speedy outfielder will continue his career at Misericordia. Fernandez is one of eleven seniors on Wilson’s roster. They won eight more games than a season ago. Meanwhile, the Bucks advanced to the state quarterfinals. They’ll take on District 12 champ Father Judge on Thursday.