By Kyle Craig | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Kyle Craig | lehighvalleylive.com
It wasn't exactly the play that Parkland coach Kurt Weber had in mind, but it got the Trojans out of a bind and across the finish line on Monday afternoon.
Parkland, ranked second by lehighvalleylive, turned a 3-6-3 double play to end a bases-loaded threat in the seventh inning and defeat No. 3 Easton, 4-3, in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference game at Richards Field.
Weber and the corner infielders had talked about throwing home on a groundball. But when Easton slugger Luke Storm smoked a ball to first baseman Adam Smith, the senior went to second and then caught the relay to end the contest.
"It was not the play that we were expecting," Weber said.
It wasn't the ending Parkland was expecting at all, really. The Trojans were cruising with a 4-0 lead and Smith, the team's ace, on the mound.
Easton (9-3) finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cam Hubbard drew a walk and scored on an error; Nick Yannuzzelli smacked an RBI double to left-center field; and Matt Happel added an RBI knock to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Smith fanned Keegan Stem to escape the frame.
Koby Staivecki entered to close the game in the seventh, but the Red Rovers loaded the bases thanks to a pair of one-out singles and a walk. Then, the Trojans extinguished the threat with the double play.
"We'll take our chances any time we have that situation with Luke or any of those guys at the top of our order," Easton coach Carm LaDuca said.
"Adam just kept calm … You have to stay calm and that's what we did," said Trojans sophomore Jack Giovenco, who was 3-for-3 with a triple.
George Jenkins registered an RBI fielder's choice to get Parkland on the board in the second inning, against Easton left-hander Eric Gustofson, and Matt Ervolina cracked a run-scoring double in the third to make the score 2-0.
"I feel like almost every team that we play throws a lefty against us," Giovenco said. "It's just something that we have to get used to. He missed a few pitches and we exposed them throughout the game."
Parkland (10-2) jumped on the Easton bullpen for a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Smith and Alex Oliver drove in runs.
"We did a pretty good job of hitting," Weber said. "He didn't do a really good job of situational hitting in the middle innings. We could have broken the game open and given us a little bit more of a lead. We didn't do a good job there and that let them hang around."
Smith struck out seven, including six in a row, over his six innings of work. He also surrendered an earned run for the first time this spring.
"He's a quality pitcher," Weber said of the All-Area first-teamer. "He's going to battle; he's going to make you earn it. I thought he did a good job."
The game was originally suspended on April 9 and then rescheduled multiple times. The Rovers started Monday's action in the first inning with Hubbard on second base and no outs, but failed to bring the 2018 EPC Co-MVP around to score.
"(Smith) was very sharp early. I'm a little disappointed we didn't get that runner over (in the first inning)," LaDuca said. "We had a little bit of an advantage there, to knock that run in and maybe take a lead. But, (Smith) threw the ball really well; give him a lot of credit for that. They're a tough team. We were really proud, as a coaching staff, of the way the boys fought back."
Easton has a rugged week ahead with Northampton, Stroudsburg and Liberty on the schedule.
Parkland is thankful that the weather finally cooperated and let the Trojans collect a big win.
"When we got here, it was raining," Giovenco said. "… I was really glad we got to play it today and it feels great winning … I feel like, right now, we can beat anyone if we play our best."