Parkland delays changing of the guard in EPC
Trojans complete sweep of Whitehall with 4-1 win
When Parkland lost to Freedom 10-1 to open the season on March 29, the thought occurred to at least some in the high school softball community that the Trojans’ run of excellence in the sport might be ending.
Since 2014, Parkland has won six straight District 11 titles, five league crowns and made two appearances in the state finals, winning PIAA gold in 2015. It even won a high school summer tournament championship last July.
With a new-look squad and strong teams emerging at Whitehall and Northampton in addition to Freedom, maybe at least a temporary changing of the guard seemed set to happen.
But that thought was premature as Parkland proved this week with an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Lehigh County sweep over rival Whitehall.
On Tuesday, Parkland prevailed 3-1 and used the same formula again on Thursday in a 4-1 victory on the Trojans’ home field.
Senior Kate Zaun limited Whitehall to three hits and walked just one and Parkland got a key two-run double from Shana Gugliadolo in the third to break open a 1-1 game.
“Our youngsters made the plays tonight and did a great job defensively and that was the difference,” Trojans coach Barry Search said after his squad improved to
3-1. “Whitehall’s a quality team that’s always coached well. Our kids just came to play.”
It is a bit strange that the Trojans and Zephyrs are done with their regular-season meetings this early in the season, but the two could meet again in the postseason.
The unusual schedule is another product of the COVID-19 pandemic in the EPC where teams are aligned by county and the back-to-back situation has become the norm.
In softball where one pitcher generally gets the ball every game, it’s tough for the same hurler to hold the same team down twice in a three-day span, but Zaun was able to do it, thanks to quality defense.
“I know that Whitehall worked on stuff in the one day between games and so did we,” Search said. “That’s what you have to do. But I am just happy for our girls because this whole thing has been tough dealing with the pandemic. They’re hanging in there and doing all of the right things.”
Whitehall took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Abby Ros reached on an error, advanced to second on another error and ended up scoring on Maddie Cunningham’s bunt single.
But that was it for the Parkland errors and the Zephyrs’ scoring.
In the third, Maddie Konapelsky, Cassidy Sweeney and Jenna Piakiewicz all singled to tie the game and then Gugliadolo ripped her two-run double to right-center.
“I believe in our team,” Gugliadolo said. “I’ve got girls picking me up all the time.”
Gugliadolo, a junior, is in her first season at Parkland after not playing as a freshman and sophomore. She said she loves her teammates and coaches.
They love her, too, especially if she continues to deliver in the cleanup spot.
“Shana came out for the first time and we have two really good third basemen with her and Konapelsky,” Search said. “She is a great find.”
Right fielder Megan Sotack made a nice one-handed grab of a soaring line drive off the bat of Mackenzie Laub in the fourth, but Zaun kept the ball in the infield most of the game and got a double play turned by first baseman Katie Gontkosky and shortstop Piakiewicz in the seventh to end it.
“We all did great,” Zaun said. “It was a team win. We were all motivated and stayed together. Everyone was making plays and when we made an error, we picked each other up.”
Whitehall coach Blake Morgan was pleased his team made a lot of contact in the rematch with Parkland after his girls struck out 10 times on Tuesday.
“We really cut down on the strikeouts today, which I was pleased about, but hats off to their pitcher who threw great and their fielders who made great plays and they came up with timely hits,” Morgan said. “We competed, but when you are playing Parkland, you have to go get the momentum early and keep it. If you allow them to stay in the game, they’re going to come out on top most of the time. They were the better team today.”
Morgan still feels good about his team (3-2) and the season ahead.
After losing the 2020 season, the big thing is that the girls are getting to play.
“We’re fortunate to have five games in already considering all the COVID19 numbers and a lot of things going crazy,” Morgan said. “We’re still playing and that gives us time to get better. We have a lot of things to work on. Hopefully, we’ll see them again at the end of the year.”