Walk-On Date Set for Fall
Parkland Head Baseball Coach Matt Kennedy has announced that on Monday August 30th, there will be an open tryout for Parkland students that are interested in playing on the baseball team. The tryout will be held at the Parkland Baseball Field located on campus and will begin at 4 PM.
Kiermaier signs with Rays
Congratulations go out to former Cobra Kevin Kiermaier who signed over the weekend with the Tampa Bay Rays. Kiermaier, who had committed to play at Purdue next season, will be assigned to the Princeton Rays of the Appalachian League. After a quick trip to Florida, it will be off to West Virginia where the Rays begin play on June 22nd in the 10 team league. He joins left handed pitcher Tyler Cox who is currently playing for the Bradenton Marauders a minor league affiliate of the Pirates as the lone Cobras currently in professional baseball. Former Cobra Nate Roberts is expected to sign with the Twins sometime this summer.
Kiermaier, Winkler and Roberts selected in MLB Draft
Two-time NJCAA All-American Kevin Kiermaier was drafted today in the 31st round by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Purdue signee, was the MVP of the 2009 World Series and is the career leader in five hitting categories at PC including batting average (.430), home runs (30), triples (20), walks (93) and runs scored (174).
Danny Winkler, a University of Central Florida recruit, was selected today in the 43rd Round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Winkler was 9-4 for the Cobras this year with a 3.11 earned run average. He struck out 81 hitters in 81 innings of work and was a First Team All-Region and All-MWAC selection.
Former Parkland College Baseball standout Nate Roberts has been selected in the 5th round with the 165 pick over-all by the Minnesota Twins. The center fielder played this past season at High Point University where he was named the Big South Player of the Year. Roberts, was a key member of the 2009 Parkland World Series Champions, breaking the NJCAA record with a .710 batting average and a .763 on base percentage at the Series.. He holds the Parkland record for batting average, hitting an amazing .514
Former Cobra named Big South Player of theYear, Walthers earns second ring!
Junior outfielder Nate Roberts, a member of the 2009 World Series Champion Cobras, was selected the Big South Conference Player of the Year. At High Point, he led the team in batting with a .416 average with 87 hits in 209 at-bats. Roberts pounded out a league leading 19 home runs and drove in 69. He scored 88 runs and was hit by 25 pitches, which ranked among the national leaders. He also stole 36 bases and had a .989 fielding average.
His former teammate Mark Walther, earned his second championship ring in as many season as the right hander was part of the University of Southern Indiana team which won the NCAA D-II title. The Screaming Eagles knocked off the University of San Diego for the title on May 29. Walther appeared in two of USI's five games at the Series. The set-up man was 1-2 this year walking just 6 while striking out 24 in 35 innings of work. Taylor Dennis, older brother of current Cobra Adam Dennis, was named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the Series.
McManus named Gold Glove and All-American, Kiermaier an All-American and selected for Team USA!!
Sophomores TJ McManus and Kevin Kiermaier have been named NJCAA D-II Baseball All-Americans. The pair led the Cobras to a 5th place finish at the recently complete World Series at David Allen Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma. Parkland reached the 50 win plateau for the 5th time in the past 9 season finishing 50-13 this year.
McManus was a First Team All-American selection hitting .415 with 15 home runs and a school record 88 runs batted in. The Ohio State University transfer also broke the school record for doubles with 27 and is second all-time in home runs (15) and fifth in hits (90). In addition to his outstanding hitting, McManus was a standout on defense earning the NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove award honoring the top fielding first baseman in all of NJCAA D-2 Baseball. He is only the second Cobra to earn a Gold Glove following fellow first baseman Mike Hamby who was the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.
Kiermaier, the Cobras Most Valuable Player, is undoubtedly the best hitter in Cobra history. The center fielder, who will attend Purdue Univerity next fall, was a 3rd Team All-American selection for the second straight year while breaking numerous Parkland records this season. He hit .430 this year with 17 home runs and 71 runs batted in. He also led the team in runs scored, stolen bases, and triples. The Ft. Wayne, In. native broke the season school record for home runs (17), runs (90) and walks (51). He already holds the school record for triples (13) from last season.
For his career, Kiermaier has the all-time best career batting average (.429), and is also the career leader in home runs, runs scored, triples, and walks. He is second in runs batted in and total hits, and third in stolen bases. Kevin was the 2009 World Series MVP and was an All-Tournament selection again this year after breaking the NJCAA record for runs batted in for a World Series with 12. He is a two-time All-Region and All-MWAC honoree. He has been selected as an NJCAA All-Star and will compete for Team USA in the upcoming Honkbal Tourney in the Netherlands from July 9-18.
The Honkbal Tournament is one of the most prestigious international amateur baseball tournaments in the world. The event runs every other year and the 2010 tournament marks the 25th anniversary of the event. USA Baseball’s collegiate team won the 2008 tournament by defeating Cuba in the title game. Over 70,000 fans attended the 20 games back in 2008. The USA, Cuba, Netherlands, Japan, China, and Venezuela are all expected to compete in the event.
Parkland Award Winners:
All-American: TJ McManus (1st) Kevin Kiermaier (3rd)
Gold Glove: TJ McManus
All-Region: Kevin Kiermaier, TJ McManus, Danny Winkler
All-Conference:
First Team: Danny Winkler, TJ McManus, Kevin Kiermaier
Second Team: Darin Worman and Brandon Stevens
All-World Series Team:
Kevin Kiermaier
Miracle run ends for Cobra Baseball team
The miracle that was the Cobras run through the Regional and the World Series ended Tuesday as Parkland fell to UConn-Avery Point 10-9 at the NJCAA D-II World Series. Parkland had staved off elimination in eight previous post-season games but were unfortunately out of rally's. PC ends the season (50-13) and finishes with a two-year record of (99-22), a National Championship and two trips to the World Series.
Tuesday's loss, like so many of the Cobras recent games was a back and forth affair. PC jumped on top in the first on RBI singles by Brandon Stevens and Justin Parr. After the Pointers tied it in the 2nd, PC would answer right back with two in the third as TJ McManus would lead off with a double, Dylan Drury a RBI triple, and Stevens another run scoring single.
UC-AP would tie the game in the fourth and then tallied four times in the sixth. Josh Valdez and Tyler McIntrye hit back to back home runs and two more runs came home on two PC errors. The Cobras would not die as they came right back with four of their own, one run scoring on Kevin Kiermaier's RBI single. It was Kevin's 12 RBI of the Series breaking the record of 11 set in 2003.
UC-AP would score the final two runs of the game as their lead-off hitter reached on an error and following two fly ball outs, McIntyre's second home run of the game would give the Pointers the lead. Parkland would score one more time as Kiermaier led off the 8th with a triple and scored on a Bob Glover ground out. From there winning pitcher Brett Shulick would retire the final five hitters of the game to earn his second win of the Series.
Brandon Stevens (8-13 .615) and Kevin Kiermaier (9-18 .500) paced the Cobra offense which hit .322 for the four games.
