Rueben Livingston pitches Wilson into Berks semifinals (updated)

Wilson’s lost a bunch of one-run games this season; the Bulldogs finally came out on top in one Thursday.

Rueben Livingston struck out 10 over six innings and Ryan Sekulski and Trevor Bilodeau drove in runs as fifth-seeded Wilson defeated fourth-seeded Twin Valley 3-2 in a Berks Baseball League quarterfinal at Gochnauer Field.

Livingston, who allowed just four hits and one walk, earned his first win — despite pitching well all season. He came into the game with 42 strikeouts over 25 innings and a 1.40 ERA. He lowered his earned run average to 1.12; both Twin Valley runs against him were unearned.

Wilson (9-9) advances to meet eighth-seeded Oley Valley in the first game of a semifinal doubleheader Monday at FirstEnergy Stadium at 4:15. The Lynx took out top-seeded Gov. Mifflin, 6-1, Thursday.

The Bulldogs are one win away from playing in their third straight championship game. They won the title in 2019 and lost to Gov. Mifflin last season. (There was no season in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

The Bulldogs struck early, scoring a run in the first and two in the second. Livingston (1-3) held the Raiders (12-7) scoreless until the sixth, when they took advantage of a couple errors to pull within one run.

Matt VanOstenbridge pitched a scoreless seventh for the save. He walked one and struck out two.

VanOstenbridge got the start and the win when the Bulldogs and Raiders met in the regular season, a 5-2 Wilson victory at Twin Valley on April 25. He struck out nine over five innings in that one.

Twin Valleys starter Kannon Zdimal (3-4) allowed five hits and three runs, one earned, over five innings. He struck out six.

If the Bulldogs lose in the semifinals their season will likely be be over. They entered play Thursday ranked No. 13 in the District 3 Class 6A power rankings; the top 12 teams qualify. League playoff games do not count toward the power ratings, so Wilson’s figure won’t change from its current .619.

The Bulldogs are roughly 11 points behind No. 12 Central York, which completed its regular season Thursday with a 2-0 loss to Penn Manor. Central’s unofficial power rating is .630.

Wilson won the district championship last year, beating Gov. Mifflin.

Wilson lost five one-run games this season, to Bethlehem Liberty, Hempfield, Muhlenberg, Exeter and Daniel Boone.