The Parkland girls softball team had its toughest test of the season last week against Liberty and came through with flying colors in a tough 3-2 win over the Hurricanes. Jenna Lehr had two hits in the game, and Shauna Frank contributed a two-run first inning single and a couple of shining defensive plays in the win.

Liberty pitcher Paige Zigmund came out struggling with her control and issued two walks and hit a batter to load the bases with nobody out in the first inning. That set up Frank, who delivered a line drive base-hit to left, scoring Aubree Fritzinger and Alyssa Oakley as the Lady Trojans took an early 2-0 lead. Zigmund regrouped and was able to work around an error in the inning without allowing any further runs, but the damage was already done.

“Just trying to do my job, hit the ball hard and play, because they’re a great team and they’re going to play hard and make those plays,” said a humble Frank after the game.

The Lady Hurricanes would have gotten a run back in the second, but Frank turned in a big defensive play at first base to record the second out of the inning, and hold a runner at third base. Fritzinger then struck out Jess Watts for the final out of the inning.

“Mostly, at practice, we work on making the excellent plays. That way we can make the routine plays and the excellent plays,” Frank said. “I just think we’re very solid defensively and we help out Aubree, because she’s not a strikeout pitcher, but she has good location, so the gets the ball where she wants it and we make the plays behind her.”

Liberty picked up a run in the third against Fritzinger and added a run in the fifth inning to tie the game 2-2. The pitchers shut down each other’s teams in the sixth, sending the tie game to the seventh inning.

With one out, Liberty’s Reyna DeJesus ripped a long fly ball to right center field that hit at the base of the fence. As DeJesus rounded the bases, coach Sam Carrodo waved DeJesus toward the plate. Meanwhile, Oakley fired a strike to Lehr from right field and the second baseman delivered a near-perfect relay to catcher Ashley Gallina, who tagged DeJesus as she slid wide of home plate. The play kept Liberty from taking a lead and one out later, Parkland got its turn at the plate.

Fritzinger led off with a base-hit to center and Oakley bunted her to second. One out later, Frank hit a ball to second baseman Brooke Zigmund that was booted, allowing Fritzinger to score from second, giving Parkland a walk-off 3-2 win.

On Tuesday, Parkland had a much easier time dispatching Central Catholic in a 16-0 finish, scoring eight runs in the top of the fifth inning, after starting the game with a seven run first inning. Megan Fenstermaker had a double and a home run to drive in four runs for Parkland, while Kiara Bryant tripled and drove in three runs in the game that was ended after five innings by the mercy rule.

Frank, who will attend the University of Scranton to major in biomathematics in the fall, believes that the team is starting to come into its own because of some quality bonding time and young players who are doing what they can to contribute to the team any way possible.

“I think the trip to Disney helped us to come together and we’re very supportive of each other,” said Frank. “I have to give a shout-out to the bench, because they’re on it. If the pitcher has a good change-up and she shows some indication of it, they’re telling us and they really pick up on things.”