It had been over four months since Parkland’s last official varsity baseball practice. But the Trojans showed no rust Monday in a 22-1 win over Allen in the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Baseball Tournament.

“We played really well,” said Will Algard, a recent Parkland graduate and former Trojan player who is coaching the team in the tournament. “Our pitchers threw a lot of good strikes. Hitters hit the ball when we had opportunities to hit the ball.”

The 32-team tournament is being held to give high school players a chance to get a few games in after their season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was organized by DeSales assistant coach Dan Villanti. The event is not sanctioned by the PIAA, District 11 or any school districts.

The players, especially the seniors, were glad to have some baseball to play with their high school teammates after losing their varsity season.

“It was tough,” said four-year varsity player Jeremy Piatkiewicz of missing his senior season. “In the offseason I put a lot into it, a lot of time in the weight room, a lot of time taking swings. I was sad about it for about two weeks and then just got right back to lifting, right back to swinging.

“It’s great to have this. We get to finish our senior year on some type of note, hopefully we end it on a high note.”

The teams were broken up into eight pools of four teams each. Each team plays three games, facing all of the teams in it’s pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to Thursday’s round of 16.

After the win over Allen Monday at Sam Balliett Stadium, Parkland was scheduled to return for a doubleheader Wednesday against Palmerton and Whitehall. Those games were played after Press deadline.

The Trojans put up eight runs in the top of the first inning against Allen. Their first three came on two walks, a hit batter, an error and a wild pitch.

Senior Andrew Sorrentino got his team’s first hit, an RBI single that made it 4-0 with no outs. Bryce Ratliff followed with a sacrifice fly that made it 5-0. Parkland plated a run on Andrew Keller’s fielder’s choice before two more came in when Piatkiewicz’s hard-hit ground ball was misplayed at third base to make it 8-0.

Parkland senior Joshua Miller pitched a scoreless first inning while striking out two batters before the Trojan offense went back to work.

Miller, who doesn’t plan to play college baseball, was as disappointed as any player to have his senior seasons canceled.

“It was very tough,” he said. “There went high school baseball and I was like, ‘hopefully legion.’ Then just like that it’s gone.”

Jack Giovenco singled to lead off Parkland’s second inning before Luke Meehan sent a ball over the left field fence for a 10-0 lead.

Back to back doubles from Joseph Algard and Sean Superka put Parkland ahead 13-0. Another run scored on a walk for a 14-0 lead after two innings.

James Miskanic took the mound for Parkland in the second inning. He gave up a lead-off home run then allowed just one hit over two innings.

Parkland score its first third-inning run on a walk before Keller’s two-RBI single made it 17-1. Another two runs scored on an error for a 19-1 Trojan lead.

Despite the 15-run rule, the teams agreed to play the fourth inning, which saw Bo Barthol knock in a run with a ground-rule double and Superka drive in two more with a double to right field.

“If we come out and swing the bats like we did and throw strikes like we did, I think we’ll be successful,” said Piatkiewicz, who will play college baseball at East Stroudsburg University.

While they won’t have the EPC or District 11 trophies the Trojans hoped for this season, a tournament title would at least be some kind of consolation for this year’s Trojans.