Bulldogs will have one last chance to make District 3 field (updated with postponement)
Wilson’s hopes to return to the District 3 baseball tournament aren’t dead, yet.
The defending Class 6A champs might have one last chance to squeeze into the 12-team field if they play Boyertown on Wednesday at 4:15 at Wilson West and win. The game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday but was pushed back because the Berks League semifinals were postponed from Monday to Tuesday.
Wilson meets Oley Valley in the semifinals Tuesday. If the Bulldogs win, they’ll play in the Berks League championship game Wednesday and the game against Boyertown will be canceled. If the Bulldogs lose to the Lynx, they’ll meet the Bears Wednesday.
Wednesday is the final day that games will count toward the District 3 power ratings.
The Bulldogs (9-9) are currently No. 13 in the power ratings, about six points behind No. 12 Central York (11-9), which has completed its regular season. Wilson has calculated that with a win over the Bears (11-8) it will pass Central York and qualify.
“Our only shot (to make districts) is to beat them,” Wilson coach Sal Raccuglia said of Boyertown. “If we lose to them, or if we don’t play the game, we’re not in.”
Playoff games don’t count toward the power ratings, so the Bulldogs’ 3-2 quarterfinal win over fourth-seeded Twin Valley — or the result of Monday’s game against Oley Valley — did not affect their district rating.
The Bulldogs won their third district championship, and second straight, last season, beating Gov. Mifflin 11-0 in the championship game.
They’d like another shot, despite their struggles this season, when they lost twice to the Mustangs and finished third in Berks I. They entered the league tournament as the No. 5 seed; they were the top seed in the last two tournaments.
“We pride ourselves in making districts and winning districts, not just being the best in Berks County,” Raccuglia said.
With top-seeded Gov. Mifflin knocked out in the opening round by eighth-seeded Oley Valley, 6-1, a window opened for the Bulldogs. They were at Owls Field, where they played Twin Valley in the nightcap, to see to Mustangs go down. That may have served as a mental boost for the Bulldogs.
It may have also served as a warning, showing that any team can be beaten.
“We need to be laser-focused or the same thing’s going to happen to us,” Raccuglia told his team before Rueben Livingston took the mound and dominated, striking out 10 over six innings. He allowed just four hits.
For now, Raccuglia wants his players to focus on the Berks playoffs, and beating Oley Valley (12-7), which got another dominant effort from senior right-hander Luke Macdonald, who threw a six-hitter to take out the Mustangs.
The Bulldogs batted just .221 this season but made the Berks field because of their pitching strength, and depth. They had a staff ERA of 1.66 in the regular season and didn’t give up an earned run Thursday against Twin Valley.
They entered the postseason minus senior Cole Leaman, who is unavailable to pitch, according to Raccuglia. The Bulldogs coach gave no further details. Leaman, who is committed to Lehigh, has a 1.84 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 25 innings.
Sophomore Matt VanOstenbridge, who has a staff-low 1.02 ERA, was expected to get the start Monday. He’s 4-2 with a pair of saves, picking up one against Twin Valley with a scoreless seventh inning. The Raiders had a runner on third with one out before the left-hander struck out the next two batters.