Parkland High School Baseball

The Trojans got going in the first inning again today with Adam Mellinger leading off with a single and Matt Ervolina reaching by error. Will Algard bunted to move the runners and Ty Conrad used one of his four hits ( 4-4, BB, 2 R, 3 RBI) to plate Mellinger and Ervolina. Anderson Hummer and Dylan Snyder also reached setting up a Phil Schoch RBI fielder’s choice capping a 4 run inning. Parkland scored three more in the 2nd inning started by a Julian Colon single. After a ground out, Ervolina, Algard, Conrad and Snyder singled to make the score 7-1.

Parkland scored two more in the 3rd with a two out rally sparked by a Colon base on balls, Mellinger safe by error and Ervolina and Algard RBI singles. The Trojans finished their scoring when Conrad lead off the 4th with a walk. Hummer reached by error, and Schoch drove in Conrad with a fielder’s choice. Colon hit a ground ball that couldn’t be handled to plate Schoch and Parkland hung on for the 11-5 victory. Adam Mellinger was the starting JV pitcher, going the first four innings. Mark Leiby pitched a solid final three only giving up one run.

Mike Jenkins took the ball on a cold, blustery day at the Parkland High School diamond and led the Trojans to their second win of the season.  Jenkins controlled the game as he held Freedom scoreless while scattering 6 hits over 7 innings, striking out 7, and did not walk a batter.  He was backed by a defense that played errorless baseball on a day that saw less than ideal baseball weather conditions. 

The Trojan offense was kept off balance as the Freedom pitcher matched Jenkins effort in all but the first inning.  After Freedom was set down in a 1-2-3 first inning the Trojans manufactured a run.  Andrew Roth (0-2, BB, R) led off for the Trojans with a walk.  Cullan Wadsworth (0-2, SAC) then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt moving Roth to second.  Tyler Bruno (1-3) singled to put runners on the corners.  Austin Mueller (0-2, BB, RBI) then reached first on a fielder’s choice to second, scoring Roth with the only run of the game.

While the Trojans could only push one run across the plate they did have several chances to score as they left seven men stranded over the first four innings.  In the second, Ethan Imler (2-3, 2B) singled followed by a Kyle Novobilski (0-0, 2BB) walk to put runners on first and second.  The Trojans could not advance them further.  In the third Mueller walked and was followed by a Matt Mellinger (1-3) single.  Again both men were left stranded.  The fourth inning saw Imler double to lead off the inning followed by another Novobilski base on balls.  For the third time in as many innings the Trojans left two men on base still looking for that crucial hit to provide an insurance run.  In the end it was Jenkins’ pitching that provided all the insurance the Trojans would need on this day. 

In a non-conference game with Hazelton Area High school, the Trojans demonstrated the ability to claw for runs however possible but still came up short in a hard-fought extra inning game. Parkland opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd when Austin Mueller walked and his courtesy runner John Amato scored on a wild pitch. Hazelton responded in the bottom of the 2nd with a run of their own after a double and Trojan error. In the top of the 3rd, Parkland looked to have a big inning with the bases loaded after Cullan Wadsworth singled, Tyler Bruno was hit by a pitch, and Kyle Friebolin singled. However, the Hazelton defense turned a double play off the bat of Mueller to restrict the damage to only one run. In the bottom of the 3rd Hazelton tied the game at 2-2 after manufacturing a run of their own.

While Parkland was scoreless in the 4th, so was Hazelton thanks to a solid pitching performance by Matt Mellinger (4 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 2 BB). In the top of the 5th, Parkland loaded the bases again after Bruno and Friebolin each walked, and Mueller was hit by a pitch. Mellinger knocked in one run on another double play by the Hazelton defense. Amato, pinch running for Friebolin, scored when he stole home on a delayed steal attempt by Kyle Novobilski to extend Parkland’s lead to 4-2. In the 6th, the Trojans scored again, this time after Ethan Imler was walked, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Jenkins, and reached home after being knocked in by Bruno’s RBI single. With the score 5-2, Hazelton scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning on walks and wild pitches to tie the game.

After no score in the 7th, Parkland looked to take the lead in the top of the 8th after Imler reached base, was sacrificed to 2nd base again by Jenkins, but was tagged out at the plate trying to score on Bruno’s base hit to right. Hazelton, however, fared better when one of their batters walked to reach base, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI base hit to end the game with a score of 6-5.

For the third time in four days the JV Trojans scored runs in the double digits, defeating Hazelton for their third straight victory. After going down 1-0 after an inning of play, Alex Oliver got the second frame started with a single. After a flyout, Dylan Snyder, Mark Leiby and George Jenkins reached in succession setting up an Adam Mellinger 2 RBI single. With two down, Ty Conrad kept the inning going with a walk, setting up consecutive RBI hits by Will Algard, Oliver ( 2nd hit of inning) and double by Collin Duff. When the inning ended Parkland was ahead 9-1.

The Trojans scored three more runs in the third with the help of two walks and a costly Hazelton error. Parkland was held without scoring again until the 7th inning when Joe Webber, Ethan Russell, Dylan Miller, Conrad, and Carson Fracas reached with only one out recorded setting up a 3 RBI bases clearing double by Phil Schoch, followed by another double by Duff, his second of the game.

Parkland used three pitchers to secure the win. Starting pitcher Will Algard pitched the first three innings giving way to Freshman Carson Fracas and Mark Leiby to secure the 19-5 victory.