Parkland High School Baseball

After being no-hit less than 24 hours ago and suffering their first loss of the season to Northampton, the Parkland Trojans were right back on the diamond today at Emmaus.  With no time to take a few extra swings in the batting cage to cure the futility of the night before, the Trojans found perhaps the best cure for getting back on the winning track......a 6-0 lead to start the game.  It is true that before the first pitch of the game was thrown today the Parkland Trojans had a 6-0 lead, but not because the Green Hornets were feeling generous.  Today's game was the continuation of a suspended game from more than two weeks ago when the Trojans sent ten batters to the plate in a rainy 1st inning, scoring six runs on four hits.  Starting pitcher Rhett Jacoby worked out of a first inning jam when Emmaus loaded the bases with one out.  Jacoby got a strikeout and a ground ball out to end the threat as the rains forced the game to be suspended after one full inning of play.  In Jacoby's one inning of work he had two strikeouts and allowed two base hits, one hit batter, and no walks.

Parkland scored its six 1st inning runs when the first three batters of the game reached base to load the bases.  Jeff Strisovsky was hit by a pitch, Justin Afflerbach singled, and Chris Rabasco walked.  After scoring the first run on a Evan McAndrew sacrifice fly, Tyler Bruno (1-3, BB, 2R) singled to reload the bases then Harrison Rabenold (1-3, 2B, BB, 2R, 2RBI) doubled to drive in two runs, followed by a Cullan Wadsworth double to drive in two more runs.  Dan Zaccaro (0-1, RBI) then hit an RBI ground out to finish out the first inning scoring. 

With the game resuming today in the top of the 2nd inning, the Trojan bats came out swinging.  Chris Rabasco (1-1, 2B, 2BB, sac fly, 2R, RBI) got things going with a one-out double to right field and Evan McAndrew (1-2, 3B, sac fly, R, 2RBI) followed with a triple to right field to score Rabasco.  Emmaus' pitcher then had trouble finding the strike zone.  The next four Parkland batters reached base on walks.  Cullan Wadsworth (1-3, 2B, BB, R, 3RBI) and Andrew Roth (1-2, BB, R, RBI) both got RBI base on balls that plated McAndrew and Bruno.  Kyle Friebolin (0-1, BB, sac fly, RBI) then drove home Parkland's fourth run of the second inning with a sacrifice fly out. 

Connor Higgins took the mound in relief of Jacoby and pitched four innings of shutout baseball allowing two base hits and two walks with five strikeouts.   Emmaus collected their two hits of the day in the bottom of the second inning as they loaded the bases with one out.  Higgins got our of the jam with a ground ball 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. 

Parkland added three more runs in the 4th inning.  Roth reached base with a one-out single and Friebolin walked.  Jeff Strisovsky (1-3, HBP, 2R, RBI) then singled to score Roth.  After Justin Afflerbach (2-3, HBP, R) was hit by a pitch, Rabasco hit a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner EJ Brandt.  Kyle Novobilski then hit a ground ball to second base that was misplayed allowing Strisovsky to score.  With a 13-0 lead, Higgins worked around two walks in the bottom of the 5th inning to end the game via mercy-rule and put the Trojans back on the winning track.