Matt VanOstenbridge goes the distance as Bulldogs get payback against Eagles

By Mike Drago Last updated Apr 28, 2023

Down a couple of runs to Exeter with Deven Sheerin on the mound can seem like an insurmountable deficit.

“Two-nothing against Deven seems like 5-0,” said Wilson coach Bill Underwood.

Matt VanOstenbridge didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps care. The Bulldogs’ left-hander just kept throwing strikes Wednesday afternoon at Owls Field.

“He doesn’t really get down on himself,” said his catcher, Jordan Shutter. “I reassured him it’s only two runs, we can easily get that back. Just throw strikes, and that’s what he did.”

Sheerin, the big right-hander headed to Mount Saint Mary’s, struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced, including six straight at one point. When he lost the plate in the fourth the Bulldogs took advantage, took the lead, then watched VanOstenbridge take over.

The junior went the distance and struck out 10 as Wilson pulled away for an 11-2 Berks League Division I victory in the opening game of the Berks County Showcase at Ted Palka Park. Three weeks ago at Reiffton the Bulldogs lost to Sheerin and the Eagles 11-1.

“I lost feel (of my curveball) a little bit (in the two-run fourth),” said Van Ostenbridge, who hit a batter with the bases loaded and walked another with the sacks full to fall behind 2-0. “I just needed to come back (after that), attack with the fastball, throw strikes. We had a big bottom of the fourth; that was big for us.”

The Bulldogs (4-4, 8-6) batted around in the fourth and scored four times despite getting only one hit, a single by Ryan Sekulski. They used three walks, a hit batter and a passed ball to string together a rally.

Shutter brought in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded groundout to the right side; when second baseman Luke Giering threw it away the Bulldogs got a bonus run and led by two.

“Once (Sheerin) started throwing balls, walking players, I knew this was our chance to put a couple runs on the board,” Shutter said.

Bulldogs’ Ryan Sekulski drills a two-run single to left. (PhilMarPhoto)

Sheerin was brilliant at the outset and needed just 41 pitches to retire the first 10 batters. He lost the plate after that. He allowed six straight batters to reach in the fourth, then issued a pair of walks and a pair of singles to start what became a seven-run sixth inning. He was removed after 98 pitches.

“The first time through the lineup he was just mowing us down,” said Underwood. “We just had to keep battling. We knew he was coming off short rest.”

Sheerin threw 101 pitches Saturday in a 5-4 loss at Fleetwood, where he struck out 13 over six innings.

“The game plan was to get the pitch count up,” Underwood said. “If you can get a couple guys on, put the ball in play, see what the fielders do with it, just put pressure on them to make plays . . . that was a big help for us.”

VanOstenbridge looked like a different pitcher when he returned to the mound in the fifth, ahead 4-2. His fourth-inning command issues disappeared. He started getting his slider over for strikes and that made his big curveball all the more effective.

“The difference between good games and bad games is being able to land both pitches for strikes,” he said. “I knew I needed to really put ’em away (in the fifth). I just had to go out there and throw and strikes.”

VanOstenbridge ended the game with three straight 1-2-3 innings and ended the game with a pair of strikeouts. He’s struck out 50 over 32 2/3 innings this season, with just eight walks.

The key was the shutdown fifth, when he faced the top of the order, including Alex Kelsey – the league’s best leadoff batter – and Chase Cupitt, who had singled off him the first two times up. He needed just 11 pitches to do it.

“That was huge for us,” Underwood said. “We always (tell) our pitchers when we score runs, we need a shutdown inning to keep the momentum, and that was huge.

“(Matt) does a really good job staying in the game mentally. He’s not an emotional guy, and he’s got a lot of confidence. He knew if he could keep it at two runs that he’d be able to get helped out. He did well.”

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and keeps the Bulldogs in the hunt for Berks and District 3 Class 6A playoff berth. They’re currently in the lead for a Berks wildcard spot.

The Eagles (3-5, 8-7) have not lost three straight and 4-of-5. They’re still in position for a Berks wild card spot but are in a tight battle for it with Wilson, Daniel Boone and the Berks IV runner-up, either Kutztown or Brandywine Heights. Just two weeks remain in the regular season.

VanOstenbridge will continue to be pivotal in the Bulldogs’ playoff push, and then in the postseason when he’ll be paired against other No. 1 starters.

“That’s what we expect out of him every time,” Underwood said. “That’s big expectations, but that’s what we needed today. We needed a big pitching performance because we knew that with Deven on the mound we were going to have to keep it close. He did that for us today.”

To purchase these or other photos from the game, go to PhilMarPhoto.

Exeter	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	–	2	4	3
Wilson	0	0	0	4	0	7	x	–	11	6	0

Eagles	AB	R	H	RBI	Bulldogs	AB	R	H	RBI
Kelsey, cf	3	0	0	0	T. Hunsicker, 3b	4	1	0	0
Ummarino, 1b	3	0	0	0	Gabaldon, 2b	2	2	0	1
Cupitt, c	2	1	2	0	C. Hunsicker, 1b	3	1	1	1
Hafer, c	1	0	0	0	Sekulski, rf	3	1	2	2
Sheerin, p	2	0	0	0	Frantz, cr	0	1	0	0
Blew, p	0	0	0	0	Wentzel, rf	0	0	0	0
Cordora, ss	3	0	1	0	Fiorini, dh	2	2	0	1
Marr, 3b	2	0	0	0	Fernandez, cf	3	1	1	0
Wesley, lf	1	0	0	1	Shutter, c	3	0	1	2
Feathers, ph	1	1	0	0	Crocona, lf	3	1	1	2
Giering, 2b	1	0	0	1	Bilodeau, ss	3	0	0	0
Heckler, ph	1	0	0	0	Ruiz, cr	0	1	0	0
Redding, rf	2	0	1	0
Mackey, ph	1	0	0	0
Totals	23	2	4	2		26	11	6	9

E: Giering 2, Cordora. LOB: Exeter 4, Wilson 4. DP: Wilson 1.

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Sheerin, L	5	3	8	6	5	8	VanOstenbridge, W	7	4	2	2	2	10
Blew	1	2	3	0	1	1

WP: Sheerin. PB: Cupitt. HBP: Marr (by VanOstenbridge), Wesley (by VanOstenbridge); C. Hunsicker (by Sheerin).