Brian Kopetsky, who’s in his 27th year as the Muhls’ head coach, decided not to start Cole Moody. Muhlenberg’s ace had thrown 90 pitches in a 4-0 win over Gov. Mifflin on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Kopetsky gave the ball to sophomore John Martin. If healthy, he would have been one of the Muhls’ top pitchers this season. Martin had only one inning under his belt this spring. The young righty didn’t allow a run over the first two frames against Wilson.

Alex Frantz, the No. 9 hitter, and Gabel opened the bottom of the third with singles. Ryan Rosenberry, who tossed three scoreless innings on Friday in the county semifinals, took over for Martin. After a walk to Pat Lengle, Ben Kulp hit a grounder to third base. Sophomore Mike Canfield came home, but the throw wasn’t in time to get Gabel who scored the first run. Tim Lengle drew a walk to make it 2-0. A balk by Rosenberry gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead. Matt Mallis then put a squeeze bunt down the first base line which scored Kulp. Spohn followed with a RBI double down the third base line. “I was fired up. It was a great feeling, top 5 moment in baseball for me,” emphasized Spohn. Wilson took control with five runs on three hits and two walks in the third inning.

The Bulldogs ended it early with five more runs in the sixth. Sophomore Landon Kostelac led off with a double before Frantz walked. A single to left field by Gabel made it 6-0. A sacrifice fly to left by Ryan Marmolejos gave Wilson a 7-0 cushion. After walking Pat Lengle, Rosenberry was replaced by Chase Kreider. Following a walk by Kulp, Tim Lengle hit a 2-run opposite field single to left. Spohn’s RBI single through the middle was the final blow. The (17-6) Bulldogs claimed their second BCIAA title in three years and 14th overall. The (13-8) Muhls await the District 3-6A playoffs which begin on Friday.

Martin was charged with two runs on four hits in two innings. Rosenberry allowed seven runs on four hits and four walks in 3.1 innings. Gabel needed just 72 pitches to get through six frames. He also provided three of Wilson’s ten hits. Gabel boosted his batting average to .389 this year. Tim Lengle went 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI. Spohn provided two hits and knocked in a pair of runs. “If you’re down, he really keeps you in it. He’s a great captain. Behind the plate, he’s a brick wall,” remarked Gabel of his catcher. Pat Lengle was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs. The freshman is hitting .464 this season. His older brother, Tim, isn’t far behind at .431.

The Bulldogs are hitting .351 as a team this spring. They only used three pitchers to navigate through the county playoffs. Gabel, Kulp, and Pat Lengle each threw a complete game. Wilson outscored its three opponents 24-to-3. “I don’t think anyone can beat us when we’re playing our game,” stated Gabel.

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.

The top-seeded Bulldogs trailed 3-1 after three innings in the nightcap at Muhlenberg. Wilson ended the game with eight runs in the sixth. The (15-6) Bulldogs finished with 13 hits from eight players. Pat Lengle had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs. The freshman also went the distance on the mound. Lengle allowed two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. West Chester commit Jack Gabel provided two hits and three runs. Alex Frantz went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. Chris Bergstrom took the loss for the (13-8) Cougars. He was charged with five runs, four earned, on nine hits in five innings.

Exeter-7, Berks Catholic-5

The fourth-seeded Eagles went on top 6-1 with four runs in the fourth inning. They had a 7-1 cushion entering the final frame. The (13-6) Saints made it interesting by scoring four times in the top of the seventh. Mason Goodhart was called upon to get the final three outs. He also went 2-for-2 at the plate with a couple of runs. Liam Porter gave up just one run on three hits over six innings. He struck out seven, but walked five. Porter helped himself with a RBI double. Henry Pflomm suffered the loss. He allowed seven runs, five earned, on seven hits in four innings. Exeter improved to (15-6). The Eagles meet Wilson at 4pm on Friday at Owls Field in West Lawn.

Muhlenberg-4, Gov. Mifflin-0

Cole Moody fired another complete game for the (12-7) Muhls. He held the (10-11) Mustangs to three hits. All four of Muhlenberg’s runs came in the bottom of the sixth. Moody and Mike Canfield delivered two-run singles. Cooper Burr chipped in with two hits and a run. RJ Weaver pitched very well for #6 seed Gov. Mifflin before running into trouble in the sixth. Weaver limited the Muhls to six hits while striking out four. The Mustangs were the defending Berks County champions.

