Parkland High School Baseball

The Parkland Trojans dominated in another win, this time downing the East Stroudsburg South Cavaliers by a score of 10-0 in a 5-inning game.  Senior pitcher Evan McAndrew hurled a 1-hit shutout for his second win of the season.  McAndrew walked one batter and had six strikeouts.  Only two Cavaliers reach base during the game; a lead off walk to start the game and a 2nd inning lead off base hit.   After allowing this base hit, McAndrew pitched perfectly for the remainder of the game, retiring the next 12 batters in a row. 

The first five Trojan hitters of the game were retired in order when Rhett Jacoby (2-for-2, double, BB, 3 R) worked a 2-out walk in the 2nd inning to start a Trojan 2-out rally.  After consecutive walks to Austin Mueller (0-for-1, 2 BB) and Andrew Roth (0-for-2, BB, R) loaded the bases, Jacoby scored on a wild pitch to give the Trojans the 1-0 lead.  Jeff Strisovsky (2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI) got Parkland's first hit of the game to lead off the 3rd inning with a single.  After advancing to third base, Strisovsky scored Parkland's second run of the game on a Chris Rabasco (1-for-3, sac fly, 3 RBI) sacrifice fly. 

The Trojans broke the game open in the 4th inning, scoring 5 runs.  The first three Parkland batters of the inning reach base to load the bases with no outs; Jacoby singled, Mueller walked and Roth singled.  A Cavalier fielding error on a ground ball off the bat of Strisovsky allowed Jacoby to score for the 3-0 Parkland lead.  Justin Afflerbach (1-for-3, BB, R, 2 RBI) collected on RBI with a bases loaded walk, and Rabasco singled to the right-center gap to drive in two more runs.  Afflerbach then scored on a McAndrew (1-for-3, RBI) fielder's choice.  Jacoby got things going again in the 5th with a lead off double and after the next two batters made outs, Kyle Novobilski (0-for-2, BB, R) walked.  Strisovsky then singled to left-center to score Jacoby and Novobilski scored on an error by the left fielder.  Strisovsky then scored his third run of the game on an Afflerbach RBI single and put the Trojans up 10-0 in the 5th inning. 

The JV squad cruised past East Stroudsburg South in a 5 inning, 13-0 win.  Starting pitcher Matt Mellinger threw all five innings, earning the win with a 1-hit shutout.  Mellinger retired the first 10 batters, before giving up the lone hit of the game, recording 5 strikeouts while allowing 2 walks.  The Trojan bats produced 13 hits, including 4 doubles, in the 13 run victory.

Joey Bolick (1 for 2, BB, 2R, RBI) got the Trojans started with a lead-off walk.  After stealing 2nd and 3rd, Bolick scored on a Scott Hudock (1 for 1, R, 2RBI) sacrifice fly.  Ethan Imler (2 for 2, double, 2R, 2RBI) followed with a single and scored on a Matt Mellinger (2 for 4, R, RBI) single, giving Parkland a 2-0 lead after one.  The Trojans opened up the game in the 2nd inning, scoring 6 runs to take an 8-0 lead.  Nick Stillittano (1 for 1, double, BB, 2R) started the inning with a lead-off walk.  Nick Iannotta (1 for 2, 2R) singled and Christian Kinsley (0 for 0, BB, R) moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd with a sacrifice bunt.  RBI  singles by Bolick and Hudock scored Stillittano and Iannotta.  Imler doubled to score Bolick and Hudock.  Following a Mellinger single, Nate Markowicz (1 for 2, double, 2RBI) doubled, scoring Imler and Mellinger.

The Parkland offense continued its attack in the 3rd inning, adding 4 runs.  Stillittano doubled to lead off the inning.  Iannotta reached base on error and Kinsley walked to load the bases.  Stillittano scored on a wild pitch and Colin Calpin (1 for 2, 2 RBI) singled to score Iannotta and Kinsley.  Justin Petrisko (1 for 1, BB, R, RBI) singled and Anderson Hummer (1 for 1, double, RBI) doubled to score Petrisko, increasing the Trojan lead to 12-0.  The Trojans added a run in the 4th inning on a Ryan Giovenco (1 for 1, R) single and walks by Collin Duff, Josh Lee, and Petrisko, scoring Giovenco for the final score of 13-0.

Sophomore starting pitcher Harsha Bollu pitched 5-1/3 innings to earn his first varsity victory.  Bollu allowed one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out eight Hazleton batters to lead the Parkland Trojans to a 4-1 win.  Bollu was particularly impressive during the middle innings of the game where at one point he struck out six consecutive Hazleton batters.  Senior pitcher Alec Bartholomew earned the save working 1-2/3 innings of no-hit relief pitching, walking one and collecting two strikeouts. 

