Hollidaysburg – Berks Sports Report https://berkssportsreport.com Paul Roberts Sat, 15 Jun 2024 06:01:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Bryce Wunderlich-Gov. Mifflin https://berkssportsreport.com/bryce-wunderlich-gov-mifflin/ Sat, 15 Jun 2024 05:57:34 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=4290 After earning silver medals in the BCIAA and District 3 tournaments, the Mustangs are bringing gold back to Shillington. Gov. Mifflin used dominant pitching to top Hollidaysburg 2-1 in the PIAA-5A championship at Penn State’s Medlar Field. It’s the first state title for the (24-5) Mustangs. “It feels amazing…it means a lot,” said Bryce Wunderlich. The outfielder was one of just two seniors in the starting lineup. He drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out, RBI single through the middle in the 4th inning. “Just trying to roll the ball with two strikes, do my job. It worked out the way it did. I’m thankful for it,” explained Wunderlich. Dylan Barrett reached on a throwing error by Keagan Hockey at second base. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Koehler and an infield single from sophomore R.J. Weaver set the stage for Wunderlich. Weaver was thrown out at home on Wunderlich’s hit, but two runs is all Gov. Mifflin needed with Ethan Grim and Bryce Detwiler on the mound. “It’s almost a cheat code, honestly, having them on the team. It’s insane what they do,” emphasized Wunderlich. Grim limited the (17-7) Golden Tigers to a pair of hits and three walks over six frames. The hard-throwing righty piled up eleven strikeouts. Grim (8-3) punched out the side on 13 pitches in the top of the 1st inning. He finished the season with 113 strikeouts in 71 innings. “He’s a stud. He’s gonna go somewhere big. I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. He shoved today,” said Wunderlich. Hollidaysburg’s lone run came in the 3rd on a RBI single up the middle by leadoff hitter Jake Hileman. The senior outfielder came into Friday with a .469 batting average and a team-high 38 hits, including ten doubles. The Mustangs answered with a run in the bottom half of the 3rd. Detwiler ripped a ground-rule double to right-center. The UConn commit later scored on a groundout to first base by Travis Jenkins. Branson Adams collected two of the seven hits by Gov. Mifflin. Paul Wedel gave up two runs, one earned, in 5.1 innings. The junior struck out two and walked none. The Golden Tigers brought in their ace, Carson Kensinger, with one out in the bottom of the 6th. The lefty was dealing with a foot injury. Kensinger picked up his tenth win of the year in the semifinals against Monsignor Bonner. The Frostburg State commit went 6.2 innings in that 3-1 victory. Hollidaysburg was also making its first appearance in the state finals. Detwiler wrapped up the game in style by striking out the side in the 7th. The Mustangs are the first Berks County team to win a PIAA crown since Conrad Weiser did it in Class 3A in 2010.

]]> PIAA-5A Championship Preview https://berkssportsreport.com/piaa-5a-championship-preview/ Fri, 14 Jun 2024 04:19:32 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=4287 History will be made on Friday afternoon at Penn State’s Medlar Field. Gov. Mifflin squares off with Hollidaysburg in the PIAA-5A championship at 4:30pm. The winner will claim its first state title. The Mustangs are making their fifth appearance in the PIAA tournament. They hadn’t won a game in the state playoffs prior to this season. The Golden Tigers reached the PIAA tournament for the first time since 2012. This is their third appearance overall.

The (23-5) Mustangs were the District 3 and BCIAA runner-up. Their bats have come alive after scoring just six total runs in the District 3 playoffs. Gov. Mifflin has piled up 24 runs in its three contests during the state tournament. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler leads the team with eight homers out of the leadoff spot. The 6’2, 215-pound junior was voted the Berks County Player of the Year.

Ethan Grim is in line to make the start against Hollidaysburg. That allows the Mustangs to put Detwiler at shortstop which is their best defensive lineup. Grim (7-3, 1.82) has 102 strikeouts in 65 innings. Several Division I programs have shown interest in the hard-throwing junior. Grim held Whitehall to two hits in a 10-0 rout in the PIAA quarterfinals. He’ll be throwing to Travis Jenkins. The junior catcher is a defensive wizard behind the plate who can also swing the bat. Jenkins and Grim were All-County selections this spring.

Hollidaysburg is the District 6 champion. The (17-6) Golden Tigers are led by senior Carson Kensinger. The southpaw tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts in the District 6 final. Kensinger (10-0, 1.05) lasted 6.2 innings in the state semifinals before reaching the pitch limit versus Monsignor Bonner. Hollidaysburg prevailed 3-1. The Mustangs are expecting to see Kensinger on three days rest. The Frostburg State commit has 119 strikeouts over 73 innings. He’s only allowed 46 hits. Junior Paul Wedel (5-1, 2.29) has thrown 33.2 innings.

Kensinger can certainly help himself at the plate. He’s batting .366 with a team-high 28 RBI and 7 HR. Senior outfielder Jake Hileman leads the Golden Tigers with 38 hits, 31 runs, ten doubles, and a .469 average. Ethan Karageanes is hitting .347 with eight doubles. Hollidaysburg has been in three tight games during the PIAA tournament. The Golden Tigers have outscored their opponents 10-5.

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