More Grim news for Mustangs’ opponents

Ethan Grim was saying how excited he is to have cracked Gov. Mifflin’s pitching rotation, and talking about the Mustangs’ perfect start, but he sure didn’t sound like it.

The freshman was as steady and composed and businesslike during a postgame interview Thursday night as he was on the mound a little earlier when he buzzed through Fleetwood with a one-hitter in the Mustangs’ 4-0 Berks League crossover win at Owls Field.

His teammates and his coach, Chris Hole, sounded a whole lot more excited when they talked about the young right-hander’s performance.

“Oh my gosh, a freshman coming out, having 10 K’s against that team?” said Mifflin shortstop Tyler Minick. “His composure is just insane.”

So is his control of the baseball.

Grim, making just his second varsity start, nearly opened with an immaculate inning. He struck out the side in the first inning on 10 pitches. He opened the second inning with two more strikeouts.

He threw two pitches outside the strike zone over the first two innings and just 25 over seven. He didn’t go to a three-ball count until the fourth inning.

He throws an 81-82 mph fastball and a hard curveball with late-breaking action. He puts each of them over the plate, one after another after another.

“That’s the way he’s been every single appearance,” said Hole. “He just is tremendously poised and goes out there and pounds the strike zone, which is so impressive for any pitcher, let alone somebody that young.

“He did a phenomenal job tonight. Again, it all started with strike one.”

It’s a vast understatement to say the Mustangs (6-0 Berks I, 12-0) are deep in pitching. Their one-two punch of Alexander Velez and Tyler Minick is as good as any in the Berks Baseball League. That duo has combined for an 0.87 ERA over 40 1/3 innings. Now they’ve got a freshman phenom who has been virtually untouchable in four appearances.

Grim’s first varsity start came last week at Boyertown, of all places. Standing on the rubber at fabled Bear Stadium didn’t faze him a bit: He allowed five hits and one run over seven innings and walked just one in a 2-1, eight-inning victory.

Over 21 innings, Grim has allowed nine hits, six walks and one run. He’s struck out 22. He’s earned the ‘W’ in each of his four appearances. His ERA is 0.33.

“The composure he has as a freshman is just insane,” Minick said. “His control of the strike zone is something I’ve never seen before.”

Grim didn’t think he’d have a chance to get on the mound this much on such a stacked team. He caught Hole’s eye the first week of the season at Hempfield when he entered with the Mustangs trailing in the third inning. He finished the game with five scoreless and got the ‘W’ when Mifflin came back to win 21-3.

The Black Knights, by the way, are 10-3, ranked No. 5 in the District 3 Class 6A power ratings and have outscored their last four opponents 32-3. That tells you a little about the strength of this Mifflin team, and about Grim.

“There were a group of guys in front of me in the beginning of the year,” Grim said of the Mifflin pitching staff, “and I worked my way (into this spot). I know I can throw strikes, and when they hit it I know my defense is going to be there.”

Grim didn’t give the guys behind him too much work Thursday, but they came through when needed. Center fielder Mason Woolwine came in quickly on a sinking line drive to take a hit away from Travis Loy in the third inning.

Minick made a couple of nice picks at shortstop. Otherwise, it was routine throughout Grim’s 93-pitch, 67-strike outing against the Tigers (0-3 Berks I, 3-6). He didn’t allow a hit until Aiden Soumas stroked a line drive into center with one out in the fourth. He ended up walking a pair of batters — one later in the fourth, one in the seventh. Each time he came back to strike out the next guy.

“He’s special on the mound,” said catcher Darien Troche. “He’s very mature for his age.”

Grim worked with the lead most of the night. Mike Marmolejos’ two-out single in the second drove home Matt Ventura, who reached on a bloop double. Velez crushed a ball to the wall in left-center for a triple that brought home Minick in the third; Velez scored on Troche’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Troche doubled in the fifth; courtesy runner Owen Lehman scored on Bryce Detweiler’s two-out single.

That was more than enough to extend one of the best starts in program history. A year ago, when the Mustangs were on their way to a league championship, they had three losses by this point.

“It’s so exciting,” Grim said of owning the best record in District 3, and one of the best in the state, “but I know we haven’t done anything yet. We’ve just gotta keep on working.”