Parkland High School Baseball

The Parkland Trojans advanced to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship game with a dominant 8-0 victory in their semi-final matchup against Easton at Hackett Park.  Senior right-hander Rhett Jacoby pitched a complete game, 2-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts.  Jacoby was dominant throughout the game.  He struck out the side in order in the opening inning, and Jacoby proceeded to retire the first 14 Easton batters of the game in a row.  Jacoby was perfect through 4 and 2/3 innings before Easton got their first base hit of the game with two outs in the 5th inning.  Jacoby also did not walk a batter.

After going scoreless in the first two innings of the game, the Parkland bats came alive in the bottom of the 3rd inning.  The Trojans sent 11 batters to the plate and by the time the 3rd inning was over they Trojans had scored 7 runs on 7 hits in the inning.  Jeff Strisovsky (1-4, R) got the rally started wihth a one-out single.  Justin Afflerbach (2-3, 2R) followed with a single to put runners on first and second.  Chris Rabasco (3-3, R, RBI) then singled to score Strisovksy for the first run of the game  and a 1-0 Parkland lead.  Afflerbach then scored when Tyler Bruno (0-3, R, RBI) reached base on error and Evan McAndrew (0-2, sac fly, 2 RBI) followed with the RBI sacrifice fly to put the Trojans up 3-0.  Cullan Wadsworth (1-3, R, RBI) singled to plate Bruno, Austin Mueller (1-3, R) singled on a ground ball up the middle, and Rhett Jacoby (1-2, BB, RBI) singled to score Wadsworth.  Andrew Roth (1-3, RBI) then beat out an infield single for an RBI that scored Mueller and a throwing error on the play allowed courtesy runner EJ Brandt to score for a 7-0 Trojan lead.

After Jacoby made quick work of the Rovers in the top of the 4th with a 1-2-3 inning on 6 pitches, Parkland added another run in the bottom half of the inning.  Afflerbach reached base on an error, Rabasco singled for his third hit of the game and after a wild pitch put runners on second and third, McAndrew hit an RBI ground out to score Afflerbach. 

With the 8-0 lead, Jacoby continued to cruise through the Easton lineup.  After allowing a base hit on a ground ball that hit the third base bag in the 6th inning, Jacoby retired the remaining batters in order to put an exclamation point on his impressive performance.   

Parkland Trojan senior shortstop Chris Rabasco was named the 2015 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Most Valuable Player in voting by the league's coaches.  This is the inaugural year of the EPC that is comprised of 18 teams in three divisions.  The Trojans advanced to the semi-final round of the EPC championship series with a dramatic 4-3 win over Pocono Mountain East last evening.  The Trojans will face Easton in tomorrow's semi-final matchup.

Rabasco is leading the Parkland Trojans with a .516 batting average, and leads the Trojans in several other offensive categories.  The four-year varsity player leads the Trojans with 32 base hits, 23 RBI's, 11 doubles, 13 walks, and 0.582 OBP.  In limited time on the mound as a relief pitcher, Rabasco has compiled a record of 2-0 with no runs allowed.

Senior left-handed pitcher Connor Higgins was named to the 2015 EPC All-Conference Baseball Team.  Higgins has enjoyed a dominant year for the Parkland Trojans on the mound.  He has compiled a record of 7-0 with two shutouts, and a near perfect 0.18 ERA.  In fact, Higgins pitched 38 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run before allowing his first earned run of the season in the 6th inning of the opening round of the EPC playoffs yesterday.  In his 39 innings of pitching this year, Higgins has 51 strikeouts and has not allowed an extra base hit. 

Parkland Trojans third baseman Justin Afflerbach joins Rabasco and Higgins in being named to the 2015 EPC All-Conference Baseball Team.  Afflerbach has been a consistent bat all season in the second spot of the Trojans lineup.  Afflerbach is batting .388 with 26 base hits and one double.  He has scored 20 runs as well as collecting 15 RBI's along with a .474 on-base percentage.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS, CONNOR, and JUSTIN!   

Tyler Bruno and Evan McAndrew both received 2015 EPC All-Conference Honorable Mention in voting by the league's coaches.  Bruno, Parkland's junior second baseman, is having an oustanding year from the middle of the Trojan lineup.  He is batting an impressive .406 with 26 base hits, 3 doubles, and leads the Trojans with four triples.  Bruno has knocked in 13 runs and has a .465 on-base percentage.

McAndrew has contributed to the Trojans success this year from the mound, first base, and with his bat.  McAndrew has a pitching record of 4-0 with an impressive 0.89 ERA.  In his 23 2/3 innings pitched this year he has 24 strikeouts and has only allowed three extra base hits.  At the plate, Evan is batting .333 with two doubles and two triples.  He has 16 RBI's and has scored 12 runs. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO TYLER AND EVAN!