The (20-4) Fords were making their first appearance in the PIAA playoffs after finishing sixth in the District 1 tournament. They’ve been without standout first baseman Cam McCormack for most of the season due to a torn meniscus. The 6’2, 205-pound junior is already committed to Pittsburgh. Haverford got on the board in the top of the first against Muhlenberg ace Cole Moody. The 6’3, 215-pound senior entered Monday with a (10-0) record and a sparkling 0.90 ERA. After Jimmy Boyle led off with a single, Durkan ripped a RBI triple to right-center. Moody then picked Durkan off third base which cost the Fords a run because Sam Sturman singled two batters later. Moody, who tossed a three-hitter in the District 3-6A Championship against Chambersburg, allowed three hits in the first frame. “To be honest with you, I don’t think he had a good slider tonight. He was struggling to throw that pitch in situations where he likes to throw it, but he’s a gamer. He reads the opponents’ hitters really well,” explained Kopetsky.

The Muhls responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first. Boyle, a Thomas Jefferson University commit, hit leadoff batter Cooper Burr and walked Gavin Moody. Muhlenberg had runners on the corners with one out for Cole Moody. His squeeze bunt went right back to Boyle who flipped the ball to Durkan and Burr was called out at the plate on a close play. After Liam Vargas walked, sophomore Mike Canfield hit a hard ground ball past second baseman Andrew Brown which resulted in two runs. The Muhls’ scorekeeper ruled it a hit for Canfield. Neither team scored after that adventurous first inning.

Moody and Boyle both settled in nicely after their struggles in the first frame. Moody, who’s headed to Northampton Community College, had seven strikeouts and one walk over 6.1 innings. He had to come out after reaching the limit of 105 pitches. “Cole is phenomenal. We have full faith in him,” replied Carter Burr. Moody allowed seven hits. He struck out the final three batters he faced. Moody has 95 strikeouts in 76.1 innings this year. Boyle went the distance for the Fords. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks. “He’s a very good pitcher. He has good velocity and he has a good slider that he starts at your front hip. He threw a heck of a ball game,” acknowledged Carter Burr. Boyle limited Muhlenberg to three hits.

Haverford loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but failed to score. Moody struck out Bobby Menear and got Boyle to ground out to second. The Fords threatened again in the fifth when Sturman hit a two-out double to left. He was stranded, however, as Owen Klick flew out to deep left field. Rosenberry walked the first batter he faced in the top of the seventh. A wild pitch advanced the potential tying run to second base with one out. Carter Burr then provided the defensive play of the night. “I took a deep breath before that play. I knew I had to keep the throw low and give my catcher a chance,” he said. Haverford left eight men on base.

After splitting their first fourteen games of the season, the Muhls have won eleven of their past twelve contests. They will face District 1 runner-up Owen J. Roberts on Thursday in the PIAA-6A quarterfinals. “All along we’ve been the underdogs. The team that can’t, the team that won’t, the team that shouldn’t, and the team that keeps doing it. I’m gonna tell you right now everybody is picking Owen J. Roberts. There’s no doubt about it,” stated Kopetsky.

The (17-8) Muhls won the District 3-6A championship on Monday. They rolled over Chambersburg 10-0 in six innings. It’s the first District 3 title for Muhlenberg since 2008 and the fourth overall. The Muhls have been led by senior righty Cole Moody. The All-County selection and Northampton Community College commit is (10-0) this year with nine complete games.

Muhlenberg will host Haverford at 7pm on Monday in the first round of the state playoffs. The Fords won the Central League and finished in sixth place in the District 1 tournament. Cam McCormack, a Pittsburgh commit, has missed most of the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee. The 6’2, 205-pound junior is ranked #14 in the country among first basemen in the Class of 2027 by Perfect Game. Senior southpaw Lucas Rothstein will continue his career at West Chester, while righty Jimmy Boyle is headed to Thomas Jefferson University. The winner of the game in Laureldale will play either Owen J. Roberts or Stroudsburg in the quarterfinals.

