Surprising Saints have been Berks’ biggest hit this season
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Brandon Shurr was confident when the season opened that his Berks Catholic baseball team would pitch and defend well.
What he didn’t see coming was the most productive offense in the Berks League.
“The biggest shock is what we’re able to do at the plate,” he said after the Saints plated four fifth-inning runs Saturday to finish off Hamburg 10-0 in a Berks III game at Owls Field.
The win was the sixth straight for the Berks III-leading Saints (8-1, 11-2), who have been virtually unstoppable during that streak. They have scored 10 or more runs in each of the six wins and outscored their opponents 81-21 during the stretch.
For the season they’re batting .341 and are averaging a league-leading 10.7 runs per game – that’s more than double their output of last season, when they missed the Berks playoffs.
Three regulars – Parker Nein (.475), Dillon Walls (.463), and Mikey Fidler (.407) – are batting over .400. Five players have an on-base percentage of .500 or better. Four have an OPS of 1.000 or higher.
And it’s not just the guys at the top of the lineup, like Walls, the leadoff batter who has a 1.219 OPS, or Nein, who has a .575 slugging percentage. Guys throughout the lineup are producing.
“It’s one thru nine right now,” said Shurr.
Fidler, who bats ninth, came to the plate three times Saturday, had two hits and scored three runs; he has a 1.003 OPS. No. 8 hitter Maxx Mace hit a run-scoring triple and scored in the final inning. No. 7 batter Michael Bradley has a .538 on-base percentage.
“Mikey and Maxx have been doing amazing at the bottom of the lineup,” said right-hander Trey Stricker, “they’re producing, not only batting average but getting on base and moving the lineup over.”
The Saints expected to contend for the Berks III title this season but got a real boost in their season-opener when they scored five times in the seventh to tie Twin Valley 5-5. Berks Catholic scored three times in the top of the eighth and won 8-6.
“That (win) got us started in the right direction,” Bradley said.
That win looks even bigger now after seeing that Twin Valley run away with the Berks II title; in fact, the Raiders are the only Berks team without a league loss.
Saturday, the Saints got two hits and two runs from Walls and three RBIs from Dennis Rodriguez as they chased Hamburg ace Tyler Shuey after 3 2/3 innings.
They took advantage of four walks, a hit batter, and an error, and stole nine bases without being thrown out. Walls tripled and ended the game with two out in the fifth when he scored on a wild pitch.
“We’ve been really focused at the plate,” Shurr said of a recent offense surge that saw the Saints score 18 runs at York Catholic and 17 against Schuylkill Valley. “The guys are doing a better job of having an approach at the plate. We’re prepared, and we’re taking advantage of the opportunities we’re being given.”
Stricker, meanwhile, breezed through the Hamburg lineup, allowing just three hits while striking out eight. He’s now 4-0 with a team-best 2.86 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 22 innings.
“Trey’s been really good all year but I think he had all three pitches working today,” Shurr said. “He got a lot of guys out on changeups, which is a big pitch for him.”
The Saints are currently sixth in the District 3 Class 4A power ratings; if they hold that spot they’ll earn a first-round bye.
There’s still lots of work to be done. They’re heading into a busy week with five straight games, starting Monday, and seven games in nine days to end the regular season.
The biggest of those games comes Wednesday at Oley Valley (7-2 Berks III, 9-5), which is just a game off the division lead. The Lynx beat the Saints 7-1 on April 13. They won the division last season and have taken four straight games from Berks Catholic.
Bradley is confident.
“I think we’re heating up at the right time,” he said. “We’re looking to do some damage (in the playoffs).”