UC-AP 020 204 200 10 10 5
PC 202 004 000 9 14 4
Tacinelli, Shulick (7) and Valdez
Ollier, Neuman (6), Winkler (7), Zegarac (8) and Stevens
W-Shulick L-Winkler
HR-McIntyre (UCAP) 2, Valdez (UCAP)
Parkland rallies for four in 8th to eliminate #2Frederick
The cardiac Cobras live for another day as they rallied for 8 runs in the bottom of the 7th and held on to beat #2 Frederick 11-8 in an elimination game at the JUCO World Series. Once again Kevin Kiermaier came thru for the Cobras as the sophomore's two run-double, drove in the winning runs. Kiermaier has now driven in 11 runs tying him for the record for runs batted in for a series. He went 2-4 today with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
As has been the case in all of the Cobras comebacks in the post-season, it wasn't without drama. After retiring the first hitter in the 9th, reliever Dane Krone gave up two straight hits and closer Kyle Zegarac was called in from the pen. After walking the first hitter on four pitchers to load the bases, Zegarac struck out the final two hitters to preserve the win. Ricky Neuman worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win to improve to (3-2) on the year while Zegarac earned his fourth save.
TJ McManus, Justin Parr, and Brandon Stevens all had 3 hits for PC while Ryan Wides drove in a pair of runs and scored twice. #4 Parkland wins their 50th game of the season to improve to (50-12) while the #2 Cougars are eliminated with a record of (53-7). Parkland will return to action at 3:30 Tuesday when they play the loser of Monday nights game between Iowa Central and UConn-Avery Point game.
Frederick 003 002 300 8 13 3
PC 030 400 400 11 14 3
Hnatatuck, Mays (4), McCauley (6), Patino (7), Siggins (8), Ness (8) and Shover
Wittgren, Copley (6), Neuman (7), Krone (8), Zegarac (9) and Stevens
W-Neuman (3-2) L-McCauley (6-2) S-Zegarac (4)
Kiermaier's home run keeps Cobras alive
Kevin Kiermaier's three run home run over the right center field wall in the top of the 9th inning led the Parkland College Baseball team to an 11-8 win over Lenoir CC in an elimination game at the D-II Juco World Series in Enid, Oklahoma The game was delayed for nearly two hours after heavy rains hit just before game time. Kiermaier's home run, his 17th of the season, saved the Cobras from a stunning loss as PC took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning only to see the Lancers score eight times off two Cobra relievers to grab an 8-7 lead headed to the final frame. Lenoir used six hits, a pair of walks, and a Cobra error to score eight runs, four of which were unearned. TJ McManus added a solo home run, his 15th of the year after Kiermaier's heroics, to give PC a little more of a margin headed to the bottom of the 9th.
Lenoir would get a lead-off single to start the 9th but PC reliever Ryan Copley retired the final three hitters to earn his second save of the season and give Kyle Zegarac (1-0) his first win of the year. All of the Lancers runs came after PC starter Darin Worman left the game as the sophomore lefty was outstanding allowing no runs on just five hits while striking out nine in seven strong innings of work.
Kiermaier, who has now hit six home runs in seven World Series games at David Allen Ballpark, led the PC attack going 4-5 with 4 RBI. Dylan Drury added three hits while McManus and Justin Parr each had two. Clayton Daniels, whose three run double had given Lenoir the lead, went 4-5 with 3 RBI while Jay Thompson added three hits for Lenoir.
LSU-Eunice wins battle of former champions
Four runs in the first inning would be the jump start LSU-Eunice (48-12) would need as they overpowered defending National Champion Parkland College (48-12) 16-5 in the opening round of the NJCAA D-II World Series. The game featured the two schools which had won the previous two titles and had won four of the last eight (Parkland 2002 & 2009) and LSU-E (2006 & 2008).
On this day, the Cobras were no match for the Bengals as the purple and gold used a hit batter, walk, three hits, and a squeeze bunt to take an early 4-0 lead. Balance was the key for LSU-E as 8 of the 9 starters drove in runs while 3 had multiple hit games led by Raph Rhymes and Gabriel Thibideaux who had four hits apiece and Jacob Fisher who had 3. The Bengals Les Auld tied a D-II World Series record scoring four times.
Mistakes on defense also doomed the Cobras as six PC errors led to 5 of the 16 LSU-E runs being unearned. Kevin Kiermaier paced the PC attack with a grand slam home run in the 7th, his 16th round-tripper of the year. Brandon Stevens was the lone PC player with more than one hit going 2-3.
Winning pitcher Tony Dischler (10-3) took advantage of the large run support to earn the win working the first seven innings. Danny Winkler (9-3) picked up the loss allowing four earned runs in five innings while striking out seven.
Cobras World Series Bound for 2nd Straight Year!!
The defending National Champion Parkland College Baseball team accomplished something never before done in a Region 24 Baseball tournament, losing their opening round game but coming back to win six straight games to earn a trip back to the NJCAA D-II World Series. The Cobras knocked off arch-rival Heartland Community College 10-9 in a completed Tuesday night after being suspended due to heavy rains last night. PC had forced the second game by rallying to knock off the Hawks 11-7 earlier on Monday. Parkland had earned a right to play in the title game by eliminating four other schools, defeating Lincoln Land 4-2, Illinois Central 7-2, Lewis and Clark 14-1, and Springfield 13-9 before ousting Heartland.
Tournament MVP Darin Worman preserved the win by tossing two scoreless innings in relief to earn his second save in as many days. The sophomore lefty, worked 12.2 innings in the tourney allowing just two runs, winning a game and saving a pair. Winning pitcher Dane Krone (3-0) picked up his third straight win in the tournament, pitching solid in relief in all three contests.
In the title game, Kevin Kiermaier's towering home run put PC up early but the Hawks hit three home runs of their own to build a 8-3 lead after just four innings. Bryce Feller's two-run double made it 8-5 before HCC tacked on their final run of the game in the fifth. Bob Glover's RBI single made cut the lead to three and TJ McManus home run over the right field wall tied the game at 9. In the 7th, Glover delivered an RBI single to break the tie and solid Cobra relief pitching nailed down the win. It was Glover's walk-off home run last year, which sent the Cobras to the 2009 World Series. The sophomore left fielder was a perfect 4-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI in the title game. Kiermaier, McManus, and Feller each had two hits for PC.
Parkland (48-11) advances to the World Series for the sixth time in the last 10 years and will face 2008 Champion LSU-Eunice (47-12) at 4:00 Saturday in Game 3 of the World Series. Heartland (46-11) is eliminated by PC from the Regional tourney for the third consecutive year and is now 0-6 against the Cobras in the post-season.
PC 200 124 100 10 14 1
HCC 212 310 000 9 13 0
Winkler, Everson (6), Krone (7), Worman (8) and Kuper
Napoleon, Razo (6), Zarate (8) and Sanchez, Mattishad (7)
W-Krone (3-0) L-Razo (9-3)
HR-Kiermaier (PC), McManus (PC), Igara (HC) 2 , Aguilera (HC)
Baseball holds off elimination cant hold off rain
The Parkland College Baseball team rallied to win game 1 of the Region 24 Championship series against Heartland on Monday by the score of 11-7 when Tyler Watts, Brandon Stevens, and Dylan Drury all homered in the final two innings as PC overcame a 6-4 deficit to force a second game.
