Facing the league’s best pitcher for the first time in a championship game isn’t exactly an ideal situation. That’s what Parkland was faced with last week in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference title game when it matched up against Liberty and John Galgon.

Galgon missed his team’s run to the state final last season after Tommy John surgery, and he didn’t pitch against the Trojans in their regular season meeting this year.

The senior baffled the top-seeded Trojans last Thursday in the league title game at DeSales University in a 10-0 Hurricane victory. He allowed just one hit and walked one while striking out seven batters. Parkland had only five base runners in the game.

“He’s very good,” said Trojan head coach Kurt Weber. “That was one of our concerns because we haven’t seen him. We were hoping we could keep the game close early until we get to the second time through.

“That four-run second inning was a tough one for us. We knew we would struggle the first time through until we got an idea. Then he was good all night long.”

Liberty, the No. 2 seed for the league playoffs, went to work in the second inning with four runs on five hits.

The Hurricanes (17-4) tacked on two more in the fourth and put the game away with a four-run sixth inning that ended the game early after the Trojans (20-3) went scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

The win gives defending district champ Liberty the top seed in the District 11 tournament. The Trojans are the No. 2 seed with a bye into the semifinals where they will meet the winner of Wednesday’s Freedom-Nazareth matchup. The semifinals are slated for Sunday, May 28.

Because only six teams made the Class 6A tournament, both Liberty and Parkland will have a 10-day break in between the league title game and their first district playoff game.

“I don’t think there’s a baseball coach that would want to sit for 10 days and then play in a semifinal game,” said Weber. “But it’s what we have to do. We’ll try to stay active and regroup from this. Then we have a tough opponent.

“Our kids are resilient. They’re a proud bunch. They’ll battle back.”