Parkland High School Baseball

After giving up a 1-0 lead in the top of the 6th inning that allowed Governor Mifflin to tie the game at 1-1, Tyler Bruno hit a two-out single up the middle in the bottom of the 7th inning to score Andrew Roth and give the Trojans the 2-1 walk-off win.  The game was marked by strong pitching on both sides, as well as key defensive plays.  Starting pitcher Harsha Bollu pitched five effective innings, allowing one run on six hits and one walk.  Bollu worked around a couple of hits in the first two innings of the game, and got out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd inning with an inning ending double play. 

Parkland had an opportunity to score in the 1st inning when lead off hitter Jeff Strisovsky (1-3, sac bunt) singled, Justin Afflerbach (1-3, BB, R) walked, and Chris Rabasco (0-1, 2BB, HBP) was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.  After a fielder's choice ground out got the force out at the plate, Rhett Jacoby (0-2, BB) hit a line drive to second base that was caught for a double play.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Afflerbach singled and later came around to score the first run of the game with Bruno's first RBI single of the game.  The Trojans did not mount another scoring threat until the bottom of the 7th inning.  In the 5th, Bruno did drive a ball over the right fielders head, but the Governor Mifflin right fielder made an outstanding running catch on the warning track. 

 In the top of the 6th inning, a lead off walk and a stolen base put a Governor Mifflin runner on second base with no outs.  The next batter doubled to the gap in left center to tie the game at 1-1.  With the go-ahead run on second base with no outs, Rabasco came on in relief of Bollu.  Rabasco got two quick outs with strikeouts on six pitches to the next two Governor Mifflin batters.  The next batter hit a bloop single over third base that landed in short left field.  With the Governor Mifflin base runner trying to score from second base, shortstop Strisovsky picked up the ball and his throw to home plate was on the mark to catcher Austin Mueller (1-3) who applied the tag to end the inning.  Rabasco worked around a one-out single in the top of the 7th to keep the game tied at 1-1. 

In the bottom of the 7th inning, Roth reached base on a fielding error and advanced to second base on a Strisovsky sacrifice bunt.  A ground out off the bat of Afflerbach allowed Roth (1-2, BB, R) to advance to third base.  With Roth on third base and two outs, Rabasco was intentionally walked to make way for Bruno (2-4, 2RBI).  Bruno lined the first pitch of his at-bat to centerfield to score Roth for the walk-off 2-1 win.  Rabasco picked up the win on the mound for his two scoreless innings of work, allowing two hits, no walks, and striking out two.  Cullan Wadsworth (1-3) singled in the 6th inning to round out Parkland's offense.