No kidding, Matty V, it’s a no-hitter
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Matt VanOstenbridge walked casually off the mound Wednesday afternoon, showing no emotion after striking out his 10th batter to end the fifth inning – and the game.
His Wilson teammates lined up in victory formation, ready to celebrate VanOstenbridge’s first no-hitter for the Bulldogs.
The pitcher?
He was thinking about the next inning . . . which likely won’t come until next week.
“Honestly, I forgot about the 10-run rule,” VanOstenbridge said after completing Wilson’s five-inning, 11-0 win over Exeter in a Berks League Division I game at Owl’s Field. “I thought we still had to play seven.”
The senior left-hander was so locked in with his pitching that all those runs he saw the Bulldogs (6-2, 10-4) plate — three in the second, four each in the third and fourth — didn’t faze him.
His pitches were working so well – he breezed through the five innings needing just to throw just 68 times – that he was eager to get out there for another couple frames.
“I am excited,” VanOstenbridge said, breaking into a big post-game smile. “It felt really good. It felt smooth; everything was working.”
He walked just one and put just one other batter on when he hit him with a pitch. He also got a big diving stop from his third baseman, Tommy Hunsicker, to preserve the no-hitter.
“That kid’s legit,” he said of Hunsicker. “He’s a wall.”
Other than that the Penn State recruit was untouchable. He struck out nine different batters.
“He’s got four pitches, so that’s real nice to keep his hitters off-balanced,” said Wilson coach Bill Underwood. “He didn’t throw a lot of curveballs; he was throwing a lot of sliders. His changeup was on; that was a nice pitch for him. He’s been working on that and put that in his repertoire.”
VanOstenbridge has been dominant all season. He has allowed just seven hits over five starts and 26 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 43 and walked 10. He’s 3-0 with an ERA of 0.52.
He’d have a few wins by now but was sidelined for nearly two weeks earlier this month when he tweaked a muscle in his upper back.
It’s safe to say that injury had no lasting effect. Last time out against Fleetwood he threw a one-hitter over seven innings in a 1-0 victory. He struck out 10 and walked one.
“My last two starts have been pretty electric,” VanOstenbridge said.
He was pretty electric last season when he earned All-Berks honors by compiling a 2.39 ERA and striking out 91 batters over 70 1/3 innings. He pitched the Bulldogs to the Berks League and District 3 Class 6A championship games.
He’s got them on course to play for more titles this season. After beating Exeter (3-5 Berks I, 8-6) the Bulldogs are 6-2 and tied with Gov. Mifflin for first place in Berks I. Overall, they’ll 10-4, have won six of their last seven, and are ranked No. 2 in the District 3 Class 6A power ratings, trailing only unbeaten Red Lion.
They’ve done that playing against the toughest schedule of any team in District 3, regardless of class. (Their strength of schedule rating is No. 1 at .689.)
