Amid the torrid midsummer temperatures, the South Parkland Connie Mack Trojans’ season is about to get real hot.

Last Friday the club ended the regular season with an 11-5 loss at rival North Parkland, but the Trojans qualified still for the playoffs with an 11-7 record.

“The game against North Parkland did not go as we hoped,” South Parkland head coach Donald Friday said. “North Parkland beat us in every phase of the game - outhitting, pitching and fielding us.”

North Parkland didn’t waste any time in this one, plating three runs in the last of the first. Peyton Scherff started the scoring by belting a sacrifice fly to score the first run. South Parkland responded immediately in the second, scoring five runs to take the lead, 5-3.

The Buffaloes did not take playing second fiddle for long, pulling away for good in the second, scoring another three runs to take a 6-5 lead. Scherff hit another sac fly in this frame, and a South Parkland error scored a run and then a wild pitch scored another. Cody Colarusso, Nate Unger and Scherff powered the inning with their sticks. Then North Parkland salted the game away with five runs in the third.

South Parkland’s ace Michael Kohler started on the mound and it wasn’t his night. He allowed two hits and three runs over just one inning, striking out two. Mackaden Parsell and Muhammad Curtis came in from the bullpen. Connor Gerhart, Brady Derr, Kohler and Curtis all had one hit each to lead South Parkland.

Friday’s boys now turn their attention to the playoffs.

“My unofficial understanding of the standings and tie breakers is that South Parkland has earned the No. 9 seed going on the road to face No. 8 seed Nazareth,” Friday said.

The first round of the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack playoffs begin July 11.