Rebuilding seasons occur even among the best high school athletic programs. This year’s Parkland softball team proves that. The Trojans seem to compete for titles year-in and year-out. And they haven’t given up on playing for a district title in 2024. But at the same time, this year’s roster includes just two names of seniors and the starting line up has just one in catcher Morgan Schultz-Stuardi. While Parkland didn’t get the chance to play for a league title, the young Trojans made it to the semifinals and were one win away from doing just that. After going 16-5 overall and 13-3 in the East Penn Conference during the regular season, Parkland earned the No. 3 seed for the league playoffs and pulled out a 3-2 win over No. 6 Stroudsburg in Monday’s quarterfinal round. The Trojans then fell to upstart Pleasant Valley 5-2 Tuesday. The No. 7 seed Bears will meet either Bethlehem Catholic or Nazareth in the league title game. The Hawks and Eagles had their semifinal game postponed due to rain Tuesday and are slated to play Thursday. “You hear people say we’re happy to be here,” said Parkland head coach Barry Search. “Well, we are happy. We are very happy to be where we were and to be in the playoffs. The kids did a great job. I’m happy for them. They played their hearts out. They’ve been doing that all season.” Parkland’s playoff run got started fast with a run in the first inning against Stroudsburg. The Trojans made it 2-1 in the sixth inning and after Stroudsburg answered with a run in the top of the seventh, Parkland finished the game with a run in the seventh. Allison Hunsberger went 2 for 4 against the Mountaineers while pitching all seven innings and not earning a run as she pitched around two errors. Addison Fritzinger reached base four times in the win, with one hit and three walks. Parkland was not able to come up with the same late-game heroics against the Bears Tuesday. Parkland took the early lead when Schultz-Stuardi drew a leadoff walk in the second inning before Maria Moore (2 for 3) and Amelia Dawson (2 for 4) hit back-to-back singles, with Schultz-Stuardi scoring on Dawson’s hit for a 1-0 lead. The Bears answered with two runs in the second inning and held on for the 5-2 win to advance to their first EPC softball title game. “I’m very happy with the way the girls are playing,” said PV head coach Steve Caffrey, who is in his 34th season and hasn’t coached a team in a league title game since his program played in the Mountain Valley Conference. “The last few games we’ve played as a team, from the bench to the fielders to the batters, everything. I’m really proud of what we’ve done.” Bears pitcher Kailyn Getz scattered seven Parkland hits while pitching a complete game. She walked five batters, getting out of bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings with just one scoring. The junior pitcher also had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4, including a triple, and scoring three times. The Bears added two runs in the fifth inning when Getz tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a fielder’s choice. An RBI double from senior Danica Getz made it 4-1. Pleasant Valley manufactured its last run when Rylan Knapp drew a leadoff walk in the sixth and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch. She came around to score on an error. Parkland, which hosted the semifinal games after weather postponements caused them to move from Pates Park, loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on an error, a walk and a single from Schultz-Stuardi. One run scored on a fielder’s choice before Kailyn Getz got the Trojans to ground out for the second out. She then recorded her only strikeout of the game to finish it off. “The kids didn’t quit,” said Search. “They hung in there and they battled and that’s all we ask them to do.” Parkland will move on to the District 11 Class 6A playoffs next week as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed, depending on which team wins the league title.