Daniel Boone-2, Oley Valley-0

Greyson Bell and Timmy Fries, a pair of southpaws, squared off in a classic pitcher’s duel at Owls Field. Bell tossed a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts and two walks. The 6’2 lefty showed why he’s ranked as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2028. Fries was taken out after throwing 75 pitches in six innings. The Lebanon Valley College commit gave up just two hits and a walk while striking out seven. The seventh-seeded Blazers scored twice in the top of the seventh on wild pitches by Gryffin Cappellano. Chase Yenser had all three of Daniel Boone’s hits. He also scored a run. The (10-10) Blazers will take on Muhlenberg in the second semifinal game at Owls Field on Friday.

Wilson has dropped three in a row after winning twelve consecutive games. The (13-6, 9-3) Bulldogs were outscored 23-to-1 by Gov. Mifflin and Reading this week. Wilson sent Ben Kulp to the mound on Friday. The West Chester commit entered the Senior Night contest with a (6-0) record and a 1.32 ERA. Gavin Moody made his first appearance for the (10-7, 9-3) Muhls. “I borrowed the opener idea. The goal was to get to Rosenberry for the fourth inning and ride him to the finish. At this point in the season, you get a little thin in pitching so we put Gavin in a tough spot. I thought Marv did a great job for the two innings to steady things,” noted Kopetsky. Moody hit Jack Gabel with a pitch to begin the bottom of the first. He then walked two batters, but limited the damage to one run on a passed ball. Frias tossed a pair of scoreless innings without allowing a hit. The junior lefty walked three and hit a batter.

John Martin, Muhlenberg’s designated hitter, stroked a two-run single to right field in the fourth. The lead didn’t last long for the Muhls. A wild pitch by Ryan Rosenberry tied it up at 2-2 in the bottom half of the frame. The Bulldogs made three errors in the fifth which put them in a 3-2 deficit. After Kulp doubled down the right field line in the bottom of the fifth, Tim Lengle ripped a RBI triple to right-center. A wild pitch put Wilson on top 4-3.

Muhlenberg loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Kulp had to exit after reaching the 100 pitch limit. Ben Shaub came out of the Bulldogs’ bullpen and struck out Rosenberry for the first out. That set the stage for Burr. His double fell just out of the reach of speedy right fielder Aidan Incledon. Rosenberry got three ground ball outs in the bottom of the seventh to retire Wilson in order. The Bulldogs, who came into the night with a .349 team batting average, were limited to three hits. Kulp went 1-for-2 with two walks. Burr provided two of the Muhls’ five hits. Kulp was charged with six runs, one earned, on four hits over five innings. The 6’2, 215-pound righty finished with eight strikeouts and a pair of walks. Wilson committed four errors, while Muhlenberg made none.

Both teams are headed to the BCIAA playoffs. The Berks County quarterfinals are set for Thursday, May 7th. The Muhls wrapped up a playoff berth on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory at Exeter. “Now you’re seeing a loose team. Now you’re seeing a team that’s hungry, a team that’s aggressive, a team that’s got some spirit. They’re a fun bunch. They can do some damage,” said Kopetsky.

Moody held the (12-6, 7-5) Eagles to five hits. “He pitched the way he’s been pitching all season. He has been very efficient while striking out batters. It’s a nice combination and he’s not running up a 100 pitch count in five innings which is what Cole did last year,” noted Kopetsky. This is his 27th season at the helm in Laureldale. Moody needed just 90 pitches to get through seven frames. The Northampton Community College commit finished with six strikeouts and only one walk. He pounded the zone with a high-80s fastball. “I love the fastball. I love blowing it by people,” remarked Moody. He also has a very good slider. “They buckle, it’s awesome to see,” he said with a smile. His arsenal includes a curveball and changeup. Moody feels confident in utilizing all four pitches. He improved to (6-0) for the (9-7, 8-3) Muhls. Moody entered the game with a 1.17 ERA.

Muhlenberg got on the board early against Shippensburg commit Kamren Martin. The 6’4 righty made just his second start of the year. Cooper Burr and Marvin Frias opened the top of the first with singles. Moody helped himself with a RBI groundout to shortstop. Exeter threatened in the bottom half of the inning. Jake Hafer, who’s headed to East Stroudsburg, and Jake Franek singled with nobody out. However, Moody got two groundouts and a strikeout to escape the jam. Brenton Feathers ripped a double down the left field line to open the bottom of the fourth. The Eagles weren’t able to get a bunt down to advance him to third base. Moody then got another groundout and a strikeout to keep the shutout intact.