Parkland also trailed in the finale as the Hawks built an 8-3 lead only to see TJ McManus tie it with a three run home run in the 6th. PC scored a single run in the seventh to grab a 10-9 lead before the skies opened up as heavy rains and lightening in the Springfield area caused the game to be suspended in the top of the 8th inning. The two teams will pick up where they left off at 5:00 on Tuesday night at Lanphier Park in Springfield. For the winner, a trip to the NJCAA D-II World Series awaits while for the loser, the season will come to an end.
Region 24 Baseball Tournament Update
Due to heavy rains in the Springfield, IL area, the Region 24 Baseball Tournament has been pushed back a day. Below is the updated schedule for the tournament.
Friday May 21: (All games at Lanphier Park)
Game 1: 12:00 Heartland vs Lewis and Clark
Game 2: 2:30 John Wood vs Illinois Central College
Game 3: 5:00 Lincoln Land vs Danville Area
Game 4: 7:30 Parkland vs Springfield
Saturday May 22: (Games will be played at Lanphier and Lincoln Land)
Game 5: 1:00 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 6: 1:00 Loaer Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Game 7: 4:00 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Game 8: 4:00 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Game 9: 7:00 Winner Game 5 vs Loser Game 8
Game 10: 7:00 Winner Game 6 vs loser Game 9
Sunday May 23: (Lanphier Park)
Game 11: 12:00 Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8
Game 12: 3:00 winner Game 9 vs Winner Game 10
Game 13: 6:00 winner Game 12 vs Loser Game 11
Monday May 24: (Lanphier Park)
Game 14: TBA Winner Game 14 vs Winner Game 13
Game 15: TBA if Necessary
Parkland Baseball #2 seed at Region 24 Tournament
The defending National Champion Parkland College Baseball team will open Region 24 play at 11:00 am on Thursday when they face host Springfield College at Lanphier Park. The Cobras swept the Bulldogs in their three game series played on May 1-2. The 8 team double-elimination tournament will run Thursday to Sunday with games play at Lanphier and Lincoln Land Community College. Parkland would play again at 1:30 on Friday with a win or at 4:30 on Thursday with a loss. The winner of the tourney advances to the NJCAA World Series beginning May 29 in Enid, Oklahoma.
Here is the opening day schedule:
Game 1: 1:30@ Lanphier #1 Heartland (42-9) vs #8 Lewis and Clark (22-22)
Game 2: 2:30 LLCC #4 John Wood (31-20) vs #5 Illinois Central (24-29)
Game 3: 12:00 LLCC #3 Lincoln Land (29-21) vs #6 Danville Area (23-22)
Game 4: 11:00 Lanphier #2 Parkland (42-10) vs #7 Springfield College (25-23)
Game 5: 5:30 LLC Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 6 4:30 Lanphiier Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Baseball falls to John Wood in regular season finale
The Parkland Baseball team dropped their regular season finale on Saturday as the Cobras lost to John Wood 8-3. The Blazers jumped out early combining hits with Cobra defensive miscues to take control of the contest and give winning pitcher Kevin Lenkman all the support he would need. The lefty went the distance allowing just three runs on six hits while striking out seven in improving to (5-4). Andrew Jurgesmeyer led JWCC going a perfect 5-5 while Adam Highower added 3 hits.
Parkland would score all three of their runs in the sixth inning. Clayton Meyer led off with a single and moved to third on an error by Lenkamn. Ryan Wides infield single plated Meyer and after Wides stole second, he scored on a Kevin Kiermaier double. Kiermaire would later score on an RBI ground out by Bryce Feller. Brent Kuper was the lone Cobra with multiple hits going 2-4.
Parkland wraps up the regular season at (42-10 24-6) and will be the #2 seed for the upcoming Region 24 Tourney. The Cobras will play either Springfield or Lewis and Clark in their first game on Thursday. John Wood improves to (31-20 18-12) and will be the #4 seed.
JWCC 030 500 000 8 13 2
PC 000 003 000 3 6 4
Lenkman and Haley
Copley, Biggs (4), Everson (6), neuman (7) and Kuper
W-Lenkman (5-4) L-Copley (3-2)
Plecki delivers to help Cobras sweep John Wood
Dan Plecki delieved a two-run home run in the 6th and a game winning two run triple in the 10th to help the #5 Parkland College Baseball team to 6-4 extra inning win and a sweep of the Blazers in M-WAC action. PC won the opener 4-1 behind the strong pitching of Danny Winker (9-2) who went the distance allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven.
Plecki, who was pressed into duty due to an injury to starting first baseman TJ McManus, came up big for PC as his 5th home run of the year tied the game in the 6th ahead of his game winning hit in extra innings. The hit made a winner of Nick Wittgren (9-0) who worked two scoreless innings of relief. The Cobra bullpen was key as he and Dane Krone allowed just three hits and no runs in four innings of work.
PC won the opener 4-1 as Justin Parr had a two run double in the first and Kevin Kiermaier hit his 13th home run of the season in the 6th to give Winkler all the runs he would need. Bobby Glover went 3-3 to add to the Cobras attack.
The wins improve PC to (42-9 23-5) and wrap up the #2 seed in the upcoming Region 24 Tournament. PC need a victory on Saturday and a win by Danville over Heartland to tie for the M-WAC title. PC's game on Saturday at 1:00 vs John Wood will be their final home game of the season.
Game 1:
PC 300 001 0 4 10 0
JW 000 100 0 1 3 0
Winkler and Stevens
West, Copland (7) and Giles
W-Winkler L-West
HR-Kiermaier (PC)
PC 100 002 100 2 6 4 5
JW 300 001 000 0 4 10 1
Worman, Krone (7), Wittgren (9) and Stevens
Hollenberg, Tols (7) and Giles
W-Wittgren (9-0) L-Tols
HR-Plecki (PC) Hightower (JW)
DeDecker and McManus guide Cobras to 40th win on season
Collin DeDecker and TJ McManus both had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs apiece to lead the Parkland Baseball team to a 10-6 win over Lincoln College and a three game sweep of their M-WAC series. The wins move PC to (40-9 22-5) and marks the 10th time in the last 11 seasons the Cobras have won at least 40 games. The victory also wraps up either the #1 or #2 seed in the Regional tournament with just three regular season games left to play.
On Sunday, PC scored five times in the second as both DeDecker and McManus delivered run scoring doubles. DeDecker added another RBI double in a two-run third and Bryce Feller had an RBI double in the 4th. McManus rounded out the Cobras scoring with a solo home run, his 12th of the season, tying Kevin Kiermaier for the team lead. Bobby Glover also added three hits and scored twice to pace the Cobra attack.
PC used five pitchers in the contest as the Cobras will be off until next Friday due to final exams. The five allowed three earned runs. walking two and striking out six. PC will travel to John Wood (30-18 17-10) for a doubleheader on Friday and play the Blazers a single game on Sunday to wrap up M-WAC play.
