Mifflin’s season ends one game short of PIAA Tournament (updated)

What started out as one of the best seasons in Gov. Mifflin history fizzled out quickly in the playoffs, with the Mustangs losing four of their final five games, the latest a 7-4 defeat to visiting Cumberland Valley Thursday in a District 3 Class 6A third-place game.

The top-seeded Mustangs (20-4) needed a win to qualify for the PIAA Tournament and extend their season but fell behind 4-0 in the fourth inning and never led.

The third-seeded Eagles (16-6) finished third in the District 3 Class 6A Tournament and will play Monday against the District 7 champ. The Mustangs’ season is over.

Exeter and Fleetwood, each needing a win to qualify for the state tournament, saw their games postponed Thursday by rain. Each will play Friday, the Eagles in Class 5A, the Tigers in Class 4A.

Cumberland Valley went ahead for good 5-4 in the sixth on a double by Kyle McKeon. The Eagles added two runs in the seventh.

Cumberland Valley went up 2-0 in the second inning off Mifflin’s winningest pitcher, Alexander Velez, who entered 8-0. Logan Suave’s RBI double gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Suave scored on an error to make it 4-0.

Velez allowed seven hits and four runs, three earned, and walked three over 4 2/3 innings.

Travis Jenkins’ RBI single in the fourth cut Mifflin’s deficit to 4-1.

Mifflin’s top seasons	W-L	Coach
2002	23-2	Mike Mitchell Jr.
1999	22-5	Ed Williamson
2021	21-7	Chris Hole
1975	20-3	Mike Kostewa
2022	20-4	Chris Hole
2015	20-8	Chris Hole

The Mustangs took advantage of three errors to score three times in the fifth, tying the game 4-4.

The Mustangs loaded the bases with one out in the sixth but failed to score against Nate Miller, who closed out the game with three scoreless innings and picked up the win. He did not allow a hit and struck out six.

The Mustangs finished with just five hits, all singles. Jon Radwanski had two of the five hits.

Suave had two hits and scored three runs for the Eagles, who finished with 12 hits. Jason Madrak went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

The game was delayed for roughly an hour after a scoreless first inning.

The Mustangs were hurt late in the season by the absence of their top player, Tyler Minick, who strained his oblique several days before the start of the district playoffs and was unable to return for the final three games.

Minick was named Berks Player of the Year.

The Mustangs entered the Berks League playoffs as the top seed but were ousted by eighth-seeded Oley Valley 6-1 in the opening round.

Mifflin was on the cusp an unprecedented 20-0 regular season finish before Exeter rallied from four runs down to win 16-10. The season-opening 19-game winning streak is the longest in program history, topping the 14-game winning streak in 2002. They won 13 straight in 2011.

Mifflin went three weeks between wins before beating ninth-seeded Hempfield 12-2 in a district quarterfinal. The win over Hempfield gave the Mustangs a second straight 20-win season and the sixth overall in program history.

They also won 20 or more games in 2002 (23-2), 1999 (22-5), 2015 (20-8) and 1975 (20-3).