Parkland High School Baseball

Senior catcher Damin Muth, Junior outfielder Brad Vasilik, and Junior pitcher Alex Flynn were named to the Lehigh Valley Conference 2013 All-Conference baseball team.   Muth is currently batting 0.414 with 10 extra base hits and leads the team with 20 RBI's.   Parkland's lead off hitter, Vasilik, is currently batting 0.418 and leads the team in both total hits with 33 and in runs scored with 22.  Pitcher Flynn has a record of 6-0 along with a team-best 0.78 ERA amongst the starting rotation.  

Senior pitcher Tyler Duff and Senior first baseman Tyler Graeff received honorable mention honors from the LVC.  Duff currently has a 6-0 record and 1.03 ERA, and leads the pitching staff with 43 strikeouts.  Graeff is currently hitting 0.367 with eight extra base hits, including two homeruns.  Graeff has also driven in 18 runs. 

Congratulations to Damin, Brad, Alex, Tyler G., and Tyler D.!       

The Parkland Trojans' 11-game win streak came to a disappointing end in the LVC championship game played at Hackett Park in Easton as the Whitehall Zephyrs won by a score of 5-2 to take the 2013 crown.  The Trojans got off to a great start.  In the top half of the 1st inning a Whitehall base hit was quickly erased with an inning ending double play.  In the bottom half of the 1st, lead off hitter Brad Vasilik (2-4, run) wasted no time hitting the very first pitch down the left field line for a single.  Damin Muth then reached base on an error that put runners on second and third.  Tyler Graeff (2-3, 2B, run, 2-RBI) hit a 2-RBI single to give Parkland a 2-0 lead after one inning of play. 

In the 3rd inning, Whitehall took a 3-2 lead after scoring three runs in their half of the inning.  With two out and nobody on in the Trojan half of the 3rd inning, Graeff got things going with a double to right field, and the next batter, Hudson Rabenold (2-3), singled.  What looked like a Trojan two-out rally was quickly ended when Graeff was tagged out at the plate on the Whitehall relay throw from right field.  With Whitehall scoring single runs in the 4th and 5th innings they increased their lead to 5-2.  Although the Trojans scattered nine hits during the game, they could not string enough together to get back into the game.  With one out in the 6th inning, back-to-back singles by Rabenold and Chris Rabasco (1-3) put runners on first and second, but they would be left stranded.  Nate Case (1-3) and Alex Flynn (1-2) each added singles. 

The Parkland Trojans defeated Liberty in the LVC semi-final game at Hackett Park in Easton by a score of 4-3 and advance to the championship game tomorrow night against Whitehall.  The Trojans scored all of their runs early in the game scoring in each of the first 3 innings to take a 4-0 lead after 3 innings of play.  Parkland only had five base hits, but took advantage of walks, hit-by-pitch and Liberty miscues.  Liberty rallied late in the game scoring their first run in the 5th inning and then plated two more runs in the top of the 7th inning to close the gap to 4-3, but the game would end by the same score with Liberty threatening to score more in the 7th.

In the first inning, Brad Vasilik led off with a walk and after Alex Flynn (1-4) singled to put runners on first and second base, Damin Muth sacrifice bunted to move the runners over.  The next batter, Tyler Graeff (1-2, SF, run, RBI), then brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly to center field.  Parkland took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning when Chris Rabasco (1-3, run) led off the inning with a single and then moved up a base when Zack Merkle reached base on a Liberty error.  Rabasco later scored on a wild pitch.  In the 3rd inning, back-to-back singles by Graeff and Hudson Rabenold (1-3, run) followed by a Merkle hit-by-pitch loaded the bases.  An RBI single by Justin Afflerbach (1-2, BB, RBI) gave Parkland the 3-0 lead.  Another hit-by-pitch, this time Nate Case, forced home Parkland's fourth run. 

Starting pitcher Tyler Duff worked 5+ innings allowing one run on six hits and two walks.  Duff struck out four.  Duff held Liberty scoreless until the 5th inning when the first three Liberty batters of the inning each singled to load the bases with no outs.  Duff worked out of the jam allowing only the one run to score on a sacrifice fly and getting out of the inning with a strikeout and another flyball.  Alex Flynn relieved Duff in the 6th inning and pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing two runs on four hits and one walk.  Liberty rallied to score two runs in the 7th inning to close within one run of tying the game.  After Liberty then put runners on first and second with only one out and threatening to not only tie the game, but plate the go-ahead run, Gabe Mosser relieved Flynn.  Mosser was calm in the pressure situation and promptly put an end to any further Liberty threat by striking out the two batters he faced to preserve the win and earn a much deserved save.