Lincoln 000 400 101 6 11 3
PC 052 200 01X 10 14 4
Stieren, Benham (4) and Eigenbrod
Ollier, Wittgren (5), Copley (7), Krone (8), Zegarac (9) and Stevens
W-Wittgren (8-0) L-Stieren
HR-McManus (PC)
Kiermaier breaks Parkland home run record as Cobras sweep Lincoln
Kevin Kiermaier homered in each game on Friday, his 11th and 12th of the season and 25th of his career, to help the Parkland Baseball team sweep Lincoln 13-1 and 9-1 on Friday afternoon. Kiermaier breaks the record formally held by Jesse Griswold who hit 24 home runs during the 2003 and 2004 seasons for the Cobras. Kiermaier now has the career records in four categories: home runs, triples, walks, and runs scored.
Parkland road the outstanding pitching of Danny Winkler who tossed a one-hitter while striking out five iimproving to (8-2). PC scored all the runs they would need in the 2nd as Kiermaier and Collin DeDecker both delivered run scoring doubles. Brandon Stevens and Kiermaier both hiomered in a six run 4th and the Cobras chased home four more runs in the 5th. Kiermaier finished 3-4 with 4 RBI while DeDecker was 3-3 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Stevens and Wyatt Hohl each had two hits and scored three times.
In the finale, Darin Worman (8-1) worked five scoreless innings as strong pitching and plenty of offense paced the Cobras. Brett Kuiper's two run double made it 2-0 in the 2nd and Kiermaier's two-run triple was the key blow in a five run 5th. Kiermaier record breaking two run home run in the 6th completed the scoring. The sophomore centerfielder added two more hits as he finished the double header with 5 hits, 6 RBI, and 4 runs scored.
The wins move PC to (39-9 21-5) as they try to chase down first place Heartland in the M-WAC race. PC will be off until Sunday when the host Lincoln in a single game starting at 1:00.
Game 1:
PC 040 64 14 14 1
Linc 00100 1 1 0
Winkler and Stevens
Lessman and Eigenbrod
W-Winkler (8-2) L-Lessman
HR-Stevens (PC) Kiermaier (PC)
Game 2:
PC 020 052 0 9 7 4
Linc 000 001 0 1 5 1
Worman, Krone (6), Zegarac (7) and Kuper
Bolen and Eigenbrod
W-Worman (8-1) L-Bolen
HR-Kiermaier (PC)
Cobras use long ball to end losing streak
Dylan Drury, Kevin Kiermaier, and Clayon Meyer all hit home runs to help the Parkland College Baseball team end a four game losing streak with a 10-2 win over St. Louis Florissant Valley. Drury's three home run in the fourth, his 5th of the season, put the Cobras up 3-0. Meyer and Kiermaier went back to back in the fifth, it was Kiermaier's 10th of the year while it was Meyer's 1st.
PC scored in each of the last five innings as the Cobras pounded out 15 hits, 8 of which went for extra bases. Meyer led the attack with 3 hits and 2 runs scored while Kiermaier, Drury, Justin Parr, and Dan Plecki all had two hits apiece. Taylor Biggs (4-0) earned the win going five solid innings allowing just one run. Ricky Neuman (3 IP 0 ER 3 H) and Drake Everson (1 IP O H 1 K) worked the final four innings giving up just one unearned run.
Parkland (33-7 15-5) will have a much needed day off tomorrow before jumping back into action on Thursday against rival Danville Area CC.
Hawks sweep Cobras out of first place
The Parkland Baseball team saw their losing streak hit four games this afternoon as the Cobras were swept by Heartland 11-8 and 9-8. As in all four of the defeats, a mixture of lack of timely hitting, shaky defense, and too many walks by Cobra hurlers led to the teams downfall.
In the night cap, PC jumped out to a 5-2 lead as Tyler Watts and Kevin Kiermaier both homered and Ryan Wides had a two run single. Heartland tied the game at 6 before TJ McManus's two run home run put PC ahead 8-6 after 4. The game would remain tied until the seventh when with one out, Eric Aguilera doubled, Tony Sanchez reached on an error and after a strikeout, Zac Johnson hit a three run home run that went off the glove of a leaping Tyler Watts to give the Hawks the lead for good. PC had several chances to put the game away but stranded 10 runners in the contest.
The opener was a pitchers duel until the 5th when the Hawks took advantage of a misplayed fly ball to score two runs and two batters later, Matt Igara made it 7-1 with a grand slam. Kevin Kiermaier's homer cut the lead to 7-2 but HCC answered right back with four more runs to take a nine run lead into the sixth. PC wouldn't quit scoring six times in the 6th with 3 coming on a TJ McManus home run. The Cobras actually had the tying run up in the inning but grounded out to end the uprising. The Cobras threatened again in the 7th getting two runners on with just one out but a pop out to the catcher and a called strike three ended the game.
Parkland (32-7 15-5) falls into second place a game behind Heartland (26-9 16-4) with the losses. The Cobras will host Flo. Valley in a non-conference game on Tuesday.
Game 1: (seven inning PC home)
Heartland 000 164 0 11 9 0
PC 001 016 0 8 10 1
Razo, Bachtold (6), Zarate(6) and Mottashed
Worman, McKay (6), Krone (7) and Kuper
W-Razo (5-2) L-Worman (6-1) S-Zarate (1)
HR-Kiermaier (PC), McManus (PC), Igara (HCC), Martin (HCC)
Game 2 ( nine inning PC visitors)
PC 051 200 000 8 14 1
HCC 213 000 30x 9 10 0
Wittgren, Copley (4), Krone (7) and Stevens
Weaver, Sneeringer (7) and Sanchez
W-Sneeringer (1-0) L-Copley (3-1)
HR-Huff (HCC), Johnson (HCC), Watts (PC), Kiermaier (PC), McManus (PC)
Aguilera leads Hawks over Cobras
Eric Aguilera went 3-4 with 2 home runs to lead the Heartland Hawks to a 5-1 win over Parkland in game 1 of a scheduled doubleheader. The second game was canceled due to rain.
After HCC scored in the top of the first, PC tied it on TJ McManus's 8th home run of the season, a solo shot over the right field wall. Heartland picked up a single run in the second and two more in the third before scoring an insurance run on Aguilera's second home run, a solo shot in the 7th.
Dillon Napoleon picked up the win going the distance allowing just one run while striking out seven. Danny Winkler (6-2) took the loss allowing five earned runs in six innings. Kevin Kiermaier, McManus, and Justin Parr each had two hits to lead the PC offense.
The loss, the Cobras second straight, drops PC to (32-5 15-3) while Heartland improves to (24-9 14-4). The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow in Bloomington.