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 Mounts’ ace, Camryn Simes, was unavailable after pitching in their 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Mechanicsburg on Monday. Simes (5-3, 0.88) has held opponents to 25 hits in 47.2 innings this spring. The Millersville commit is a four-year starter with 300 career strikeouts. Ephrata ended Muhlenberg’s season last year. The Mounts defeated the Muhls 2-0 in the opening round of the District 3-6A tournament. Kopetsky expected another low-scoring affair with Moody and Collin Miller on the hill. Miller came into the semifinal with a (5-1) record and a 2.10 ERA.

Ephrata had men on first and second in the bottom of the third, but Chase Prange grounded out to shortstop to end the inning. Miller, who cruised through five frames, ran into trouble in the sixth. The junior righty hit Carter Burr and his older brother, Cooper, to begin the inning. Miller was replaced on the mound after 74 pitches by Prange. Marvin Frias got down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. Carter Burr scored the first run on a passed ball. Gavin Moody then delivered a RBI double to right field for a 2-0 advantage. Moody had struck out and popped out in his previous two at-bats. “I walked up to him and said you’re the No. 3 hitter. You’re one of the best hitters on the team, just go out there and be one of the best hitters on the team. He went up there and put a great at-bat together,” replied Kopetsky.

The (16-6) Mounts put men on first and second with one out in the sixth. After Cole Moody hit Prange and walked Landry Weidner, Simes lined out sharply to center field. Ethan Gockley then struck out for the third time. Moody added two more strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh. He retired Ephrata in order as Muhlenberg won for the ninth time in its last ten games. “It’s who gets hot late. The Muhls are hot right now,” said Moody. Miller was charged with two runs on one hit in five innings. He hit four batters and struck out three. Prange allowed three hits over the final two innings with a pair of strikeouts. Carter Burr, Cole Moody, and John Martin singled for Muhlenberg. Jake Buckwalter and freshman leadoff hitter Hayden Mietelski had singles for the Mounts. Their five-game winning streak came to a halt.

The Muhls took down Lancaster-Lebanon League champion Manheim Township 6-3 in the first round. They made the long trip to third-seeded Waynesboro on Monday and returned to Laureldale with a 9-7 victory. After shutting out Ephrata, Muhlenberg is one win away from its fourth District 3 title. The last time the Muhls hoisted the trophy was in 2008. “The kids look at each new game as a challenge and they’re playing confident. They’re kind of feeling like why not,” remarked Kopetsky.

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.

Exeter’s lone run came in the bottom of the first. Jake Franek walked and stole second base. The speedy shortstop advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Liam Porter cruised through the first three innings. The senior entered the day with a perfect (5-0) mark and a pristine 0.64 ERA. He piled up six strikeouts through three frames. Porter walked Brandon Bechtel to begin the fourth inning. Ashton Parks followed with a bunt down the first base line. Jake Hafer’s throw to first hit Parks and bounced away which put runners on the corners. Sophomore Luke Husser lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that brought home Bechtel and evened the score at 1-1.

Porter issued one-out walks to Cooper Frey and Evan Allison, the No. 8 and 9 batters, in the fifth inning. Mason Goodhart took over on the mound for the Eagles. His wild pitch moved the runners to second and third base. The go-ahead run came with some confusion when Bechtel hit a fly ball to deep left field. Hafer, who had moved from first base to left, made a great sliding catch on the warning track. Brady Myers scored on the play, but Exeter appealed that he left too soon. “When we appealed at third base, the third base umpire called him out. The home plate umpire told us it was his call and he had him safe. The third base umpire was signaling an out for the catch, not for the appeal,” explained Freese. “It was a close play. One of our assistants did think that he was a little early. I just watched Jake make a hell of a catch. Unfortunately, the call didn’t go our way. That was the game-winning run, but offensively we didn’t do our job,” added Freese.

In the sixth, Hafer was hit by a pitch with one out. Wonder exited after 90 pitches and was replaced by Husser. Hafer, an East Stroudsburg commit, got caught stealing for the second out of the inning. Franek then singled, but he was picked off first base by Husser. Both catchers, Frey and Brandon Weller, threw out two runners.

