Travis Jenkins homers, drives in three, as Mifflin pounds Kutztown
2024 Berks baseball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Top-seeded Gov. Mifflin flexed its muscle Thursday against Kutztown in a Berks League quarterfinal, banging out 10 hits, including a homer by Travis Jenkins, in a 9-1 win at Owls Field.
Even better, the Mustangs (16-3) got their top two pitchers work but kept them eligible to take the mound again Saturday in a semifinal against fifth-seeded Fleetwood. They’ll meet at 7 back at Owls Field.
Bryce Detwiler started on the mound for Mifflin, went the first two innings and threw 39 pitches. Ethan Grim took over and worked into the sixth, throwing 49 pitches. He allowed just one hit and picked up the win, improving to 5-1.
The eighth-seeded Cougars (11-10) kept it close for a while, tying the game 1-1 in the second when Ashton Dunn single and eventually came around on an error. Dunn had two of Kutztown’s three hits.
It remained 1-1 until the fourth when the Mustangs got a two-run single from Joey Berg, scoring Dylan Barrett and Matt Koehler.
Mifflin broke it open with a four-run fifth, then got a two-run homer from Jenkins in the sixth.
Koehler finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs; Jenkins went 2-for-4, scored twice, and drove in three.
Mifflin had an easy time in last year’s opening round, beating Berks IV champ Brandywine Heights 12-0. It advanced through the tournament with a 9-7 win over Fleetwood and a 6-3 win over Wilson in the title game.
The Mustangs are now two wins away from their third title in four years and a record 16th overall. They won’t see Fleetwood’s top pitcher, Liam Hilburt, who went seven innings Thursday in a 1-0 win over Muhlenberg.
The Tigers gave the Mustangs a tough fight during the regular season when they rapped out 12 hits against Detwiler and built a 10-7 lead in the sixth. Mifflin scored four times in the bottom of the seventh for an 11-10 win.
The Mustangs committed three errors and allowed seven unearned runs.