HCC 112 000 1 5 9 1
PC 100 000 0 1 7 2
Napoleon and Sanchez
Winkler, Copley (7) and Stevens
W-Napoleon L-Winkler
Feller hits for cycle as Cobras pound CarlSandburg
Freshman Bryce Feller hit for the cycle and he and his Cobras teammates pounded out 17 hits good for 18 runs as Parkland knocked off Carl Sandburg 18-2 on Wednesday afternoon. Feller finished 4-5 on the day scoring 4 times and driving in 3 runs. The freshman right fielder tripled and scored in the first, doubled home a run in the third, hit a two run home run in the fifth, and singled and scored in the sixth. In addition to Feller's 7th home run of the season, Dylan Drury and Bobby Glover both hit their 4th home runs on the season.
PC scored at least three runs in five of the six innings they came to the plate. In addition to Feller's big day, Drury was 3-3 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI and Brent Kuper was 3-5 with 4 RBI. Taylor Biggs (3-0) worked the first five innings allowing no earned runs while striking out seven to earn the victory. Drake Everson pitched the final two innings striking out three to preserve the win.
The #3 ranked Cobras (32-3 14-1) will jump back into M-WAC action on Thursday when they travel to Lincoln Land for a single game.
CS 000 011 0 2 4 3
PC 404 334 X 18 17 2
Guinn, Custer (3), Davidson (5) and Ellsworth
Biggs, Everson (6) and Kuper
W-Biggs (3-0) L- Guinn
HR-Drury (PC), Feller (PC), Glover (PC)
Cobras roll to sweep of Spoon River
The #3 Parkland College Baseball team ran their winning streak to 8 games and 26 of their last 27 as they pounded last place Spoon River 13-3 and 25-3 in an M-WAC doubleheader on Saturday in Champaign. The wins move the Cobras to (30-3 14-1) while SRC drops to (3-22 1-16). The two teams will play a single game on Sunday in Canton to wrap up the series.
After SRC hit a solo home run in the first to take a 1-0 lead, PC scored 6 times in the 3rd to take control. Kevin Kiermaier's grand slam home run was the big blow of the inning. Wyatt Hohl and Collin DeDecker each drove in 3 runs while Hohl and Dylan Drury both collected 2 hits and scored 2 runs. Nick Wittgren (6-0) picked up the win going 5 innings walkling one and striking out six.
The finale was an offensive explosion for the Cobras as PC broke away from a 3-3 tie by scoring 6 runs in the 3rd and 16 in the 4th to overwhelm the Mudcats. Parkland hit four home runs in the inning as Bryce Feller hit two, and TJ McManus and Kevin Kiermaier each hit one. Four PC players had three hits in the game as McManus was 3-4 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored, Bobby Glover was 3-3 with 4 RBI and scored 3 times, Feller was 3-5 with 4 RBI and 4 runs, while Eric Abel collected three hits scored three times and drove in a pair. Kevin Kiermaier with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored and Wyatt Hohl with 2 hits and 2 RBI also had big games as PC pounded out 20 hits. Richie Ollier improved to (4-0) with another solid outing allowing no earned runs while walking 4 and striking out 9.
Game 1:
SRC 101 10 3 7 3
PC 064 21 13 10 0
Cambozzi, Brashers (3) and Meehan
Wittgren and Kuper
W-Wittgren (6-0) L-Camozzi
HR-Dooley (SRC), Kiermaier (PC)
Game 2
SRC 003 00 3 2 3
PC 306 (16) X 25 20 3
Chandlee, Plunkett (3), Smith (4), and Meehan
Ollier and Abel
W-Ollier (4-0) L-Chandlee
HR-Feller (PC)2, McManus (PC). Kiermaier (PC
On Sunday the Spoon River baseball team posted one of their best performances of the year but it wasn't enough as the Parkland Baseball team knocked off the Mudcats 8-3 on Sunday afternoon for a sweep of their three game series.
PC scored in the first as Bobby Glover singled, stole second, and scored on a Bryce Feller single. After SRC tied it in the second, PC answered back with two of their own in the third. Ryan Wides was hit by a pitch, Glover walked, and after a double steal, TJ McManus drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Feller on an infield ground ball. Leading 3-2 going to the 7th, PC put the game away scoring five times. Brent Kuper's two-run single was the big hit in the inning.
For the game, Glover, Feller, Justin Parr, and Wyatt Hohl each had two hits while Feller, McManus, and Kuper all drove in a pair of runs. Ryan Copley (3-0) earned the win allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings of work. Ricky Neuman and Dane worked the final 2.1 innings to seal the win.
Parkland (31-3 15-3) will return to action on Wednesday with a single game at home vs Carl Sandburg College before entering a very difficult stretch of games. The Cobras travel to Lincoln Land on Thursday before playing Heartland a three game series over the weekend.
PC 102 000 500 8 12 1
SRC 010 100 010 3 8 1
Copley, Neuman (7), Krone (9) and Kuper
Uhlik and Meehan
W-Copley (3-0) L-Uhli
HR-Rose (SRC)
Cobras outlast Danville to win pair of M-WACgames
On an afternoon where nothing came easy for the #3 Parkland Baseball team, the Cobras still found a way to win as they outlasted rival DACC 6-3 in game one and rallied with 3 runs in the final inning to win game 2 5-4 for a sweep of their M-WAC doubleheader.
In the finale, PC trailed 4-1 after three innings and went into their final at bat still down by two. Ryan Wides started the inning with a pinch-hit double, Kevin Kiermaier walked, and Bobby Glover beat out a bunt single to load the bases. TJ McManus followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left center to cut the Jaguars lead to 4-3. Dylan Drury reached on an infield single, before Bryce Feller delivered a pinch-hit two run double to put the Cobras ahead. Dane Krone earned the save as DACC stranded the tying run at second base as Krone retired the final two hitters on ground balls to short. Darin Worman (6-0) picked up the win. Glover, Drury, and Brent Kuper each had two hits in the victory.
The opener was equally exciting as DACC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. PC scored four times in the third on an RBI single by Kiermaier, a sac. fly by Glover, and a two-run homer by McManus. McManus's run scoring single made 5-2 in the 5th and Glover's solo home run with one out in the 7th gave the Cobras a four run cushion. DACC would not go down easy as they threatened to score in the 4th thru 6th innings only to hit into rally killing double plays in all three innings. They did push across a run in the 7th off Cobra reliever Kyle Zegarac but the freshman right hander retired the last three hitters to seal the win for Danny Winkler (6-1).
The victories, the Cobras 6th in a row and 24 of their last 25, improve them to (28-3 12-1) on the season. Parkland will host M-WAC foe Spoon River on Saturday for two games and play a single game at Spoon River on Sunday.
Game 1:
PC 004 010 1 6 7 1
DACC 020 000 1 3 7 2
Winkler, Zagarac (7) and Stevens
Hicks and Howden
W-Winkler L-Hicks
HR-McManus (PC) Glover (PC)
Game 2:
PC 010 010 3 5 10 1
DACC 103 000 0 4 9 0
Worman, Krone (7) and Kuper
Horn, Lewellyn (5), Sullivan (7) and Howden
W-Worman L-Sullivan
Cobras make quick work of Illinois Valley
The Parkland Baseball team wasted little time on Wednesday as it took just 3 hours and 15 minutes to play both games of a doubleheader as the Cobras cruised to a 13-1 and 16-1 sweep of Illinois Valley CC.
