You don't expect a 10-0 win in a league semifinal.
But that's what we got Monday night when Parkland routed Northampton 10-0 in the second Lehigh Valley Conference softball semifinal at Pates Park after Emmaus edged Liberty 5-4 in a suspenseful opener.
The Trojans are 19-0 and senior pitcher Morgan Rentzheimer has now pitched six straight shutouts. She also had a two-run double in the victory.
Right now, Rentzheimer is a cut above everyone else in local softball and so is her team, which has the speed, the bats, the gloves and perhaps most important -- the hunger -- to compete for a state championship.
Yes, I said it. I didn't say the Trojans were going to win a state title, but I said they're good enough to at least have a shot.
It has been a real struggle just to get one state playoff win at the 4A level over the past four years after Parkland won it all in 2009.
District One is always loaded in this sport at the 4A level and our district champs have met early demises in recent years.
Talent is one thing, but wanting to win is another. I talked about that with Trojans coach Barry Search last night.
He hasn't won a title in his five seasons as head coach after Glen Ray retired.
That means Parkland has gone 0-for-4 in championships the last four seasons and that doesn't happen very often at this traditionally strong softball school that has more state championships (four) than any other local program.
This team has a couple of Division I recruits in catcher Jordy Augustus (South Carolina) and center fielder Courtney Miller (Iona).
Rentzheimer, at least for the moment, is only going to play volleyball at Scranton.
I can imagine, however, that Scranton's softball coach Mia Collarini might pay her a visit, if she hasn't already. The Royals were 9-20 this season.
Rentzheimer, who is pictured at right,
is 15-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. She has allowed just 65 hits and 15 walks.
Think she couldn't help Scranton?
If this is her softball swan song, she can take pride in knowing she has developed into a top-notch pitcher and sets a composed tone in the circle that will be so important as this team goes through the next month.
Augustus, an extraordinary catcher, talked about how her batterymate Rentzheimer works at it.
"She is always in the weight room, always doing another bullpen [session]," Augustus said. "She's always trying to get better."
And that's really the approach of the entire team.
Parkland placed four players on the first team of the Lehigh Valley Conference all-star squad (seen in photo) and had six kids make it overall.
Madi Marshall's hitting .415, Abby Fritzinger .414, Miller .368 and Rentzheimer .362.
And yet, there are no superstars on this team, just a hard-working bunch.
The motivation is definitely there.
"The seniors have been waiting for this since freshman year ... we haven't won leagues, we haven't won districts, we haven't made a trip to states," Augustus, pictured at left,
said. "We have a lot of goals we want to accomplish."
Those goals start with the LVC championship. Parkland plays Emmaus on Thursday night for the crown. The Trojans expect a great challenge from the Green Hornets.
It figures to be a good, solid, competitive game. Emmaus, remember, is playing on its home field.
But at the moment, it's difficult to believe anyone but Parkland will win.
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