The Saints Go Marching On

Berks Catholic’s baseball team is making history. The Saints are headed to the state semifinals for the first time. They held off Notre Dame Green Pond 5-3 in the PIAA-3A quarterfinals on Thursday at Methacton. Berks Catholic scored a pair of runs in the 3rd inning for a 2-1 lead. The District 3 champions added one run in the 5th and two more in the 7th for a 5-1 cushion. The Crusaders made it interesting with two runs in the bottom of the 7th. The District 11 champs brought the tying run to the plate, but Brock Shrawder got a flyout to left field with a runner on third base to end it. Notre Dame Green Pond finished with ten hits, however, the Crusaders left ten men on base. Each team committed two errors. Owen Schalk accounted for three of the Saints’ eight hits. “It feels like Owen has cashed in every opportunity for us. He gives protection to Dennys and his 41 RBI have been huge for us,” said head coach Brandon Shurr. Schalk, a junior outfielder, hammered two doubles and knocked in a pair of runs. Dennys Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk. The Shepherd commit drove in a run. Aidan Curley was 1-for-4 with a RBI. Mikey Fidler, who tossed a one-hitter in the District 3-3A Championship against Bermudian Springs, provided another quality start. The senior righty allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked two while throwing 95 pitches. “Mikey was tough and pitched through some pressure situations with runners on. He battled all day to give us a great chance to come out on top,” replied Shurr. Fidler also scored two runs and knocked in another. Shrawder was charged with one run on two hits. He got the final three outs. The (20-7) Saints are one of four teams left standing in Class 3A. “Anytime you can do something for the first time in school history, it’s special. We’re trying to enjoy every moment and keep prolonging our time together as a team,” said Shurr. Berks Catholic will take on District 4 champ Mount Carmel on Monday afternoon. Drew Yagodzinskie has only given up one hit over his last 21 innings. The senior pitcher is committed to Monmouth. The (19-4) Red Tornadoes eliminated Bermudian Springs 3-1 in the quarterfinals. They will meet the Saints at 2pm at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg. Mount Carmel is also making its first trip to the PIAA semifinals.