The last and the first. That's how Parkland wanted its conference championships - the last one in the LVC, which they got last year, and the first one in the EPC, which they got last week when they downed Liberty 7-5 in the EPC Championship game at Pate's Park in Allentown.

Parkland's trip through the EPC tournament wasn't the toughest ride that the Trojans have had. They breezed through the quarterfinals and semifinals, downing both Whitehall and Easton by identical 10-0 scores, setting up their meeting with Liberty for the conference championship.

As was the case for much of the season, sophomore Aubree Fritzinger handled the pitching in all three wins. Against Whitehall and Easton, she allowed a total of three hits in the two shutouts. Liberty was able to record 11 hits, but the offense took over when Fritzinger stumbled.

"Aubree is amazing on the mound and all we could do was back her up," said senior Emma Varrato, who delivered two hits and a walk in the win over Liberty. "As seniors, all we could do was encourage the younger players, make them feel welcome, make them feel good and it worked well."

Varrato, who will be attending Elizabethtown College in the fall, played her role on the offense perfectly, driving in a run against Whitehall before going on to collect three hits, an RBI and two runs scored against Easton. While there are five seniors in the Trojans' lineup, many of their players are younger players. The younger players leaned on seniors for leadership. Varrato believes the mix of players was just what the team needed to pick up the inaugural EPC Championship.

"It's definitely an accomplishment for our team," she said. "We had a younger team this year, but we definitely had the same mentality that we did last year."

Parkland finished the season with some rather profound numbers, going 10-0 in the division, 16-0 in the EPC and a combined 22-1 in nonconference games and the conference tournament.

"Liberty is a good team and we knew they can hit the ball, so we just had to hang in with them and let our offense do what they do," said Parkland head coach Barry Search. "We played well defensively, too, so that helped. It helped a lot."

After downing Liberty, the team not only got to celebrate its conference championship, but got to recognize three of its players who were named to the EPC All-Conference Team. First baseman Chelsea Morgan and outfielder Madison Marshall joined Fritzinger on the all-conference first team. Senior Sam Pickar and junior Taylor Knappenberger received nods for the all-conference second team. While Marshall is a senior, Morgan is a freshman. Having three different classes represented on the conference team is part of what made the Lady Trojans so good.

"It's really an honor," said Morgan. "To get this award and win the conference title all on the same night is amazing. We all played together really well and lifted each other up when we needed it. That's what makes the winning so much fun."