Good baseball teams can turn the smallest opportunities into big innings.

The Emmaus baseball team did just that Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Park in 15-1 win over Parkland. Each time the Trojans opened the door for the Hornets to sore runs, the team in green and gold seemed to take advantage.

“When they needed a play they made a play,” said Parkland head coach Kurt Weber. “When we needed a play we didn’t make a play.”

It started in the top of the first inning. A two-out walk and an error put a pair of Emmaus runners on the bases. Back-to-back singles put the Hornets in front 3-0.

“That set the tone and put us on our heels a little bit and gave them momentum where they started feeling confident,” said Weber.

Emmaus pitcher Cole Moreau also helped set the tone when he struck out three Trojans in the first inning, despite also hitting one batter with a pitch. The sophomore struck out 10 while walking three and hitting two more with pitches. He allowed four hits over 4 1/3 innings.

“He’s a good pitcher,” said Weber. “The biggest thing he did was when we got some rallies going, he got strike outs. If we just put the bat on the ball and get some runs, they were giving us runs and we just didn’t get the job done hitting.”

The Hornets (6-5 overall, 6-1 East Penn Conference) also got out of some jams with defense.

Parkland (6-2 overall, 5-1 EPC) started the third inning with a walk to Andrew Klotz and back-to-back singles by Will Dobil and Louis Inserra (2 for 3, RBI) to make it 3-1. But Moreau struck out the next two batters before Tyler McNicholas sent a hard ground ball up the middle of the infield.

Emmaus second baseman Cohen Schadler covered the ground, made an off-balance throw that was scooped up by Dayne Schmidt at first base to end the inning.

“Huge play,” said Weber. “That’s a two-run difference. It’s a tie game at that point, 3-3. We didn’t have the at bats when we needed to put the ball in play.

“We dropped so many fly balls tonight it’s like we never played before.”

The Trojans uncharacteristically committed six errors in the game.

Emmaus added three runs in the fifth inning and nine in the sixth to end the game by the 10-run rule as Parkland tried to save some of its top pitchers after the game got out of reach.

The Trojans will need depth on the mound as Tuesday’s game was the first of a stretch that will see them play 12 games in 17 days. Tuesday was their first game in six days.

“The schedule has been so tough on us as far as getting any rhythm,” said Weber. “Whether you’re going good or going bad, you have to get some games in and consistently play.”

In other recent games, Parkland beat Dieruff 14-4 in five innings last Tuesday, April 9, and followed it with a 9-5 win over Easton the next day.

Louis Inserra went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI against Dieruff, while Landen Benner also went 2 for 3 and scored twice. Andrew Klotz was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

Pitchers Mackaden Parsell (3 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs) and Julian Santiago (2 IP 1 H, 1 ER, 3 strike outs combined to limit the Huskies.

Parkland used a six-run second inning to take a lead on Easton, adding two more runs in the third before the Rovers got on the board with three runs in their half of the third.

Klotz went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs against Easton. Inserra went 2 for 3 in the win over, driving in one run. Dylan Fili was 2 for 4 at the place with a run and an RBI.

Noah Trager pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out three Red Rovers.