West York edges Spring Grove to reach YAIAA baseball final
A sparkling defensive play sparked West York's ailing starting pitcher and led the Bulldogs into the YAIAA baseball championship game. Nick Traettino rallied from a rough first inning and turned in a four-hit gem as the Bulldogs rallied to beat Spring Grove, 3-2, Friday at New Oxford High School.
However, his performance would not have been complete without shortstop Cash Gladfelter's gem.
Tied, 2-2, in the sixth, Traettino fell behind the first hitter, Trent Baker, 3-0.
Baker lined a 3-1 pitch to shallow left field.
Gladfelter took a couple shuffle-steps back and extended fully, snagging the ball as he crashed to the ground.
"He's really calm, tall and lanky," Spring Grove head coach Kevin Stiffler said. "I like the way he carries himself. He didn't showboat after he made that great play."
"It was hit pretty hard," Gladfelter said. "I thought it was over my head, and I knew I had to lay out. I grabbed it and snow-coned it in the tip, and it fell into my glove as I fell down.
"Luckily, I grew 6 inches this year."
He sat up and showed his glove to his pitcher, which turned out to be just the pick-me-up the ailing starter needed.
"That was the spark everyone needed," Traettino said. "It sent me over the top to finish the game."
Traettino had rolled his ankle scoring the tying run in the previous inning and spent the break getting his ankle taped.
"I was just getting used to the hefty tape job," Traettino said.
The senior pitcher recovered to strike out the next two batters.
Then, West York took the lead.
After the deflation of Brandon Kinneman's bloop that turned into a force at second, Andrew Copeland ripped an 0-2 double to the left field fence to score Kinneman.
Traettino had survived a rough start to win the game. He needed 26 pitches in the first inning.
He retired the first two batters before three straight hits by Matt Brooks, Derek Hoiles and Baker.
Hoiles' hit plated a run, and after a walk, Treattino hit Austin Piety with the 3-0 pitch to bring in another run.
But he retired 12 in a row after hitting Piety.
That allowed the Bulldogs offense to catch up.
Kinneman hit a 400-foot triple to left-center to lead off the second, and he scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Copeland.
They tied it in the fifth on a pop fly to short right field that was dropped.
That's when Traettino rolled his ankle.
However, aided by Gladfelter's gem, he retired the final six in a row.
"He's been doing stuff like that all year, and he doesn't get a lot of credit," West York head coach Roger Czerwinski said of Gladfelter.
West York 3, Spring Grove 2
Spring Grove2000000—242West York010011x—131
SG, Anthony Reed, Matt Brooks (6) and Derek Hoiles. WY, Nick Traettino and Anthony Kahley.
SO-BB — SG, Reed 7-2, Brooks 1-0. WY, Traettino 9-2; W — Traettino; L — Reed; 2B — WY, Andrew Copeland; 3B — WY, Brandon Kinneman.