Game 1:
After spotting IVCC a run in the first, PC scored four times as Bryce Feller, Justin Parr, Brandon Stevens, and Clayton Meyer all drove in a run. TJ McManus's two run home run in the 2nd made in 6-1 and the Cobras put the game on ice scoring three in the third and four more in the 4th. Brandon Stevens had a solo home run, McManus a two-run double, and Bobby Glover a bases clearing double for most of the damage in the final two innings. After a shaky first inning, winning pitcher Taylor Biggs (2-0) settled down and allowed just one hit over the final four innings. The freshman walked one and struck out four in the contest.
IVCC 100 00 1 3 2
PC 424 3 X 13 9 0
Moore and Dearth
Biggs and Stevens
W-Biggs (2-0) L-Moore
HR-McManus (PC) Stevens (PC)
Game 2:
Following nearly the same script as game 1, IVCC scored in the top of the first only to see the Cobras come right back with three of their own. Justin Parr singled home a run, while Tyler Watts and Brent Kuper also had an RBI. Dylan Drury drove in two more in the second with a double and followed with two more RBI an inning later as PC chased home seven runs in the third. Ricky Neuman (2-1) earned the win allowing no earned runs in five innings of work allowing just two hits and striking out four.
Big hitters for PC included Justin Parr who was a perfect 3-3 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored, Dylan Drury who had 2 hits and 5 RBI. Brent Kuper and Ryan Wides each collected two hits while TJ McManus was the star of the day going 5-7 with 5 runs scored and 6 RBI in the two games.
The Cobras, now ranked #3 in the latest NJCAA poll, improve to (26-3 10-1) ahead of a key M-WAC doubleheader at rival Danville Area CC starting at 2:00 tomorrow at Danville Stadium.
IVCC 100 00 1 2 3
PC 337 3X 16 14 2
Neuman and Kuper
Robinson, Davis (3) and Tidmore
W-Neuman (2-1) L-Robinson
Baseball holds on for win over Illinois Central
Kyle Zegarac worked out of a bases loaded two out jam in the 8th and retired the side in order in the 9th to help the Parkland College Baseball team hang on for a 5-4 win over Illinois Central College in the rubber game of the three game series. Zegarac's save, his second of the season, made a winner of Richie Ollier who worked 6.2 innings to improve to (2-0) on the year.
For the second straight day, the Cobras used the long ball on offense to beat ICC. Trailing 1-0 in the 5th, Brandon Stevens and Collin DeDecker had back to back singles and Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After Wyatt Hohl struck out, TJ McManus hit a towering grand slam over the wall in right to give the Cobras a 4-1 lead. ICC pushed across a run in the top of the 6th and threatened to score more but hit into an inning ending 5-2-3 double play. Bryce Feller answered back for the Cobras with a solo shot in the Cobras half of the sixth to give PC a three-run cushion once again.
ICC scored single runs in the 7th and 8th and had the tying run on 3rd before Zegarac retired Josh Perrin on strikes to end the threat. The Cobras closer had to see the top of the order for ICC but got a ground out, fly out, and strike out to end the contest. TJ McManus led PC going 2-3 with 4 RBI and Collin DeDecker added a pair of hits. Nick Conforti was 4-5 and scored twice for ICC.
Parkland is now (23-3 10-1) on the season and after an off-day Monday will travel to Wabash College for a single game Tuesday afternoon. PC returns home on Wednesday when they host Illinois Valley.
ICC 100 001 110 4 10 1
PC 000 041 00X 5 8 0
Ralph, Burrows (6), Yemm (8), Russell (9) and Zalud
Ollier, Bigs (7), Zegarac (8) and Stevens
W-Ollier 2-0 L- Ralpj S-Zegarac (2)
HR-McManus and Feller (PC
Baseball winning streak ends at 18 after split with ICC
The Parkland Baseball team ran their winning streak to 18 with a 27-3 pounding of ICC in game 1 but the Cougars turned the tables with a 7-6 win in game 2 putting a halt to the Cobra streak.
Playing at East Side Park with the wind blowing out the two teams combined to hit 12 home runs in the double header. PC scored early and often in the opener as Kevin Kiermaier , TJ McManus, and Justin Parr all homered in the first inning as PC raced to a 4-0 lead. The Cougars answered back with one in the bottom of the frame before PC put 9 more runs on the board in the 2nd with Collin DeDecker's three-run home run providing the big blow. The Cobras tacked on 5 more in the 3rd as Dylan Drury homered and DeDecker drove in three more runs with a double. Parr and Wyatt Hohl each drove in a pair as the Cobras chased home eight more runs in the fourth as they ended the contest after just five innings. Nick Wittgren pitched well in improving to (4-0) as the freshman allowed just three runs and struck out four.
For the game Drury was a perfect 4-4 while Parr was 3-3 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBI, Hohl was 3-4 scoring 3 times and driving in 4, and DeDecker was 2-4 with 3 runs and 6 RBI.
In the finale, it was ICC's turn to use the long ball as they used a three run homer and three solo shots to rally and beat PC. The Cobras built a 6-2 lead but Nick Conforti's 2nd home run of the game made it 6-5. Paul Como's solo home run tied it in the sixth and his one out single in the bottom of the seventh chased home the winning run. Dylan Drury and Bryce Feller both hit home runs for PC in the loss.
The two teams will meet up again on Sunday in the rubber game of the series with a single game starting at 1:00 at Parkland. The Cobras (22-3 9-1) still lead the M-WAC by 1.5 games over second place John Wood.
Game 1:
PC 495 81 27 22 1
ICC 102 00 3 7 3
Wittgren and Stevens
Lunsford, Christensen (2), Sepich (3) and Zalud
W- Wittgren (4-0) L-Lunsford
HR- Parkland Kiermaier, McManus, Parr, DeDecker, Drury
ICC-Como
Game 2:
PC 001 050 0 6 9 1
ICC 100 131 1 7 11 1
Copley, Krone (5), Neumann (6) and Kuper
Meeks, Yemm (5) and Zalud
W-Yemm L-Neumann (0-1)
HR: Parkland-Drury, Feller
ICC: Confort (2), Como, Koeppez
Worman Named NJCAA D-II Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore lefty Darin Worman has been named the NJCAA D-II Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 5. Worman had an almost identical performance last week to one in which he had against Shawnee CC (Ill.) on March 27. On April 2, against Lewis & Clark Community College (Ill.), the 6'4" sophomore went seven innings giving up no runs on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. In his last two starts, Worman has thrown 14 innings giving up zero runs on six hits with three walks and 16 strikeouts. Worman is 4-0 on the season with an almost non-existent 0.36 ERA. The Dietrich native has signed with Eastern Illinois University for next year.
