Parkland High School Baseball

The Parkland Trojans improved their conference record to 10-2 today and clinched a berth in next week's LVC playoff with a 3-2 win over Whitehall at Coca-Cola Park.  Playing under cool and damp conditions with light rain, the Trojans worked in and out of trouble defensively several times.  The first coming in the first inning when starting pitcher Matt Hurd was able to get out of the inning with Whitehall runners on second and third.  Whitehall put a runner on third with one out in the 2nd inning, but Hurd ended the threat again getting a strikeout and ground out.  Parkland scored all of its three runs in the bottom of the 2nd when Jacob Rosenblatt (1-3, R) led off with a single followed by a Kyle Stinner (1-3, R) single.  After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Tim Baranek (1-2, R, 2 RBI) singled them both home to put Parkland up 2-0.  The next batter, Nick Rabasco (1-3, triple, RBI) then drove a ball to the right-center wall for a triple that scored Baranek, and Rabasco was thrown out at the plate on the inside-the-park homer attempt. 

That would be all the runs Parkland would need today thanks to left fielder Cody Callahan.  Callahan put on a clinic defensively saving at least five runs.  After Whitehall scored their first run on a double followed by a single in the 3rd inning, Callahan threw out a runner at homeplate for the second out of the inning, and then ended the inning with a diving catch in short left-center field to save another run.   In the 4th inning with Whitehall runners on first and second with two outs, a single to left field was scooped up by the charging Callahan and he threw out the base runner at homeplate again, to end the inning.  Whitehall loaded the bases in the 5th inning with one out and after Hurd struck out a batter for the second out, a hard hit flyball over the head of Callahan looked like sure runs for Whitehall, but Callahan sprinted toward the wall and ran down the ball to end the inning. 

Other Parkland hits came from Damin Muth (1-3), Tyler Graeff (1-2, BB), and Chris Rabasco (1-3). Hurd pitched 5 innings with three strikeouts.  Tyler Duff came on on relief in the 6th inning  where Whitehall managed to score their second run on a sacrifice fly.  Duff worked a quick 7th inning and struck out a Whitehall batter for the final out of the game.