Lynx’s Luke Macdonald: ‘We didn’t have anything to lose’

Luke Macdonald was perfectly calm when he took the mound to face top-seeded Gov. Mifflin in the Berks League quarterfinals last week.

Why?

“We didn’t have anything to lose,” said the Oley Valley right-hander. “You just come out and do what you do.”

What Macdonald does is throw strikes. He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball but he’s got pinpoint control and he was particularly on his game Thursday when the eighth-seeded Lynx met the Berks I champs.

“He was throwing 2-0 and 3-1 curveballs for strikes,” said Wilson coach Sal Raccuglia. “He was spot on.”

Macdonald pitched a complete game — his third straight — as the Lynx pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Berks baseball history, beating the Mustangs 6-1.

“We were supposed to lose by eight, supposed to lose by 10,” said Macdonald. “We just felt like we were better than that. So, we really weren’t nervous.

“We felt like we’ve been playing well, and felt we had some energy behind us. We had a good run last year (reaching the PIAA Class 3A championship game); we weren’t projected to win any of those (state playoff) games, either. That’s where the confidence comes from.”

The Lynx (12-7) have another big challenge Monday when they face fifth-seeded Wilson (9-9) in a semifinal at FirstEnergy Stadium at 4:15. Second-seeded Muhlenberg (17-2) faces third-seeded Exeter (15-5) in the second game.

“We’re excited to play again,” said Ty Yerger, whose third-inning, two-run single gave the Lynx a 5-0 lead over the Mustangs. “We’re amped up to play Wilson. We’re gonna come out with the same mentality that we did against Mifflin.”

That would be laid-back and loose. As Macdonald said, the Lynx have nothing to lose. Their season is geared for districts and states, where they face similarly sized smaller schools. In the Berks playoffs they’re sure to run up against big schools with strong programs, such as Mifflin, Wilson and Muhlenberg; they covet that underdog role.

They played it to the hilt against the Mustangs, shocking them by taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. No wonder Macdonald was relaxed. He hasn’t given up that many runs all season; in fact, he’s allowed only two earned runs over eight appearances and 35 1/3 innings.

He’s been nothing short of magnificent, especially lately when he helped the Lynx overcome a slow start and nail down second place in Berks III. In the span of a week he threw shutouts against Berks IV champ Kutztown and Berks Catholic, which was battling Oley for the second playoff spot out of Berks III.

Macdonald entered the Berks playoffs riding a streak of 23 1/3 scoreless innings. He extended that a couple innings before yielding a home run to University of Connecticut recruit Tyler Minick. Other than that, he was money.

“He’s in a groove right now, and people are finding it hard to hit against him, with his different speeds,” said Yerger.

For the season Macdonald is 4-0 with an 0.39 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings. He went 43 days between earned runs before Minick connected.

Brad Auge, his catcher, says he does it with exquisite control.

“He hit all his spots,” Auge said. “His curveball is a lot more effective than it was last year. He’s got more drop, and locates it better. He understands exactly where to put it.”

“Obviously, I don’t throw very hard,” Macdonald said. “I’ve always had some pretty good break on my curveball.

“I can locate it pretty well now, so I can throw it in pretty much any count. That’s my biggest strength.”

Macdonald pitched in just one postseason game last season. He entered the PIAA semifinal against Lake Lehman in the top of the seventh with the score tied 1-1 and a runner in scoring position. He threw two pitches and got out of the inning. The Lynx walked it off in the bottom half and Macdonald picked up the win.

He’s been similarly unfazed in big spots this season.

“He’s in it for the challenge,” said Yerger. “He wants the big games. He’s confident in his stuff right now, and that’s great.”