Parkland High School Baseball

The JV squad got back on track with an exciting 12-10 victory over the hornets. Both teams were scoreless until the 3rd inning, when George Jenkins led off with a single. Adam Mellinger followed with a walk and consecutive HBP batters (Matt Ervolina, Will Algard) scored Jenkins. Ty Conrad singled scoring Mellinger and Ervolina. Two errant throws on Conrad’s steal attempt emptied the bases, as both he and Algard scored.

Starting pitcher Collin Duff and Julian Colon both worked walks as the inning continued but ended up stranded on base. Emmaus battled back, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the inning, narrowing the Trojans’ lead to 5-4. A two-out bases empty single from Algard sparked a five run 4th inning. Conrad reached with a walk and Duff singled. Justin Petrisko reached by error and Dylan Miller hit an RBI single. Colon walked and Jenkins followed with a 2RBI single to round out the scoring. Emmaus answered back again, this time scoring five runs of their own to keep the Trojan lead at just one run, 10-9. The Trojans added a lone run in the 5th after Ervolina led off the inning with a double and pinch-hitter Anderson Hummer hit the second double of the inning to drive him home.

The pesky hornets kept pace again, adding another run in the bottom of the inning to keep the margin at one, 11-10. Both teams were scoreless in the 6th inning but the Trojans added an insurance run in the top of the 7th when Algard walked and scored on a Joe Webber RBI single. The pitching duties were shared by Duff, Dylan Snyder, Phil Schoch, Mark Leiby, and Conrad.

The Parkland Trojans showed grit and tenacity against the Nazareth Blue Eagles on a windy Friday afternoon, but came up short in a tough 6 – 3 loss. Sophomore AJ Palumbo (4 IP, 3H, 2 ER, 2 K, 1 BB) took the mound in the divisional matchup, scattering 3 hits and keeping the Blue Eagles off balance with a solid mix of speeds over 4 innings.Neither team could get much going early, but it was the 3rd inning that saw Nazareth strike first for one run. Kyle Novobilski (1-3) answered with a single to left-center, then Andrew Roth (1-3, 1R) reached on an infield error and moved Novobiliski into scoring position, but the runners were left stranded. Nazareth added another run in the 4th after a double by their lead-off batter and a sacrifice fly to deep center to put the score 2-0 moving into the bottom of the 4th.

It was in that bottom of the 4th where the Trojans got on the board after Tyler Bruno (1-3, 1R) hit a laser to right-center for a double, Austin Mueller (1-3) reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Kyle Friebolin (1-3, 2 RBI) put the ball in play to score Bruno from 3rd to cut the lead in half. Moving into the 5th inning, Isaac Neal relieved Palumbo on the mound where Nazareth then loaded the bases on an infield error and two tough walks.  Freshman Adam Smith, now in relief, and the Trojan defense picked up their teammate by limiting the Blue Eagles to only one run. Parkland went down in order in the bottom of the 5th, as did Nazareth in the top of the 6th.

In the bottom of the 6th the Trojans showed their resiliency and fight when Roth led off with a single and  Mueller hustled out an infield single. John Amato entered as a courtesy runner for Mueller, and used his speed to score behind Roth from first on Friebolin’s clutch, 2-run single to right-centerfield to tie the game at 3 apiece. With the momentum swung to the Parkland bench, Nazareth answered impressively in the top of the 7th, scoring 3 runs on 5 hits to take a commanding 6-3 lead. The Blue Eagles then got the Trojans out in order in the bottom of the 7th to end the game.

The JV Trojans suffered their first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion. Parkland started the game with Matt Ervolina singling and Alex Oliver getting hit by a pitch. Will Algard hit into a fielder’s choice and Carson Fracas singled scoring Oliver. Ty Conrad also hit into an RBI fielder’s choice scoring Algard for a 2-0 lead. Nazareth answered back with a run in the first and two in the second making the score 3-2 in favor of the Blue Eagles. Parkland answered with 2 runs in the third started with an Algard single followed by two consecutive fielder’s choice balls hit by Fracas and Conrad with Fracas being safe on a throwing error. Collin Duff singled scoring pinch runner Julian Colon and Ty Conrad scored on a passed ball giving the Trojans a 4-3 edge.

Nazareth held the hard hitting Trojans to just one hit the rest of the game. George Jenkins threw out a would-be base stealer in the 5th inning to squash a Nazareth rally, holding them to just one run and a tied score. Fracas started the game for Parkland, pitching the first 7 innings striking out 11 batters. Ty Conrad, pitching in relief, worked out of an 8th inning jam with help from a diving play by Dylan Snyder with a drawn in infield to keep the game scoreless. In the 9th, Nazareth managed to manufacture a run for the 5-4 victory halting the JV win streak at five.

It was PALS Night at Parkland High School's baseball stadium.  The special guests got to see the Parkland Trojans continue their excellent pitching and defense.  Beginning in the first inning, a strike out by Ryan Giovenco (5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 K) and a diving catch in left center by Andrew Roth, set the tone for the evening against the Koncrete Kids of Northampton. Neither team scored in the first two innings, but the Trojans struck first when Roth (1-4, R) lined a two out single and was advanced by walks to Cullan Wadsworth (1-2, R, BB, Sac Bunt) and Tyler Bruno (1-2, 2R, BB).  A wild pitch scored Roth and advanced both Wadsworth and Bruno.  Wadsworth scored on the second wild pitch of the inning.  Bruno then came around to score on a clutch 2-out RBI single by Austin Mueller (1-1, RBI, BB), making the score 3-0 after 3 innings.

Giovenco continued his excellence in the 4th, showing resolve by getting the last out after walking two. In the bottom of the 4th, Ethan Imler (0-2, R, BB) worked a walk to reach base. Giovenco then helped himself out wonderfully by doubling to centerfield to knock in Imler. Northampton broke up the no-hit bid, and the shutout, with a well-placed bloop single and double to left, scoring one run to make it 4-1. In the bottom of the 5th, Parkland answered immediately with back to back singles by Wadsworth and Bruno, followed by a sacrifice by Mueller to set the table with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Matt Mellinger (0-3, R) put the ball in play, but solid defense by Northampton forced Wadsworth out at home. Kyle Friebolin (1-3, 2 RBI) then picked up his teammates by ripping a single to center to score both Bruno and Mellinger to extend the lead to 6-1.

Braeden Duff ( 2 IP, 0 R, 2 K) relieved Giovenco in the 6th and was able to get a close look at two standout defensive plays to start the inning. Roth had his second diving catch of the day to secure the first out. This was followed by Imler, playing third base who made a diving play to his left, spearing a shot in the gap between 3rd and short.  He regained his feet and threw a bullet to the stretching Mellinger at first for the out.  Northampton still would not go down easy, loading the bases with 2 outs. But Duff showed senior poise by striking out the next Northampton batter and ending the threat. He then closed out the game as he retired the side in order in the 7th inning to secure the 6-1 divisional win.