After battling injuries and an erratic schedule during the regular season, the Parkland baseball team played some of its best games in the postseason to earn a spot in the District 11 title game. The Trojans’ season ended there as Liberty captured its third straight district championship with a 7-4 win over Parkland last week. “We have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Parkland head coach Kurt Weber. “We battled all the way through. I wish we could have played a cleaner second inning. Other than that we had our chances a couple times and we just didn’t get the hit. They’re a very good baseball team.” Parkland (17-7) took leads in the top of the first and second innings, but each time the Hurricanes answered with runs in the bottom of the inning, including a five-run second that put them ahead for good. First-inning singles by Broden Morabito and Louis Inserra led to RBI singles from Landen Benner and Dylan Fili for a 2-0 Trojan lead. Liberty (20-5) responded with a pair of runs on two hits, two walks and a wild pitch in the first inning to tie the game. Parkland went back in front in the second when Andrew Klotz got a two-out single and eventually scored on an error. The Hurricanes took control in the bottom of the second when their first five batters of the inning reached base and they used two triples, a double, two singles, a walk and a wild pitch to score five runs and take a 7-3 lead. Heavy rain set in after two and a half innings and the game was suspended last Wednesday at DeSales University before being resumed and finished Thursday. The Trojans did their best to make a comeback in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs and Will Dobil smashed a line drive to right field. Liberty’s Jacob Rivera made a diving catch to end the inning and save his team at least a couple runs. Parkland got a run in the seventh when Inserra and Benner led off with singles and the former scored on a fielder’s choice. Liberty pitcher Mike Mariano, who took over Thursday after JJ Cruz pitched the first three innings Wednesday, got a pop up and a strike out to end the threat and seal his team’s third straight district crown. “It’s a three-peat for them,” said Weber. “We had a three-peat. I remember thinking back then that we were like a little college program. That’s kind of what they are. They have multiple grades of players the last 3-4 years that are all playing in college. You add the talent to the coaching staff that they have and they’re just hard to beat right now.” Mariano allowed four hits and one unearned run over four innings. Cruz gave up five hits and two earned runs over three innings. Dylan Aguiar led the Hurricanes’ offense, which had 14 hits in the game. He went 3 for 3 and was one of four Liberty batters with two or more hits in the game. For Parkland, Benner was 3-for-4, while Klotz (2-for -3) and Inserra (2-for-4) also had multiple hits in the game. Michael Kohler, who relieved starter Nathan Bartholomew after Wednesday’s game was suspended, scattered seven hits over 4 1/3 innings while allowing one unearned run, striking out four batters and walking none. Liberty, which knocked Parkland out of both the league and districts tournament in 2024 after the teams did not meet in the regular season, advanced to the state tournament with the win. Parkland’s season came to an end with the loss. The Trojans will graduate nine seniors from this year’s team, including some of their best hitters and pitchers who threw the bulk of the team’s innings in 2024. Inserra (.400 BA, 1.023 OPS, 25 RBI), Klotz (.431 BA, .988 OPS), Bartholomew (34 1/3 innings pitched), Kohler (21.2 IP), Noah Trager (22 1/3 IP), Fili, Tyler McNicholas, Chase Mengel and Gavin Mohry will graduate this week, leaving the team with some holes to fill next season. The Trojans will have a foundation to build around next year with junior Will Dobil (.386 BA, 1.026 OPS) and sophomore Benner (.373/.922) among the team’s top returning hitters. Pitcher Steve Sepko (3-1, .984 ERA) is also expected back for his senior season atop the Parkland rotation. “We’ll take care of the seniors today and talk to the underclassmen tomorrow,” Weber said after the district title game. “We battled a lot of adversity to get to this final.”