Moody and Chambersburg senior Ryne Mills both threw complete games in the semifinals on Thursday. Mills only allowed one hit in a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Hempfield. The St. Joseph’s commit is (9-0) this spring with a 1.37 ERA over 66.1 innings. The (17-7) Trojans went with Brady Truett on Monday night. The junior entered the day at (4-1) with a 0.62 ERA. Truett had 26 strikeouts and 14 walks in 34 innings. “I’m not gonna lie, No. 5 through No. 9 hitters, I gave everyone a take until they got a strike,” noted Kopetsky. That strategy worked as Truett walked four and lasted just 1.1 innings. The Muhls ended up with nine hits and eight walks. Burr, Moody, and shortstop Liam Vargas provided two hits apiece. Vargas walked twice and scored a pair of runs. Burr and Moody each drove in two runs. Mike Canfield went 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 RBI. The sophomore third baseman also made a tremendous defensive play. Gavin Moody, Cole’s twin brother, was 1-for-3 with a walk. He scored two runs and knocked in another.

Muhlenberg took control early with four runs on two hits and three walks in the top of the second inning. Sophomore John Martin hit a pop up to shallow right field with men on the corners. Second baseman Brycen Murray made the catch on the run as his momentum took him into foul territory. Vargas alertly scored the first run by tagging up from third base. After walks to Aidan Bonte and Carter Burr, leadoff hitter Cooper Burr ripped a 2-run single through the left side for a 3-0 edge. Senior lefty Hayden Lyons replaced Truett on the mound. Marvin Frias bunted the ball back to Lyons and Carter Burr slid head-first to avoid the tag by catcher Ceagan Truett. The home plate umpire never signaled safe which led to some confusion, but the Muhls had a 4-0 cushion. That was plenty of support for Moody. He’s limited opponents to 45 hits in 70 innings with 88 strikeouts this season.

Muhlenberg tacked on two runs in the fourth. Frias stole second after an infield single. He scored on a two-out single through the left side by Gavin Moody. Cole Moody then hammered a RBI double to right-center. Canfield made it 7-0 with a RBI groundout to second in the fifth. Junior southpaw Cam Wadel took over on the hill for the Trojans in the sixth. RBI singles by Cole Moody and Vargas put the Muhls on top 9-0. A sacrifice fly to right field by Canfield brought home their final run. Truett was charged with four runs on two hits and four walks. Lyons gave up three runs on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings. Wadel allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in one frame.

Chambersburg has won a record eleven District 3 championships with the last coming in 2009. The Muhls’ first District 3 title was against the Trojans in 1980. Kopetsky was on Muhlenberg’s 1982 team which also brought District 3 gold back to Laureldale. He’s in his 27th season as the Muhls’ head coach. “It’s exciting. This is for everybody who has played in the program. These kids went out and they played for Muhlenberg baseball, and they play for each other. This means an awful lot to a lot of people,” said Kopetsky.

The Muhls have won ten of their past eleven games. The PIAA-6A tournament begins on Monday, June 1st. “There’s no limit to us now. We can keep extending the bar. I think we got a good shot in State’s,” remarked Burr.

The (10-11) Blazers weren’t able to take advantage of some early opportunities. They left eight men on base. Greyson Bell singled and Owen Howells walked to open the game. Sophomore Devon Lopez bunted into a double play as first baseman Cole Moody caught the pop up and threw to second base. In the second inning, Daniel Boone put runners on first and second with one out, but Burr was once again able to get out of trouble. He gave up two hits and five walks over four frames. The Penn State Schuylkill commit hit one batter and struck out two. Rosenberry held the Blazers to one hit in three innings with four strikeouts.

Aidan Bonte led off the bottom of the third with a single. He scored on Burr’s double to left-center. A sacrifice fly to left field by Gavin Moody made it 2-0. Cole Moody, Gavin’s twin brother, followed with a RBI single up the middle for a 3-0 edge. Aidan Howells was charged with three runs on five hits in three innings. The sophomore had pitched just 17 innings all season prior to Friday. Daniel Boone ace Greyson Bell fired a no-hitter in a 2-0 quarterfinal win over second-seeded Oley Valley. The sophomore southpaw piled up 16 strikeouts on Thursday.

Muhlenberg added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Burr and Marvin Frias singled to put runners on the corners. Frias got himself in a rundown between first and second base. When senior pitcher Owen Howells ran at Frias, Burr broke for home and scored. A throwing error on Cole Moody’s grounder to shortstop put the Muhls in front 5-0. Burr and Frias had two hits apiece. Frias scored a pair of runs and Cole Moody went 1-for-3 with a RBI. Muhlenberg ended up with seven hits. Owen Howells, Aidan’s older brother, allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits in three innings. The Blazers committed three errors while the Muhls had none. Senior shortstop Chase Yenser, an all-division pick last season, was unable to hit due to an injury. Rosenberry retired Daniel Boone in order in the seventh.

Muhlenberg advanced to the Berks County Championship on Monday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Muhls will face top-seeded Wilson at 6:05pm. They split their two regular season meetings. “It’s a great matchup. There’s a lot of talking going on, but at the end of the day we all love it,” remarked Rosenberry.