Baseball powers way to sweep of Southeastern behind Plecki's 4 home runs
The #4 Parkland College Baseball took advantage of the wind blowing out Tuesday pounding out 10 home runs in a 19-8 and 18-6 sweep of SE Illinois in Harrisburg. Sophomore Dan Plecki was the star as he took advantage of his start in game 2, hitting home runs in all four of his at bats in four consecutive innings. The Centennial graduate hit solo shots in the first and second innings, followed up with a 3-run home run in the 3rd, and a two-run shot in the 4th. He finished with 4 HR, 4 runs scored, and 7 RBI. He entered the contest with 0 HR and 2 RBI on the season. Six other Cobras, Tyler Watts, Justin Parr, Collin DeDecker, Ryan Wides, Bob Glover, and Brandon Stevens all added home runs as PC put up 37 runs on 35 hits for the afternoon.
In the opener, PC scored 5 times in the second and lead 8-4 after five innings, before blowing the game open with an 11 run sixth inning. Kevin Kiermaier, Bob Glover, and Eric Abel all drove in two runs in the inning. Kiermaier finished with 3 hits and 3 RBI, Glover had 2 hits and 4 RBI, while TJ McManus, Justin Parr, and Abel all had three hits. Richie Ollier (2-0) earned the win striking out seven in five innings.
In game 2, PC struck early and often tallying 8 runs in the first and 7 more in the third in route to the rout. In addition to Plecki's career best performance, Collin DeDecker had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Ryan Wides addded 3 hits, 3 runs, and 2 RBI. Ricky Neuman (1-0) earned his first college win pitching the first four innings with relief help from Adam Dennis.
Parkland (19-2 6-0) and winners of 15 straight will take a much needed couple of days off before resuming M-WAC play with a 3:00 doubleheader on Friday against Lincoln Land CC. The games will be played at Illinois Field.
Game 1:
Parkland 050 03(11) 19 19 3
SE Ill 002 024 8 9 0
Ollier, Biggs (6) and Abel
N/A
W-Ollier (2-0)
HR-Watts (PC), DeDecker (PC), Parr (PC), Branham (SEILL)
Game 2:
Parkland 817 20 18 16 0
SE Illinois 031 02 6 8 2
Neumann, Dennis (5) and Kuper
N/A
W-Neumann (1-0)
HR: Plecki (PC-4), Wides (PC), Glover (PC), Stevens (PC), Minchella (SE ILL), Beasley (SE ILL)
Streak hits 12 as Cobras blank Lewis and Clark twice
Hurlers Danny Winkler, Ryan Copley, and Darin Worman made sure Lewis and Clark had no chance of ending the Cobras winning streak Friday as they tossed 14 shutout innings as PC blanked the Blazers 10-0 and 5-0 at Centennial High School.
In the opener Winker (4-1) combined to toss a four-hitter as Winkler started and went five solid innings walking 3 and striking out 7. He got all of the offense he would need in the first as the Cobras scored four times. Kevin Kiermaier walked and Bobby Glover was hit by a pitch to start the inning before TJ McManus and Bryce Feller followed with RBI singles and after a strikeout, Justin Parr followed with a two run single. Leading 6-0, PC scored four more times in the 6th, two coming on a Brandon Stevens home run.
Worman (4-0) was dominant in the night cap as he allowed just three hits while walking 2 and striking out 8. The two teams remained scoreless into the sixth before PC scored five times. Ryan Widesr and Kiermaier started the inning off with back to back singles aand Wides raced home when an errant pick off attempt sailed into center field. Bob Glover followed with a single, McManus added an RBI double, and Dylan Drury chased home two more with a double.
The victories improve the #4 ranked Cobras to (16-2 5-0) while Lewis and Clark drops to (13-8 4-4). The two teams will play the final game of the series, a 9 inning ball game at Godfrey on Saturday afternoon.
Baseball teams keep winning streak alive
The Parkland Baseball team scored in every inning Tuesday afternoon as they cruised to a 14-1 rout of M-WAC foe Shawnee. Nick Wittgren worked 6 innings to improve to (3-0) on the season while Scott Powers worked a scoreless inning in relief. Kevin Kiermaier continued his torrid hitting against the Saints going 2-3 including a three-run home run, his fourth of the season, and a triple. He also scored 4 times and walked twice. Five of his Cobra teammates also collected two hits as TJ McManus went 2-3 with 3 RBI, Bobby Glover and Collin DeDecker each had two hits and 2 RBI, Bryce Feller added two hits and an RBI, and Wyatt Hohl had 2 hits and scored 3 times. The win improves PC to (14-2 3-0) while Shawnee falls to (6-9 2-3). Next up for PC is a three game set this Friday and Saturday against Lewis and Clark (13-6 4-2).
Parkland sweeps Shawnee in M-WAC opener
The Parkland Baseball team ran their winning streak to 9 games as they swept a doubleheader from Shawnee 14-4 and 4-0 in games played at Centennial High School on Monday night. Darin Worman (3-0) tossed a three hit shutout in the nightcap working all 7 innings walking one and striking out eight. The Saints had only four men reach base in the contest with only one runner reaching second base. Kevin Kiermaier scored three times as he reached base on a single and three walks. PC scored solo runs in the first and third inning and added two insurance runs in the 7th.
In the opener, PC broke the game open with a five run second inning to give winning pitch Danny Winkler (3-1) all the support he would need. Colin DeDecker opened the scoring with an RBI single, Kiermaier followed with an RBI single of his own, and Bobby Glover drove in a pair with a triple. Kevin Kiermaier hit a solo shot to start the 5th to make it 8-1 and added a two run blast in the sixth as the Cobras built a 13-1 lead. On the day, Kiermaier was 4-7 with 2 HR and 5 RBI, scored 6 runs, walked 4 times, and stole three bases. Bryce Feller had 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs while Glover, TJ McManus, and Dylan Drury all added two hits as the Cobras banged out 15 hits in the game. Winkler worked six solid inning walking three and striking out ten to earn the victory. Kyle Zegarac worked a scoreless 7th to wrap up the win.
Parkland improves to (13-2 2-0) while Shawnee falls to (6-8 2-2). The two teams will finish up their three game series with a 3:00 single game in Ullin on Tuesday afternoon.
Game 1:
Parkland 050 233 1 14 15 2
Shawnee 001 003 0 4 4 4
Winkler, Zagarac (7) and Stevens
Sachs, Davis (4), Mills (6) and McVey
W-Winkler (3-1) L- Sachs (2-2)
HR-Kiermaier (2,3) PC Sopozak (Shaw)
Game 2:
PC 101 000 2 4 4 0
Shawnee 000 000 0 0 3 1
Worman and Kuper
Branum and Saunders
W-Worman (3-0) L-Branum (2-1)
Parkland Baseball games at Centennial today!
Due to wet grounds at Shawnee and to on-going construction at the Parkland Baseball Field, the Parkland Baseball doubleheader will be played today at Champaign Centennial High School starting at 5:00. The final game of the series will be played at 3:00 on Tuesday at Shawnee.
Parkland is currently 11-2 on the season and this will be their first M-WAC series after having the bye during week 1.
Baseball wins at Illinois Field
The Parkland Baseball team (6-2) returned to action after a nine-day layoff to defeat SE Illinois 7-2 in a game played at Illinois Field. Jake Frerichs and Ryan Copley (1-0) combined to get the win as Frerichs worked the first 3.2 innings allowing just one run. Copley was outstanding in relief working 5.1 innings and allowing just one run while scattering five hits.
