Challenge accepted: Mifflin’s Bryce Detwiler throws gem against Fleetwood

By Mike Mitchell Jr. Last updated May 12, 2024

Gov. Mifflin's Bryce Detwiler. (PhilMarPhoto)

2024 Berks baseball coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Mike Mitchell Jr. — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

Gov. Mifflin junior Bryce Detwiler delivered a strong pitching performance to lead the Mustangs to a 5-2 Berks League semifinal win over Fleetwood on Saturday night at Owls Field in West Lawn.

Detwiler allowed just three hits and struck out five through six innings. What made the outing even more impressive is that the Tigers had pummeled Detwiler in his previous two outings against them. The Tigers scored seven runs off him in last year’s BCIAA semifinal round, and had 11 hits off him this year in an 11-10 regular season loss.

“I was excited for the challenge of going against them.” Detwiler said. “They hit me hard the last two times I faced them. They have a great hitting lineup. My focus tonight was on locating my off-speed pitches and locating my fastball.”

“They have a potent offensive lineup,” said Mustangs coach Chris Hole. “Bryce really put it together tonight. He battled out there and he really kept them off-balance. I couldn’t be happier with his effort and performance.”

After the teams traded first-inning runs, Mifflin used a three-run second inning to give Detwiler an early cushion. Ethan Grim, who eventually notched the save, delivered a two-run single in the inning.

Fleetwood pitcher Wylie Loy settled in and kept the high-powered Mustangs offense at bay after the second.

“We say all the time that great offense isn’t always hit after hit after hit,” Hole said. “The little things matter as well. We had hit-by-pitches tonight, Travis had two. We scored on a wild pitch. Give credit to (Loy). He did a nice job of keeping us off-balance all night.”

In the sixth, the Mustangs scratched out a run off Loy. Dante Casantini walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch for the Mustangs’ fifth and final run.

Fleetwood rallied in the seventh when Detwiler hit Sam Reimert to begin the inning. Detweiler had to exit the game for exceeding the PIAA 100-pitch limit. Carson Brey greeted Mustangs reliever DJ Weaver with a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. After Cane Cromer hit an RBI groundout to make it 5-2, Gabe Seidel reached on an error to make it 5-3.

Hole then summoned his ace, Grim, who struck out the final two Tigers batters to preserve the victory and send the Mustangs to the Berks championship game against Wilson Monday at FirstEnergy Stadium AT 6:05.

The Bulldogs have defeated Mifflin twice this year.

“It’s a heckuva challenge.” Hole said. “They are a great team. We need to clean up things from the first two times we played them and come out and give our best effort on Monday.”

Fleetwood	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	–	3	4	1
Gov. Mifflin	1	3	0	0	0	1	x	–	5	5	1

Tigers	AB	R	H	RBI	Mustangs	AB	R	H	RBI
Hilburt, ss	2	1	0	0	Detwiler, p/ss	1	2	0	0
Noll, 1b	4	0	0	0	Adams, lf	2	1	0	0
N. Seidel, rf	3	0	2	0	Jenkins, c	2	0	0	1
Soumas, lf	2	0	1	1	Reiter, 2b/ss	0	0	0	0
Young, c	3	0	0	0	Barrett, DH	2	0	0	0
Loy, p	2	0	0	0	Weaver, p	0	0	0	0
Reimert, p	0	0	0	0	Koehler, 3b	3	0	1	0
Walk, cr	0	1	0	0	Casantini, 1b	1	2	0	0
Brey, cf	3	1	1	0	Berg, rf	2	0	1	0
Cromer, 3b	2	0	0	1	Wunderlich, cf	2	0	0	0
Cox, ph	1	0	0	0	Eshbach, ph	1	0	0	0
Sobjak, 2b	1	0	0	0
G. Seidel, 2b	1	0	0	1
Totals	24	3	4	3		16	5	2	1

E: Cromer 2, Casantini. 2B Brey. SB: Hilburt, Soumas, Detwiler. CS: N. Seidel, Jenkins, Detwiler. S: Berg. SF: Grim. LOB: Fleetwood 5, Gov. Mifflin 8.

Fleetwood	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	Governor Mifflin	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Loy, L	5.2	4	5	2	5	6	Detwiler, w (6-2)	6	3	2	2	2	5
Reimert	0.1	0	0	0	2	0	Weaver	0.1	1	0	0	0	0
							Grim	0.2	0	0	0	0	2

WP: Loy. HBP: Hilburt (Detwiler), Soumas (Detwiler), Reimert (Detwiler), Jenkins 2 (Loy).