Parkland High School Baseball

After suffering their only loss this season-to-date at the hands of the Nazareth squad, the JV Trojans were anxious to settle the score. Collin Duff dominated the Blue Eagles, pitching a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits over seven innings. Nazareth’s only scoring threat came in the top of the first inning but ended with two runners left on base. Duff would allow just two hits and no walks over the six remaining innings.

The DH, Adam Mellinger, led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. Will Algard followed with a single and Ty Conrad (2 for 2, 2 Rbi, 3R) drove them both in. Christian Kinsley (1 for 2, 2B, BB, 2 Rbi) reached on an error and Conrad scored, putting the Trojans ahead 3-0 after one inning. Matt Ervolina drew a walk to begin the 3rd inning. Conrad singled and Kinsley doubled, scoring both Ervolina and Conrad, increasing the Trojan lead to 5-0.

With two outs in the bottom of the 4th inning, Julian Colon (2 for 3) singled and quickly moved to third on a passed ball and a stolen base. Colon scored on a single by Mellinger, putting the Trojans up 6-0. The 6th inning started with a leadoff single by Algard. Conrad hit into a fielder’s choice and scored by virtue of Kinsley walk and a passed ball to round out the Trojan scoring at 7 runs.

At the scene of last year’s District XI championship win, the Parkland baseball team went to Coca-Cola Park to erase last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Nazareth Blue Eagles. On a late night under the lights, gutsy pitching and timely hitting up and down the lineup proved to be enough for the Trojans to do what they planned.

Nazareth struck first posting three runs in the first inning, but Parkland answered immediately with four of their own in the top of the second inning. Kyle Friebolin (2-4) got the train rolling with a hard hit single. Matt Mellinger (2-2, 1 R, 2 BB) rocked a hard hit of his own to follow. Isaac Neal (0-1, 1 R, 2 BB) walked to the load the bases, setting the table for Christian Burgos’ (1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI)line shot to left field for a double, knocking in EJ Brandt (courtesy runner) and Mellinger for 2 RBI. A couple batters later, Andrew Roth (2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) singled to knock in Neal, then coerced a wild pick-off throw by the pitcher to score Burgos.

With the Trojans up 4-3, pitcher Ryan Giovenco (6 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 1 K) showed steel by shaking off a rough first inning and holding Nazareth to only one more run over the next five innings. No errors in the field behind by the visiting Parkland team, along with a big strike out on a filthy Giovenco curve, helped Parkland to not fall behind the rest of the game. A triple to deep right by Cullan Wadsworth (1-3, 1 R) set the stage for one of Tyler Bruno’s (0-2, 2 RBI) two RBI sacrifice flies, scoring Wadsworth to put them up for good.

In the top of the sixth, with a one run lead, Parkland showed that it can score with small ball as well.  Roth opened the inning reached second base on hustle and an error, Wadsworth dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Roth to third, and Bruno finished the job by hitting a deep fly ball to center to score the tagging Roth. This put the Trojans up 6 – 4, setting the stage for another tight seventh inning against Nazareth.

After a lead-off hit, Giovenco was relieved by Braeden Duff ( 1 IP, 0 R, 3 K) who used three strikeouts to hold off the relentless Blue Eagles. With a final score of 6 – 4, the Parkland Trojans had yet another win in Coca-Cola Park, and more importantly helped make for a very tight divisional race approaching the last few weeks of the season.

On a night that saw about 75 potential future Trojans as part of Youth Night, the Parkland varsity baseball team used pitching, defense, and strong hitting to put together one of the more complete games of the year in a 11 – 1 win over East Stroudsburg South. Parkland wasted no time putting up two runs in the first inning behind back to back hard hit singles by Andrew Roth (1-2, 1R, 1BB) and Cullan Wadsworth (2-4, 3R, 1RBI) and an RBI fielder’s choice by Tyler Bruno (0-3, RBI).

Solid pitching by Matt Mellinger (4 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 0 R) and crisp glovework behind him held ESS scoreless into the 3rd inning. It was then that the Trojan offense put together one of its biggest innings of the season with doubles by Wadsworth, Kyle Friebolin (1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI), Mellinger (1-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI), and Christian Burgos (1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI). With singles sprinkled between by Austin Mueller (2-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI) and Adam Smith (1-3), the home team posted six more runs on the board to stretch the lead to 8-0.

