Parkland High School Baseball

The Parkland Trojans opened 2014 LVC conference play today with a dominant 9-0 win over visiting Nazareth.  While the Parkland bats collected 10 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 homeruns, Parkland pitchers shutout the Blue Eagles allowing only 4 hits while striking out 10 Nazareth batters.  The Trojans improved their early season record to 2-0.

Parkland grabbed the lead early scoring two runs in the bottom of the 1st inning.  Justin Afflerbach (1-for-3, run) and Chris Rabasco (2-for-2, 2B, BB, run) hit back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out.  While Afflerbach would later score on a wild pitch for the first run of the game, Zach Merkle (1-for-2, 2B, HBP, RBI) hit an RBI double to give the Trojans the 2-0 lead after one inning of play.   The score remained 2-0 until the 4th inning when Alex Flynn (1-for-2, 2B, BB, RBI, 2 runs) led off with a double.   After a Zach Miiller (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs) bunt single to put runners on the corners, Rhett Jacoby (1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, run) drilled a double to the left-center gap to clear the bases to give Parkland the 4-0 lead. Brad Vasilik (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) doubled to plate another run to make it 5-0.

Rabasco led off the bottom of the 5th inning with a double and would later score on a Flynn RBI fielder's choice for the 6-0 Parkland lead.  The next three Parkland runs came off the long ball.   In the 5th, Miiller hit his first career varsity homerun with a 2-run shot on a ball driven deep down the left field line.  In the 6th inning, sophomore pinch hitter Tyler Bruno (1-for-1, HR, RBI, run) collected his first career varsity base hit with a solo homerun to right field. 

Starting pitcher Gabe Mosser cruised through 5 innings of work, striking out nine and allowed only 2 hits and one walk.  Mosser did not allow a runner past second base and had three innings where he retired Nazareth batters in order.  Reliever Jacoby pitched the final two innings of play, allowing 2 hits with one walk while striking out one. 

The JV Trojans suffered their first loss of the season 5-3 to Nazareth.  Starting pitcher Harsha Bollu worked 4 strong innings of shutout baseball, collecting 7 K's while walking 2 and allowing 2 hits.  The Trojans scored 2 runs in the 3^rd inning when Sophomore EJ Brandt (2-2 , BB, 1 run) tripled to left field to get things going.  Sophomore Andrew Roth (1-1, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 SB, 1 RBI) plated Brandt for the first run of the game.  Roth later scored on an error by Nazareth third baseman to give the Trojans the 2-0 lead in the third inning.

In the 5th inning, the lead was increased to 3-0 when Roth led off with a walk and Sophomore Kyle Friebolin (1-4, 1 rbi) knocked him in with a hard hit ball passed the shortstop.  The Trojans could not hold the lead as Nazareth scored 5 runs in the 5th inning taking advantage of walks and fielding errors.  The JV's could not mount a rally in the 6th or 7th inning, losing 5-3.

Freshman relief pitcher Matt Mellinger walked five while striking one.  Friebolin came on in relief to end the Nazareth 5th inning rally, working a total of 1 2/3 innings on the mound collecting 4 strikeouts.

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The 2014 JV season began with an 8-5 win over North Penn Knights at the JV field.  The offense pounded out 10 hits for eight runs.  Three Parkland pitchers combined to shut down the powerhouse offense of North Penn.

Starting pitcher and sophomore Braeden Duff, pitched 3 complete innings allowing only 2 runs.  Freshman Matt Mellinger pitched 3 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs.  Sophomore EJ Brandt came in to get the final out in th 7th inning.

The Parkland offense wasted no time getting things going in the first inning.  Freshman Harsha Bollu and Sophomore Kyle Novobilski (1-2 with 3 runs) both walked.   Sophomore Kyle Friebolin (3-3, 5 RBI) then hit a 3-run homerun to give the Trojans a quick 3-0 lead.  After Duff pitched a scoreless second inning, Freshman Ethan Imler (1-3, 1 run) led off the bottom of the second with a lead off single.  Sophomore Andrew Roth (2-2, 2 runs, 1 sb) hit a single to right.  After two wild pitches, one on which Imler scored, Scott Hudock (2-2, 2 RBI) hit a sacrifice fly to score Roth.  Not finished yet, Novobilski  singled and Friebolin plated him to make it 6-0 after 2 innings of play.

A North Penn rally in the third inning was put to end with little damage.  With two men on base, a ball hit in the gap to deep left center was tracked down by Roth.  A perfect relay execution from Roth to shortstop Bollu who threw a perfectly timed throw to catcher Friebolin to tag the runner out and end the inning.

In the 5^th inning, Roth singled and then stole second.  Hudock drove him in with single to right.  Relief pitcher Mellinger shut down North Penn offense in the 5^th and 6^th innings.  In the sixth inning, Novobilski scored another run for the Trojans on a single by Friebolin.  With Parkland leading 8-4 in the 7th inning, North Penn scored a run to make it 8-5 and put together another rally with two runners on base.  Relief pitcher Brandt took the mound to get the game-ending strike out and the save.