After the Falcons jumped on top in the first, PC tied the game on an RBI single by Justin Parr. The Cobras would strike five times in the fourth, with four runs crossing the plate after two were out. Bryce Feller drove in two runs while Kevin Kiermaier and TJ McManus also drove in a run in the 4th. Parr picked up his second RBI of the game in the 7th before SE scored their final tally in the 9th.
Parkland will travel to Enid, Oklahoma and David Allen Memorial Ballpark, site of the Cobras 2009 World Series championship, for 6 games starting on Saturday. The #5 Cobras will play doubleheaders on Saturday and Monday against #13 Northern Oklahoma College-Enid (10-8) sandwiched around a pair of games against Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa (10-4).
Baseball team earns first place tie at USAStadium Classic
The Parkland College Baseball team went 4-1 over the weekend to finish in a three-way tie with Iowa Central and Muscatine in the inaugural USA Stadium JUCO Classic held in Millington, Tennessee. After sweeping Carl Sandburg and Iowa Central on Friday, the Cobras beat Lake Land and Flo. Valley while losing to Muscatine.
Parkland 10 Lake Land 9
For the second straight game the Cobras built a big early lead but hang on for the 10-9 win over Lake Land. Tied at 1, PC struck for four runs and six hits in the 3rd as five different players drove in a run. The Cobras built their lead to 8-1 before the Lakers scored six time in their half of the fifth to close the gap to 8-7. Wyatt Hohl's RBI single and TJ McManus run scoring triple gave PC a 10-7 lead before the Lakers rallied in their final at bat. LLCC scored twice in the frame an had the bases loaded with two outs before reliever Ricky Neuman struck out Josh Green to end the contest. Nick Wittgren (1-0) earned his first win while Neuman earned his first save. McManus led the attacj with 3 hits while Dylan Drury had 2 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Hohl, Brent Kuper, and Kevin Kiermaier all had 2 hits each in the win.
PC 105 111 1 10 14 2
Lake 010 060 2 9 15 3
Wittgren, Neuman (5) and Kuper
N/A
W-Wittgren (1-0) L-Bolleter (0-1) S-Neuman (1)
Muscatine 5 Parkland 1
Muscatine scored five unearned runs in the second inning with the help of two Cobra errors while the PC offense was held to just a run on three hits. PC grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Wyatt Hohl single only to see Muscatine score five times in the bottom of the inning. Neither team would score the rest of the contest as the pitchers took command of the game. Hohl had two of the three Cobra hits while Justin Parr had the other. Jake Frerichs (1-1) took the loss despite pitching well.
PC 010 000 0 1 3 2
Muscatine050 000 X 5 6 2
Frerichs, Mc Kay (5) and Abel Stevens (4)
Romano and Melendez
W-Romero (1-1) L-Frerichs (1-1)
Parkland 7 St. Louis Flo. Valley 1
Taylor Biggs (1-0) worked seven solid innings to earn his first win and Ryan Copley retired all six hitters he faced as PC earned a share of the title with a 7-1 win. The Cobras jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as TJ McManus had RBI hits in both the first and third innings while Bobby Glover also drove in a run. Flo. Valley cut the lead to two on a solo home run but PC answered back with a single run in the fifth on an RBI single by Brandon Stevens and put the game away by scoring three times in the 7th. Dylan Drury's two run single was the big blow while Bryce Feller added an RBI single. Glover, McManus, and Feller all had two hits in the win. Biggs, in his first collegiate start, allowed just one run on five hits while striking out a pair.
The fifth ranked Cobras are (5-2) on the season and will travel to SE Illinois this Thursday for a doubleheader against the Falcons.
Flo. Valley 000 010 000 1 5 0
PC 102 001 30X 7 9 2
Felter and Nadeau
Biggs, Copley (8) and Stevens
W-Biggs (1-0) L-Felter (0-1)
HR-Onexer (FV)
Parkland Baseball Opens with split against D-1 Jefferson
Despite having never practiced outdoors this spring, the #5 Parkland College Baseball team put forth a strong effort splitting a doubleheader with NJCAA D-1 #13 Jefferson College of Missouri. Jeff. Co won the opener scoring an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the last inning but rallied for a 9-4 win in the finale.
Danny Winkler (0-1) was the hard luck loser in game 1, working 6 2/3 solid innings allowing just 1 earned run on four hits. The Cobras were held to just three hits in the contest with TJ McManus driving in the lone run with a single in the 6th.
Jake Frerichs (1-0) picked up the win in game 2, working 4 solid innings while Nick Wittgren pitched the final 2 1/3 to earn his first save. The Cobras put together five straight hits in the 3rd to grab a 3-0 lead and after Jeff. Co tallied a run the Cobras answered back with two more in the fifth. Leading by just a run going into the 6th, PC scored thee times with Dylan Drury and Colin DeDecker delivering the key hits. The Cobras banged out 14 hits in the finale as Kevin Kiermaier went 3-4 and scored twice, while Drury and DeDecker each had two hits and drove in a pair. Eric Abel also collected two hits for Parkland now (1-1) on the season.
PC will return to action next weekend as they play in the USA Stadium JUCO Classic in Millington, TN. Parkland will play Carl Sanburg and Iowa Central on Friday, Lake Land and Muscatine on Saturday, and St. Louis Florissant Valley on Sunday.
Defending World Series Champs ready to open season
Despite the cold weather and snow on the ground in Champaign, the Parkland College Baseball team will get their season underway on Saturday when they travel to Hillsboro, Missouri to take on Jefferson College. The Vikings are (2-1) on the season and are ranked #13 in the pre-season NJCAA poll. Parkland, the defending D-II National Champions, are ranked #5 in the NJCAA D-II poll and are #1 in the American Baseball Coaches Association D-II rankings.
The Cobras finished (49-9) last season on their way to their 2nd World Series title in the past seven years. This year's team has a good balance of returning sophomore, transfer students, and talented freshman and hopes to battle for another M-WAC and Region 24 title.
Leading the way for PC will be returning All-American Kevin Kiermaier. The sophomore from Ft. Wayne, who has signed with Purdue, was the MVP of the World Series and hit .430 with 13 HR and 50 RBI to go along with 23 stolen bases. Fellow Ft. Wayne native and Dayton signee Bob Glover is back along with Centennial graduate Colin DeDecker (Purdue) and OF/DH Tyler Watts. They are joined by Ohio State transfer TJ McManus, West Virginia transfer Dylan Drury, and freshman Brice Feller and Justin Parr to form a strong nucleus on offense. The pitching staff should be led by Central Florida recruit Danny Winkler (4-0 4.09 ) and Eastern Illinois signee Darin Worman (5-1 3.74 ERA).
The Cobras will play their first 24 games on the road, highlighted by playing in the USA Stadium JUCO Classic March 5-7 in Millington, Tn. and a return to David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma for 5 games at the same field where PC won the World Series last June. PC's home opener is scheduled for April 2nd against Lewis and Clark.