The West York Bulldogs have done it again.
For the second-straight year, the Bulldogs are the PIAA Class AAA state baseball champions.
West York clinched its 2013 championship with a 2-1 triumph over Upper Moreland on Friday afternoon at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Starter Brandon Kinneman, a soft-tossing left-hander, got the win with five gutsy innings, allowing just four hits.
Carson Fries came on in relief in the sixth with a runner on first and no outs. He proceeded to throw two innings of dominant relief to get the save. He did not allow a hit and gave up just one walk. He struck out four.
In the bottom of the first, Upper Moreland used a hit batter, a double and an RBI groundout to
West York shortstop Brandon Wetzel forces Upper Moreland's Nick Corbett in Friday's championship game. (Randy Flaum / rflaum@yorkdispatch.com)
take a 1-0 lead vs. Kinneman.
After that, however, Kinneman settled in and did not allow another run, pitching out of constant trouble, mostly caused by six walks. He struck out two. It was one of Kinneman's best outings of the season on the biggest of stages. He came into the game with a 4.14 ERA -- the highest of any starting pitcher in any of the four PIAA baseball finals.
In the top of the second, West York rebounded with two runs on two singles, an error (catcher's interference) and a suicide squeeze bunt. Chase James had an RBI single and scored a run in the frame. Brandon Rauhauser had the suicide squeeze RBI that proved to be the winning run.
The Bulldogs, the third-place team from District 3, finished at 21-8. They won 12 of their final 13 games after stumbling to a 9-7 start to the season. That run included the York-Adams League Tournament crown.
West York specialized in nail-biting victories throughout the postseason. Before Friday's game, the Bulldogs had scored in their final at-bats to earn their last four victories. West York won four state playoff games by a combined total of seven runs.
West York outhit Upper Moreland, 8-4. Brandon Wetzel and Fries each had two hits for the Bulldogs.
Upper Moreland, the District 1 runner-up, finished at 21-5.
Check back here later for an updated game story from Dick VanOlinda, as well as a photo gallery and a video production.
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