The Muhls made it 2-0 in the fifth without the benefit of a hit. Mason Goodhart replaced Martin who threw 64 pitches in four innings. Martin allowed four hits with one strikeout and no walks. Goodhart walked Aidan Bonte, the No. 8 hitter, to begin the fifth. After a fly ball to center field, Burr hit a grounder to shortstop. Franek threw to sophomore Xavier Jacobs at second base for a force out, but Jacobs dropped the ball. Frias followed with a sacrifice fly to left to knock in Bonte with the second run of the afternoon. Goodhart was charged with one unearned run on three hits over three innings.

Brandon Weller led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left field. After Matt Woram grounded out to shortstop, Feathers lofted a shallow fly ball to center. Gavin Moody, Cole’s twin brother, made the catch on the run and threw to first base to get Woram for a double play. Cole Moody retired Exeter in order in the seventh as Muhlenberg clinched second place in Division 1. Burr ended up with three of the Muhls’ seven hits. Bonte went 1-for-2 with a walk. Franek was 2-for-3 for the Eagles. They’re in third place in the division with no league games remaining.

Muhlenberg went (11-9) last spring and missed out on the Berks County playoffs. “Last year was a little different when we were the #9 team and we didn’t get in. It’s a goal, they always want to get to [FirstEnergy] stadium. It’s great to be back,” said Kopetsky. The Muhls will be a tough customer with Moody on the hill. “We want to make a run, especially for the seniors. I think it’s a very wide open county. If we bring it every day like this, I don’t think anybody is stopping us,” stated Moody.

Reading upset Exeter 5-2 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Eagles had won six of their previous seven contests.

Muhlenberg blanked Conrad Weiser 9-0. Cooper Burr fired five hitless innings with nine strikeouts. Six players had at least one hit for the Muhls.

Daniel Boone defeated Twin Valley 9-1 in Birdsboro. Sophomore Greyson Bell gave up one unearned run on one hit over 5.2 innings. The southpaw racked up eleven strikeouts. Chase Yenser finished with three hits. He scored a pair of runs and knocked in two more.

Wyomissing used a four-run second inning to top Hamburg 5-1 on “Hawk Hill.” Chase Bailey held Hamburg to one unearned run on three hits in 5.2 innings. Teddy White provided two hits and two runs.

Berks Catholic hammered Brandywine Heights 16-1 in four innings. Henry Pflomm went 2-for-3 and drove in five runs.

Oley Valley cruised past Antietam 8-0. Nick DeBalko limited the Mounts to one hit in 4.2 innings. He struck out nine batters. The Lynx host Kutztown on Wednesday in a battle for first place in Division 4.

Schuylkill Valley beat Tulpehocken 15-5 in six innings. The Panthers took the lead with nine runs in the fourth inning. The Trojans committed eleven errors.

Kutztown held off Executive Education Academy 12-9. The Cougars built a 10-0 cushion in the top of the fourth. Ryan Walters was 2-for-2 with two walks. He scored three times and knocked in a couple of runs. Domanic Nolt added two hits and 2 RBI.

Clarke is very familiar with the Berks County hoops scene. He was the men’s basketball head coach at Reading Area Community College from 2004-11. Clarke guided RACC to the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association championship during the 2005-06 season. He was an assistant on the Alvernia men’s basketball coaching staff in 2014-15.

Clarke played college basketball at Marist in New York and then the University of New Haven in Connecticut. During the mid-‘90s, he was an assistant boys basketball coach at three high schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Clarke served as the Director of Berks Red Storm, a youth basketball organization for girls, from 2016-20.

Muhlenberg’s girls basketball program has struggled in recent years. The Muhls finished (0-21) this past season. Only three of those games were decided by single digits. Kenleigh Brill was a bright spot this winter. The sophomore averaged a team-high 12.6 points and was an All-Division selection.

Muhlenberg defeated Fleetwood 9-5 in Laureldale. Cole Moody went 3-for-3. He scored two runs and drove in another. Mike Canfield provided two of the Muhls’ twelve hits. The sophomore ended up with 4 RBI.

Exeter blew out Twin Valley 16-6 in five innings. The Eagles erupted for ten runs in the fourth. They piled up 17 hits. Jake Hafer was 4-for-4 with three runs. Jake Franek and Brandon Weller added three hits apiece.

Reading shut out Conrad Weiser 7-0. The (4-5) Red Knights look for their third straight win tonight. They face Harrisburg at FirstEnergy Stadium at 6pm.

Brandywine Heights beat Hamburg 10-6. A couple of sophomores had big games for the Bullets. Jaxton Henry racked up four hits and scored twice. John Miltenberger contributed three hits and knocked in three runs. Ethan Bollinger hurled a complete game. All six of the runs that he gave up were unearned.

