After back-to-back no-hitters, West York heads to South Western

Roger Czerwinski isn't totally unfamiliar with no-hitters. The West York baseball coach pitched two himself, and coached another one before this season.

Still, there no way Czerwinski could have expected what his Bulldogs produced this past week.

Two games. Four days. Two no-hitters.

West York pitchers recorded back-to-back no-hitters recently. Senior Keenan Stare tossed the first no-no, finishing with 12 strikeouts and one walk in a 4-0 win against Dallastown on Friday. Three days later, sophomore Kaden Hepler fanned 12 and walked six in a 2-0 win at Red Lion.

Even more amazing is this: The Bulldogs fell one infield single of a third-straight no-hitter Wednesday. Chad Schmuck allowed one hit in West York's five-inning, 11-1 win against William Penn.

Czerwinski jokingly took the blame for that one hit.

"I moved our third baseman back and a slow-roller was hit to third," he said.

All of which means West York will tote plenty of momentum into today's cross-division showdown at South Western at 4:15 p.m. The Bulldogs (10-1, 8-1) are first in YAIAA Division II. The Mustangs (7-3, 5-3) are tops in Division I.

Stare will be on the mound for West York, as he tries to build on his dazzling out Friday. He and Hepler have comparable arsenals: both are right-handers who throw in the mid-80s and feature multiple off-speed pitches.

Both are also good friends, Czerwinski said. Stare was the catcher for Hepler's no-hitter Monday.

"Not only do they challenge each other, they also thrive on each other," Czerwinski said. "That's a pretty interesting dynamic to watch."

West York has pieced together a stellar season so far, despite losing 11 seniors last year to graduation. Pitching, obviously, has made a big difference. The Bulldogs have a team ERA of 2.82, led by Stare (4-1, 2.20 ERA) and Hepler (5-0, 1.37).

"Our pitchers have really stepped up and done a nice job," Czerwinski said. "We only had two hits on Monday, but we capitalized on one of their errors. I've told our kids all along, good teams find a way to win."

West York won't have to face Mustangs ace Matt Hockenberry. The Temple commit pitched in South Western's 5-4 defeat to New Oxford on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs need a win Thursday to keep pace with the Colonials (10-3, 8-2) in Division II.