Kutztown struck first thanks to a two-out RBI single by Zane Cherrie in the bottom of the first. A second run scored on the play as the ball rolled past the right fielder. “It was a huge hit. It felt like a little bit of relief on our backs,” noted Bergstrom. Wyomissing had two men on base in the first and the fourth innings. Elliot Knutsen got out of both jams with strikeouts. The junior righty held the Spartans to three hits over four scoreless frames. “Elliot has been a huge piece all year. He’s been pitching and catching. I don’t know how he does it,” emphasized Bergstrom. Knutsen struck out three and walked four. “He does a very good job mixing pitches and keeping a batter off balance,” explained Mertz.

Bergstrom took over on the mound in the fifth. He struck out Zander Westwood with runners on first and second to get out of trouble. Sophomore Ryan Walters led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. After Chase Schuler was hit by a pitch, Bergstrom delivered a two-run single to center that made it 4-0. “I tend to overthink when I go up to the plate. Don’t think, just hit the ball hard somewhere,” said Bergstrom. Wyomissing loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Bergstrom struck out Teddy White and Ryan Graham to avoid any damage. White and Graham hit .427 and .455 respectively this year. Graham, an Alvernia commit, went 2-for-4 on Monday.

The Cougars tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth. A RBI groundout to shortstop by Walters gave them a 5-0 cushion. Schuler followed with a two-out RBI single through the left side. The Spartans finally got on the scoreboard when Westwood hammered a solo homer to left in the seventh. It was the fourth home run of the season for the 6’3, 225-pound junior. Westwood is also a linebacker and fullback on the football team. Noah Rauenzahn was charged with three runs, one earned, on three hits in four innings. The Alvernia commit had five strikeouts and three walks. Chase Bailey gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits in two innings. He hit three batters and struck out two. Wyomissing committed a pair of errors, while Kutztown only made one.

The Cougars have won six District 3 championships. They’re (45-27) overall in the District 3 tournament. “Kutztown is a baseball town. I love it here. We play on this beautiful field and all of the community was out here. It’s great to play for Kutztown,” stated Bergstrom.