The lefty Mellinger pitched another scoreless inning in the 4th before turning the ball over to A J Palumbo in the 5th. The visitors would not back down as they put one run on the board. However, that rally was cut short by Palumbo’s pitching and 3 runs posted by Parkland in the bottom of the 5th. In that half of the inning, Isaac Neil (1-3, 2 R) led off with a laser shot over the head of the left fielder for a triple. A walk by Burgos and a hit by pitch by Nate Markowicz loaded the bases for Wadsworth, who put the ball in play to knock in a run. A misplayed ball off of the bat of Ethan Imler allowed two more runs to score to put the lead at 11 – 1, triggering the mercy rule to end the game.

Sergio Rodriguez made his first mound start for the JV squad, pitching 5 no-hit innings, walking three, and striking out 6 before handing the ball off to Adam Mellinger for the final two innings at East Stroudsburg South.

Leadoff batter Joe Webber (1 for 2, 3BB, 2r) walked to start the game, quickly stole second, and scored on back to back groundouts. Justin Petrisko singled and stole second, followed by an Anderson Hummer walk. Dylan Snyder hit an Rbi double (4 for 4, 2B, Rbi, r) scoring Petrisko. Alex Oliver walked to load the bases but the runners were stranded after a groundout to end the inning.

After the leadoff batter grounded out to start the second inning, Webber reached with his second walk of the day and again stole 2nd. Will Algard doubled, scoring Webber for the only run of the inning.

Snyder singled the start the 3rd inning and advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt, eventually scoring on an Oilver Rbi groundout. Mark Leiby followed with a single and a stolen base. Ethan Russell walked and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Joe Webber’s third walk loaded the bases with one out. Matt Ervolina hit and infield fly, scoring Leiby. Algard walked to load the bases, but for the second time, the Trojans left the bases loaded.

Pinch hitter Dylan Miller singled and scored the lone Trojan run in the 6th inning, with help from back to back singles by Hummer and Snyder.

Carson Fracas led off the final frame with a single and scored on Ervolina’s single to round out the Trojan scoring at 7 runs.

On a sunny spring day that saw the temperature hit the 80s, the Trojans bats were hot as well.  Offensively, Andrew Roth (0-3, 2BB, 2R) led off the game with a ground ball to third which Pleasant Valley (PV) mishandled.  When he reached first safely that resulted in the first of twenty-two baserunners the Trojans would have on this day.  Cullan Wadsworth (3-5, 2R, RBI, HR) then roped a single to right to set the table for Kyle Friebolin (2-2, RBI, 2R, BB) who singled, driving in Roth. 

The scoring continued in the 3^rd with Wadsworth again singling to right.  Austin Mueller (0-3, 1RBI, BB) walked and John Amato (0-1, R) ran for Mueller at first.  This was followed by a walk to Friebolin which loaded the bases.  Isaac Neal (1-2, R, RBI, BB) walked scoring Wadsworth.  Ethan Imler (0-2, RBI, 2BB) then put the ball in play and an error by the PV second baseman allowed Amato to score.  The bases remained loaded for Mike Jenkins (1-4, 2B, 3RBI) who crushed a double over the left fielder’s head to clear the bases and give the Trojans a 6-0 lead.

The Trojans 4^th saw singles by Friebolin and Neal which were followed by a walk to Matt Mellinger (1-3, BB) to load the bases.  The Trojans scored again as Imler walked and Friebolin was forced in from third.

The 5^th began with Roth working a walk and advancing to second on a wild pitch.  He moved to third on a Wadsworth ground out, and scored on a sac fly by Mueller. 

The scoring concluded when Wadsworth and his left handed swing treated the Trojan faithful to a homer to right, completing the scoring as the Trojans won 9-4. 

Jenkins (5 inn, 2ER, 2K, BB) and Braeden Duff (2 inn, 0 ER, 1K) held Pleasant Valley to 4 runs as they scattered 8 hits.