Parkland went to Coca-Cola Park last week looking for a win over Emmaus to shake off the sting of a loss to Nazareth just three days earlier. The Trojans got just what they needed thanks to a seven-run seventh inning to come from behind and beat the Hornets 11-5.

A 13-3 drubbing by Nazareth last Monday was Parkland’s first loss in eight games. After falling to Northampton in the season opener, the Trojans (10-2 overall, 8-2 East Penn Conference) won seven games in a row. They bounced back with a win 10-0 win over East Stroudsburg North the next day, then took down Emmaus two days after that.

“We’re doing pretty well,” said Parkland leadoff hitter Will Dobil after going 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored against Emmaus. “We had a tough loss against Nazareth. We can’t let this [win over Emmaus] get to our head. This was a big win. We have to get back to work tomorrow and get ready for the next game.”

A back-and-forth game early on was leaning in the Hornets’ direction late in the game. Emmaus led 5-4 when the Trojans came to the plate in the top of the seventh inning.

Matt Razzis and Jaiden Wanamaker started the inning with back-to-back singles. Gavin Mohry’s two-run triple put his team in front for good.

“I saw an inside fastball,” said Mohry. “I turned on it and just tried to get it in the air, do a job and score at least one run to tie the game. It ended up going over his head. I did more than the job. I’m happy about that.”

Parkland wasn’t finished after taking the one-run lead.

An intentional walk to Dominic Medlar was followed by a single from Adrian Klotz. Dobil hit the second triple of the inning to bring in two runs. He scored on a Bo Barthol two-out single. Barthol came home when Razzis reached base on an error to make it 11-5 in favor of Parkland.

“I thought we hit the ball hard pretty consistently throughout game,” said Parkland head coach Kurt Weber. “We had a lot of balls that were right at people. Baseball is a funny game where you find holes once in a while. The kids battled. I’m proud of the kids for battling.”

Emmaus seemed to have all the momentum heading into the final inning, but it quickly swung in the other direction.

“In those situations we do a good job of not giving up and not quitting,” said Dobil. “You just have to find a way to get guys on base and get guys scoring.”

Barthol came on to pitch a perfect seventh in relief of Owen Delong, allowed 10 hits and three earned runs in six innings to keep his team in position to get the win.

“Owen is a battler,” said Parkland head coach Kurt Weber. “He’ll give you everything he’s got. He doesn’t overpower people. He has to pitch to contact. He’s going to keep going at you. He’s a bulldog. I’m proud of him too.”

Parkland took an early lead when Dobil led off the game with a double and scored on a Barthol single. Barthol (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs) crossed the plate on a single from Louis Inserra for a quick 2-0 lead.

Emmaus answered with a Noah Hogan home run in the bottom of the inning. The Hornets then scored three of their next four runs on baserunning plays.

Each time Emmaus put runners on the corners, head coach Jeremy Haas called for a steal of second base. When that runner got caught in a run down, the Hornets sent home the runner on third base. It worked three times in three different innings.

“I was fully prepared to talk after this game about coaching,” said Weber. “We didn’t play like a well-coached team early in the game defensively. Sometimes the players bail the coaches out.

“That’s something we worked on and just didn’t execute today and we gave them three runs on it. It’s frustrating. I’m glad the kids were able to put the frustration aside and still have a chance.”

Parkland also scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Razzis (2-for-5, RBI) doubled with one out in the fifth to score Michael Cole. Klotz (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs) scored in the fifth on a double by Dobil, who had a big night at the plate. He was more pleased about the team’s win than his own performance.

“I hit the ball well, but I can’t let that go to my head,” he said. “I’ll try to keep it going and improve for next time.”

In other games last week, Nazareth had two big innings in a mercy-rule win. The Blue Eagles scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning and then had a six-run fourth. Parkland recorded its first run in the top of the third inning and then added two more in the fourth.

The Trojans finished with four hits, one each from Barthol, DeLong, Cole and Wanamaker. DeLong and Razzis each had an RBI.

One day later, Parkland had a seven-run inning of its own, in the bottom of the first to take control of the game from the jump. The Trojans added two in the second and then one in the fifth to beat the Timberwolves in five innigs.

Brody Morabito led the offense with two hits and an RBI. Dylan Fili and Wanamaker both had a hit, an RBI and scored a run. Dobil, Klotz, Medlar and Cole all recorded an RBI each. Steven Sepko earned the victory on the mound.

Parkland heads into this week in the top spot in the District 11 Class 6A rankings, edging Nazareth (10-2) by rating points. The Trojans are tied with the Eagles for the top spot in the EPC with the season heading into its final few weeks.