Husser got a groundout and a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed one hit in 1.2 innings with no walks. Wonder and Myers had the only hits for Spring Grove. The (12-9) Rockets are going to the District 3-5A quarterfinals after starting the season (1-5). They visit #2 seed Lower Dauphin on Monday. Porter took the loss despite racking up eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on four walks and one hit. Goodhart tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts and no walks. Exeter will need to revamp its pitching staff next spring. Porter, Goodhart, Hafer, and Kamren Martin are all graduating.

In Friday’s other action, #9 seed Twin Valley fell at #8 New Oxford 5-0. In Class 6A, #11 seed Muhlenberg upset #6 Manheim Township 6-3. Cole Moody fired a complete game with six strikeouts and one walk. He improved to (8-0) this season. The (14-8) Muhls scored six times in the third inning. All of those runs were unearned. The (17-7) Blue Streaks committed seven errors. The Lancaster-Lebanon League champions got knocked out in the first round. Marvin Frias went 3-for-4 for Muhlenberg. He drove in two runs and scored another. The Muhls travel to #3 Waynesboro on Monday. #13 seed Northeastern stunned #4 Wilson 3-1 at Owls Field in West Lawn. The Bulldogs finish with a mark of (17-7). They won their 14th Berks County Championship this year.

The District 3 tournament begins this Friday. Here are the matchups involving local teams in each classification.

Class 6A:

#13 Northeastern vs. #4 Wilson at 7pm on Friday, May 15th. That first round game will be played at Owls Field in West Lawn.

#11 Muhlenberg at #6 Manheim Township at 4:30pm on Friday, May 15th.

Class 5A:

#10 Spring Grove at #7 Exeter at 4pm on Friday, May 15th.

#9 Twin Valley at #8 New Oxford at 4:30pm on Friday, May 15th.

Class 4A:

#6 Oley Valley at #3 East Pennsboro at 4:30pm on Monday, May 18th.

Class 3A:

#6 Pequea Valley at #3 Berks Catholic at 4:30pm on Monday, May 18th.

#5 Wyomissing at #4 Kutztown at 6:30pm on Monday, May 18th.

Class A:

#6 Fairfield at #3 High Point Baptist at 4:30pm on Friday, May 15th.

The (16-6) Bulldogs won their first two meetings with Exeter by a combined score of 30-11. Martin, a Shippensburg commit, made sure that this wasn’t going to be another rout. The 6’4, 230-pound righty limited Wilson to one run on three hits in 5.1 innings. Martin struck out six and walked two. “He’s legit. He’s got a firm fastball and a snappy curveball. He keeps you on your toes,” said Kulp. Martin didn’t give up a hit until Ryan Marmolejos’ double to left field in the bottom of the fourth. He reached third base with one out, but was stranded there. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the fifth. Marmolejos flew out to center to end the threat.

Freshman Pat Lengle started the bottom of the sixth with a grounder to first base. Jake Hafer made a diving stop, however, Martin dropped the toss while running to the bag. It was ruled a single for Lengle. Kulp then hit a ground ball to third and the (15-7) Eagles tried to turn a double play. They got an out at second base, but the throw to first got away which let Kulp reach second. Martin exited at that point after throwing 89 pitches. He had only pitched ten innings this spring prior to Friday. Mason Goodhart took over on the hill and Tim Lengle greeted him with a ground-rule double that bounced over the fence in right field. “That was awesome. As soon as we got the one run, we were three outs away,” replied Kulp. Sophomore Landon Kostelac, a courtesy runner, scored the lone run of the game.

Brenton Feathers hit a one-out single down the third base line in the top of the seventh. Goodhart grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end it. Kulp finished with 93 pitches. Wilson made two errors and Exeter committed one.

The Bulldogs are looking for their 14th Berks County title. They will take on third-seeded Muhlenberg on Monday. The county championship is set for 6:05pm at FirstEnergy Stadium. “The atmosphere is elite, top of the line. You get big crowds out there,” said Kulp.

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.