{"id":190557,"date":"2026-05-12T21:39:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190557\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T21:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:39:35","slug":"wilson-wins-title-with-10-0-victory-over-muhlenberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190557\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson wins title with 10-0 victory over Muhlenberg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wilson defeated Muhlenberg 10-0 in six innings on Monday night to capture the BCIAA baseball championship at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading.<\/p>\n

The victory marked the top-seeded Bulldogs\u2019 second 10-run win of the county playoffs, with the first coming against eighth-seeded Kutztown in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels good,\u201d Bulldogs coach Bill Underwood said postgame. \u201cWhen we first start our workouts in January, the goal is always to get to the championship game and then hopefully win it. We\u2019ve had three games of good pitching, and we knew coming in that Muhlenberg was going to be a tough game. Brian (Kopetsky) always has them ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Wilson, winning pitcher Jack Gabel had three hits, including a triple in the fifth inning. Gabel also tossed a six-inning shutout, allowing just three hits.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeeling great, man. This is exactly where we wanted to be, and it feels great to get it done, especially against Muhlenberg,\u201d Gabel said.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson\u2019s Jack Gabel celebrates his triple in a five-run third inning in a 10-0 BCIAA championship game victory over Muhlenberg at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026.
\n(BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt really confident going into this game, even though my last three outings weren\u2019t the best. I just had to trust my defense behind me, stay confident in myself, and everything felt good today.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the third-seeded Muhls (13-8), they had not allowed a run through their first two playoff games against Gov. Mifflin and Daniel Boone, but could not keep their strong pitching and defense rolling on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Sophomore John Martin got the start for Muhlenberg and allowed two hits through two innings of work, but things began to unravel in the third inning.<\/p>\n

Tied at 0-0, Martin allowed back-to-back singles to Alex Frantz and Gabel to begin the third inning and was pulled shortly after.<\/p>\n

\u201cHitting is contagious for us,\u201d Gabel said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re hitting, a lot of people are hitting, so we had a good start from our nine-hole hitter, got back to the top of the lineup, and kept it going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Junior Ryan Rosenberry inherited both runners and endured a difficult outing himself.<\/p>\n

\"WilsonWilson catcher Gabe Spohn tags out Muhlenberg\u2019s Carter Burr in a third-inning rundown, the closest the Muhls would get to the plate, in a 10-0 Bulldog BCIAA championship game shutout victory at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026.
\n(BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

After a 3-5 putout on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Marmolejos, Rosenberry walked Patrick Lengle to load the bases.<\/p>\n

Ben Kulp then hit a hard ground ball to third base that resulted in an E5 charged to Mike Canfield, whose throw home gave Wilson a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n

The error was followed by another walk and then a balk by Rosenberry.<\/p>\n

Designated hitter Matt Mallis later drove in another run on a fielder\u2019s choice before Gabe Spohn delivered a two-run double down the third-base line to extend Wilson\u2019s lead to 5-0.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some timely hits, and that\u2019s the big thing for us, was to get that going,\u201d Underwood said of the third-inning outburst. \u201cWe got five in the third inning, and that kind of puts their defense on their heels. It gives our guys confidence on the mound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holding a 5-0 lead proved to be more than enough for Gabel, who continued to shut down the Muhls.<\/p>\n

That dominance brought out some emotion in the bottom of the fourth inning when the West Chester commit stepped back into the batter\u2019s box.<\/p>\n

Gabel crushed a one-out triple to deep left-center field and he showed his excitement after reaching third base.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson\u2019s Jack Gabel pitches a six-inning shutout against Muhlenberg in a 10-0 BCIAA championship game victory over the Muhls at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026.
\n(BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cSenior night we took a tough loss from them, and it wasn\u2019t what we expected,\u201d Gabel said. \u201cAnd against Muhlenberg, there\u2019s always a lot of talking from them. So coming into this game, we wanted to get it back. I just had a lot of emotion on that one, and it kind of came out a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson (17-6) and Muhlenberg split their regular-season series, with the Bulldogs earning a 13-1 win on April 10 before the Muhls responded with a 6-4 victory on May 1.<\/p>\n

That passion and energy from Gabel was enough for Underwood to call for a pinch runner in an effort to settle his guy down a bit.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson\u2019s Gabe Spohn celebrates his RBI double in a five-run, third inning in a 10-0 BCIAA championship game victory over Muhlenberg at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026.
\n(BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very passionate guy,\u201d Underwood said of Gabel. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked through that all season about how to handle adversity, but also how to handle things when they\u2019re going well and how to handle it with dignity, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a high-energy guy. Muhlenberg is a rivalry. I knew I\u2019d kind of have to coach him through this and prepare him for it, and he knows that. It\u2019s just in the moment, he\u2019s a fiery guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the sixth inning, the Bulldogs secured their 14th county championship.<\/p>\n

Landon Kostelac started the inning with a leadoff double to left field and later scored on a Gabel single to left.<\/p>\n

A sacrifice fly by Marmolejos plated Wilson\u2019s seventh run before Lengle drove in two more with a single to left field.<\/p>\n

The inning was capped off by Spohn, who drove in the final run to invoke the 10-run mercy rule against Chase Kreider, who entered for Rosenberry at the start of the sixth inning.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson'sWilson\u2019s Julian Martinez celebrates Wilson\u2019s final run in the sixth inning against Muhlenberg in a 10-0 BCIAA championship game victory at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026.
\n(BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

For Wilson, Underwood said his squad overcame a slow start to the season that included defensive struggles before quickly turning things around with a 12-game winning streak fueled by strong offensive production.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have guys throughout the whole lineup getting timely hits,\u201d Underwood said of his offense. \u201cWe have solid guys up and down the lineup, and opposing pitchers really can\u2019t take a day off. It\u2019s really nice to have that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The District 3 Class 6A playoffs Friday for both Wilson and Muhlenberg.<\/p>\n

The Muhls were eliminated in the first round last season by Ephrata in a 2-0 loss. Their most recent district championship came in 2008 when they defeated Fleetwood 3-0.<\/p>\n

As for Wilson, that same Ephrata team ended the Bulldogs\u2019 season with a 6-4 quarterfinal victory. Underwood\u2019s last team to reach the district championship game was 2023, when Wilson fell 7-1 to Cedar Crest.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Wilson Bulldogs are the BCIAA champions following a 10-0 victory over Muhlenberg at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, May 11, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

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