‘Storybook ending’ caps Kutztown’s year-long district championship quest

FREDERICKSBURG – Kutztown’s drive to Thursday’s District 3 Class 2 championship began 367 days ago when it lost to Camp Hill in a taut eight-inning district semifinal.

“The minute we lost last year we said: ‘We’re getting back in the gym right away,’ ” said Cougars senior shortstop Matt Remick. “ ‘We’re preparing for (next) year.’ It starts the minute you lose the previous season.”

The Cougars’ drive and determination culminated with a 5-1 win over top-seeded Halifax at Northern Lebanon’s Wenger Memorial Field, a game in which they ran the bases aggressively, fielded the ball flawlessly and got an inspiring complete-game effort from Bryce Schafer.

Schafer, who spent most of the month of April on the DL with arm issues, didn’t allow a hit until the fourth and took a one-hitter into the sixth. He began to falter in the seventh, allowing a pair of triples and lost the shutout.

He was frustrated but determined to finish what he started. Kutztown coach Tim Mertz came out to lighten the mood and get his senior right-hander back on track. The meeting ended with a coach-to-pitcher chest bump.

A few pitches later Schafer recorded his fifth strikeout to end the game and was immediately swarmed by his teammates, excited to win their first district championship and Kutztown’s first since 2019, when they were in junior high dreaming of such a moment.

“That’s a storybook ending,” said Schafer, “getting a strike out to end it . . . everybody coming (to the mound to celebrate). It was awesome.”

The Cougars (17-6) head to the PIAA Tournament, where they’ll open against the to-be-determined District 2 champion on June 5. The Wildcats (18-3-1) saw their season end.

The Cougars came into the season with high hopes and a core of seniors and three-year starters. They returned all but two starters from a team that won the Berks IV title.
Pitching depth became a concern when Dalton Furst, the expected No. 2 starter, was scratched from the rotation due to a torn labrum (he’ll have surgery following the season). Schafer, who had surgery 18 months ago due to the same issue, was shut down April 4 with bursitis.

Mertz had to turn to sophomores Colten Mathias and Colin Diehl and freshman Chris Bergstrom for innings. The Cougars started slowly, losing two of their first three, but they began to hit stride and gain confidence when they scored a seventh-inning run to win 8-7 at Twin Valley.

They started a strong finishing run with a 9-1 win at Brandywine Heights on April 26; a week later Schafer, expected to be their No. 1 pitcher entering the season, returned to the mound.

Winning at Twin Valley was “a big momentum boost,” Remick said.

“After that, we thought: ‘We can do this.’ ”

They entered Thursday’s championship having won 7-of-8, coming off an 11-2 semifinal victory and confident they could take advantage of Halifax’s defense.

They wasted little time as senior Dominic Pizzelanti reached on a one-out single in the second and moved up on right fielder Gus Alvarez’s error on the play. He went to third on Colin Hamm’s single up the middle. When Colin Diehl showed bunt Hamm took off for second. Freshman catcher Cohen Bechtel threw to second, allowing Pizzelanti to score on the front end of a double steal; Hamm was safe at second.

“That was huge,” said Mertz. “We felt very strongly (coming in) that we would run against them.”

The Cougars stole five bases, including one in the third to help them go up 2-0. After Remick reached on an error he stole second, moved up on a wild pitch, then scored on Kole Schuler’s single to the hole at short.

Schuler was thrown out at second when the next batter, Schafer, missed on a hit-and-run. He made up for it, roping a pitch down the line in right and just inside the foul pole for a 325 foot home run, his second of the season.

“He gave me a hanging breaking ball and I just got it all,” said Schafer. “I got my hands in and drilled it.”

Kutztown extended the lead to 5-0 in the sixth when Hamm’s Texas Leaguer dropped for an RBI single, scoring Nick Hugo, and Remick walked with the bases loaded.

Schafer, who finished with a five-hitter and just one walk, was backed by solid defense throughout. Pizzelanti was outstanding at second base, never more so than when he made a nice stop and quick toss to Remick at second to begin a double play that ended the third. An inning later Remick took a hit away, ranging far to his left to snare a grounder off the bat of Judah Miller, the Wildcats’ top hitter.

“Defense in the beginning of the season was on the loose side,” said Mertz, the head coach for four of Kutztown’s six championships. “We’ve really tightened things up. The pitching . . . that’s starting to take shape; we’re getting healthy.

“We’re just putting everything together. At the end of the season is when you want to be hot. Hopefully we stay hot.”

Kutztown	0	1	2	0		2	0	–	5	8	0
Halifax	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	–	1	5	2

Cougars	AB	R	H	RBI		Wildcats	AB	R	H	RBI
Remick, ss	2	1	0	1		IMiller, lf	3	0	1	0
Schuler, 3b	4	0	2	1		JMiller, 3b/ss	3	0	1	0
Schafer, p	4	1	2	1		Campbell, 1b	3	0	1	0
Furst, lf	4	0	0	0		Strohecker, ss/p	2	0	0	0
Hugo, c	4	1	1	0		Alvarez, rf	3	0	0	0
Pizzelanti, 2b	3	2	1	0		Schell, p/3b	3	1	1	0
Hamm, dh	3	0	2	1		Bittner, dh	2	0	0	0
Mathias, 1b	0	0	0	0		Berry, ph	1	0	0	0
Ott, cr	0	0	0	0		Bechtel, c	0	0	0	0
Diehl, rf	2	0	0	0		Kline, cf	2	0	1	1
Dunn, cf	3	0	0	0		Steinhauer, 2b	3	0	0	0
Gilbert, cr	0	0	0	0
Totals	29	5	8	4			25	1	5	1

E: Alvarez, Strohecker. 3B: Kline, Schell. HR: Schafer. SB: Remick 2, Hugo, Hamm, Pizzelanti.  CS: Schuler.   LOB: Kutztown 7, Halifax 5.

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K			IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Schaefer, W (5-2)	7	5	1	1	2	5		Schell, L (5-1)	5	7	5	4	1	5
								Strohecker	2	1	0	0	1	3

WP: Schell 2. B: Schafer.  HBP: Diehl (by Schell), Remick (by Schell).