Kutztown took down Tulpehocken 14-4 in five innings. The Cougars got off to a fast start with six runs in the first inning. Kaden Kerecz went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. Zane Cherrie also drove in three runs.

Schuylkill Valley got past Antietam 6-4. Alex Aletras limited the Mounts to one run on one hit over 4.2 innings. Derek Grim had two hits and two runs.

Oley Valley doubled up Wyomissing 6-3. You can read the full story on my website, along with an interview with southpaw Timmy Fries.

Lengle got the (6-3) Bulldogs on the board with a sacrifice fly to left field in the first inning. Muhlenberg responded in the bottom half of the frame with a two-out, RBI single to center by Cole Moody. Following a walk to Mike Canfield, Kulp retired nine straight hitters. He piled up nine strikeouts through three innings. Wilson went up 2-1 in the second thanks to three errors by the Muhls. The Bulldogs tacked on three runs in the third for a 5-1 advantage. After a RBI single by Lengle, senior catcher Gabe Spohn got down a squeeze bunt that brought home Landon Kostelac. Matt Mallis, who was 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs, delivered a RBI single. Ryan Rosenberry, a junior righty, was charged with five runs, four earned, on six hits and four walks in 2.1 innings. Muhlenberg committed five errors compared to one for Wilson. The only run allowed by Kulp was unearned. He lowered his ERA to 1.93 with 47 strikeouts over 25.1 innings.

Senior southpaw Anthony Hatt took over for Drake Hoffman in the fifth. Hoffman gave up just one hit in 1.2 innings. Hatt started the fifth with back-to-back walks. Alex Frantz, the No. 9 hitter, provided a RBI double down the first base line to make it 6-1. Aidan Bonte then replaced Hatt on the mound. He walked Jack Gabel and then gave up a two-run double down the left field line to Ryan Marmolejos. A wild pitch increased the margin to 9-1. A two-run double to deep center by Lengle put the Bulldogs in front 11-1. He was 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. “At the start of the season, I felt like I was getting a little unlucky, but I’ve been hitting the ball hard and good things have happened,” he replied. His brother Pat, a talented freshman third baseman, went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two walks, and two runs. “The sky is the limit. I didn’t expect this. It’s looking really good,” said Tim Lengle about Pat’s potential. Pat Lengle is 12-for-22 through nine games.

Canfield took over for Bonte on the hill and Aidan Incledon greeted him with a two-run double to left. The fourth double of the inning put Wilson on top 13-1 in the fifth. The Bulldogs ended the night with six doubles. They entered Friday with a .336 team batting average. Marmolejos and Frantz each had a pair of hits. Wilson also took advantage of nine walks. Cooper Burr and Gavin Moody had singles in the bottom of the fifth for the Muhls.

The Bulldogs are riding a five-game winning streak. They’re a perfect (5-0) in league contests. “We feel like the county championship is ours. We’ve been visualizing it. The competition is pretty good, but we have no doubt in our mind,” stated Tim Lengle.

The Bulldogs beat Reading 8-2. Jack Gabel fired six shutout innings with ten strikeouts. The West Chester commit limited the Red Knights to three hits. He also launched a solo homer. Pat Lengle was 2-for-2 with three runs.

Gov. Mifflin put up six runs in the sixth inning to top Fleetwood 9-5. Gettysburg commit Evan Glucksnis held the Tigers to two earned runs over six innings with eight strikeouts. Charlie Ainge was 3-for-3 with two stolen bases. He scored two runs and knocked in two more.

Twin Valley blew out Conrad Weiser 14-3. Brody Majeski gave up one earned run on four hits in six innings. He struck out ten and walked one. Jayce Oliver had two hits and three runs. He finished with 4 RBI.

Berks Catholic got a strong outing from Henry Pflomm in a 10-2 victory over Wyomissing. An in-depth story will be posted on our website.

Tim Fries tossed a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts as Oley Valley blanked Brandywine Heights 9-0. Fries took a perfect game into the seventh inning before he walked two batters. Vincenzo Fick piled up three hits and scored a couple of runs.

Hamburg doubled up Schuylkill Valley 4-2 on “Hawk Hill.” Isaak Stewart threw a complete game. He allowed one earned run on nine hits and a walk. Stewart helped his cause by going 3-for-4 and driving in a run.

Kutztown pounded out 19 hits in a 12-3 win at Antietam. Kaden Kerecz had a big afternoon. He was 5-for-5 with 3 RBI and two doubles.