The Parkland Trojans will head out on the road to square off against the Tunkhannock Tigers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Parkland took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They put the hurt on East Stroudsburg South with a sharp 9-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Cavaliers: they've now won six in a row.
Allison Hunsberger made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Hunsberger was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maria Moore, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Tunkhannock won against Wilkes-Barre last Friday with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Tigers beat Pittston by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 12-2. The win was just business as usual for the Tigers, who after seven games remain undefeated this season.
Addisyn Waterman and Kayden Bamberger did most of the damage at the plate: Waterman scored two runs and stole four bases while going 1-for-2, while Bamberger went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. With that strong performance, Waterman is now averaging an impressive 1.3 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Taryn Newswanger, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Tunkhannock always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pittston only posted an OBP of .391.
Tunkhannock's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Parkland, their record now sits at 4-5.
Saturday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Parkland has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .460. However, it's not like Tunkhannock struggles in that department as they've averaged .524. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Parkland might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Tunkhannock in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
