With Christo Hunsicker pitching in, Bulldogs’ staff in top shape for semifinals
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How many high school baseball teams can send their No. 3 starter out in the opening round of a single-elimination tournament and feel confident about advancing?
It’s a short list but the Wilson Bulldogs are near the top of it.
They handed the ball to junior Christo Hunsicker Thursday in the Berks League quarterfinals and sent him against one of most potent lineups in the league. The result?
The Bulldogs head into the semifinals Saturday with their top pitchers available and ready to go.
“We have a lot of depth,” said Hunsicker after throwing six strong innings in a 7-2 win over sixth-seeded Berks Catholic at Gochnauer Field, “ and I’m glad we could save our top pitchers and get out with a win here.”
Hunsicker allowed just three hits and one earned run as the third-seeded Bulldogs (14-6) advanced to a semifinal against No. 2 Twin Valley (15-4) at 4:30 at Owls Field.
Top-seeded Gov. Mifflin (16-3) will meet No. 5 Fleetwood (13-7) in the second game of a doubleheader.
Hunsicker went five innings last week in a division-clinching 10-3 win at Mifflin and has won each of his three starts over the last two weeks. His late-season effectiveness gave Bulldogs coach Bill Underwood the chance to keep ace Matt VanOstenbridge rested and ready for the final two rounds. VanOstenbridge pitched the final inning Thursday against Berks Catholic and looked sharp.
“We have confidence that our top four or five guys can throw against anybody,” Underwood said. “Being able to have that luxury to pitch guys in different spots and bring in Matty at the end of the game to shut it down really helps us out.”
Underwood is hoping to follow the same script against Twin Valley. He plans to start sophomore Ben Kulp (4-1, 2.54) and hopes to limit VanOstenbridge, a Penn State recruit who has a league-leading 0.86 ERA, to an inning or two so that he’ll be available for Monday’s championship game.
If VanOstenbridge throws 50 or fewer pitches Saturday he’ll be eligible to return Monday.
Hunsicker understood all of that and made the most of his opportunity.
“When I got the assignment I was excited because I knew that (if) I could get what we needed today done, then we’d be able to have those two (Kulp and VanOstenbridge) in the next two rounds,” he said.
“(Berks Catholic) did a good job putting the ball on the ground,” Hunsicker said. “It was wet out. It made our defense make some plays, and they did. We got what we needed to get done for the win, which is all that matters.”
Ditto for Gov. Mifflin, which used each of its top pitchers, Ethan Grim and Bryce Detwiler, but limited them so that they’ll be available for Saturday’s game against Fleetwood. Detwiler (5-2, 2.05) started, went two innings, and threw 39 pitches in the 9-1 win over No. 8 Kutztown. Grim (5-1, 1.52) took over in the third, pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings to earn then win, and left after 49 pitches.
Twin Valley and Fleetwood aren’t in the same strong position, pitching-wise; they used up some of their most valuable resources in getting past the first round.
The Tigers got a gem from senior Liam Hilburt, who went the distance and threw a two-hitter in a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Muhlenberg. He threw 78 pitches and isn’t eligible, under PIAA pitch restriction guidelines, to throw in a game again until Monday.
Fleetwood will likely turn to Wylie Loy, who is 3-1 with a 1.81 ERA over nine appearances and 34 2/3 innings.
Neither Loy nor Hilburt threw against Mifflin in Fleetwood’s 11-10 regular season loss. The Mustangs started Detwiler, who was touched for 12 hits and 10 runs – seven unearned.
Twin Valley needed nine innings to get past Oley Valley 5-4 in the opening round. In the process the Raiders used Kevin Eden for four innings and Jon Oxendine for five; neither will be available Saturday.
They still have their No. 1, senior Owen Rhoads, who is 2-0 with a staff-leading 1.83 ERA. He has struck out 37 over 34 1/3 innings.
Raiders coach Corey Schnoke was hoping to have Oxendine, who has been highly effective out of the bullpen, as a backup. That plan went out the window when Twin Valley failed to end the game in the seventh or eighth when it had chances.
Oxendine kept his team in it, striking out eight.
“The whole plan was to go to Jon (at the end of the game),” Schnoke said. “We weren’t supposed to (need him to) throw as many pitches as he did.”