A two-out double by Chris Rabasco (1-for-3, double) in the bottom of the 1st inning was for naught as he would be stranded.  The Trojans did get on the board in the 2nd inning when Rhett Jacoby (2-for-3, double, 2 R) hit a one-out double and later scored on an RBI single by Andrew Roth (2-for-2, R, HBP, RBI).  Hazleton tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the 3rd inning, but the Trojans answered in the bottom of the 4th inning with a two-out rally.  With two outs and no one on base, Jacoby got the rally started with a single followed by a Cullan Wadsworth (0-for-2, BB, R) walk and a Roth hit-by-pitch.  After Jacoby scored on a wild pitch, Dan Zaccaro (1-for-2, double, 2 RBI) then got the clutch two-out base hit with a double that scored Wadsworth and Roth and give the Trojans the 4-1 lead.  Justin Afflerbach (1-for-3) singled in the 5th inning, but he would be stranded on base.  Bollu and Bartholomew made the lead stick to preserve the win and help improve Parkland's season record to 7-0.

The JV team picked up its 5^th win of the season defeating Hazleton 4-3.  Starting pitcher AJ Palumbo recorded the win, scattering 3 hits over 4 innings.  Palumbo allowed 1 run, striking out 3 while giving up two walks.  Dylan Snyder threw 3 innings in relief, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit, recording 3 strikeouts and 5 walks.

Nick Stillittano (2 for 3, double, R, RBI) led the Trojan offense with a double in the 2^nd inning scoring Nate Markowicz (0 for 2, BB, R), who walked to start the inning, to give Parkland a 1-0 lead.  The Trojans also threatened in the 3^rd inning on a Nick Iannotta (1 for 2, BB) single who then stole 2^nd, but Iannotta was stranded at 3^rd to end the inning.  Hazleton picked up a run in the top of the 4^th to tie the game 1-1.

Stillittano got things started again for the Trojans in the bottom of the 4^th with a 2-out single.  Consecutive walks by Collin Duff (0 for 1, BB, R) and Josh Lee (0 for 1, BB, R) loaded the bases.  Stillittano scored on wild pitch and Scotty Hudock (1 for 3, 2RBI) singled to score Duff and Lee for a 4-1 lead.  Hazleton mounted a challenge in the top of the 7^th, scoring two runs.  With 2 outs and a man on third, a fly ball to center ended the game, securing the 4-3 win.

Jeff Strisovsky, Chris Rabasco, and Dan Zaccaro had two hits each, and the senior trio accounted for six of Parkland's seven hits, to lead the Trojans to a 7-1 win over Pleasant Valley in the first night game of the season.  After surrendering a first inning run on two hits, starting pitcher Connor Higgins kept Pleasant Valley off the board for his remaining three innings of work.  Higgins pitched a total of four innings allowing just the one run on three hits, along with four walks and seven strikeouts. 

Parkland's offense continued its impressive run production this season (they have outscored their opponents 65-4, including today's game) and wasted no time putting runs on the board in the bottom of the 1st inning.  With eight consecutive balls from Pleasant Valley's pitcher, Strisovsky (2-for-3, double, BB, 2 R, RBI) and Justin Afflerbach (0-for-2, BB, R, sac bunt) both walked.  Rabasco (2-for-3, double, intentional walk, R, 2 RBI) then doubled to deep left-center to score Strisovsky and Afflerbach to give Parkland the 2-1 lead.  Tyler Bruno (1-for-4, RBI) then singled home Rabasco.  In the second inning, Isaac Neal was hit by a pitch followed by a Zaccaro (2-for-2, BB, 2 R) single.  A double steal scored Neal to increase Parkland's lead to 4-1.  Strisovsky then doubled to bring home Zaccaro. 

The score remained 5-1 until the 6th inning when the Trojans plated two more runs.   Zaccaro led off the inning with his second single of the game followed by a Strisovsky single.  After an Afflerbach sacrifice bunt, Rabasco was intentionally walked to load the bases.  A walk to Evan McAndrew (0-for-2, 2 BB, RBI) scored Zaccaro, and Strisovsky later scored on a wild pitch to give the Trojans the 7-1 lead.  Rhett Jacoby came on in relief in the 5th inning and pitched three scoreless innings.  Jacoby allowed two hits with no walks and three strikeouts.