CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 16 ranked Parkland College Baseball team won its tenth straight game on Sunday, April 23rd, before losing game two against conference rival Illinois Central College on Military Appreciation Day at Parkland College. The Cobras (33-9) (14-6) powered past the Cougars (14-24) (8-12) with seven extra-base hits in a 14-5 win in game one, but ICC rallied to beat the hosts 8-7 in the second game. Cobra starting pitcher Alex Pipes (5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) earned his seventh win, and sophomore Austin Gomm compiled seven RBI in the doubleheader, homering in both games.
Up next, the Cobras travel to Springfield, Illinois, for a doubleheader at Lincoln Land Community College on Saturday, April 29th. First pitch against the Loggers (23-18) (12-8) will be at noon.
No. 16 Parkland College 14, Illinois Central College 5
Both offenses took no time getting going, scoring two runs in the 1st and 2nd innings. The Cobras tied the game 4-4 following an Austin Gomm (2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, SB) home run in the 2nd before Parkland pulled away with a 5-run bottom of the 3rd, taking a 9-4 lead. First basemen Logan Reidelberger (3-4, 4 RBI, R) and left fielder Ryan Snell (3-4, 2B, 4 RBI, BB) extended the lead with back-to-back 2 RBI line drives in the bottom of the 4th and a solo home run from Tyler Herron (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, HBP) in the bottom of the 5th capped a strong offensive performance a 14-5 Cobra win.
Sophomore Alex Pipes (7-0) allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks, striking out 10 in the win. Redshirt sophomore Louis Stallone (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K) relieved Pipes in the 6th, striking out two in his 10th appearance this season.
Illinois Central College 8, No. 16 Parkland College 7
The Cobras fell behind 3-0 in the top of the 1st inning, but the team battled back to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th before third basemen Austin Gomm blasted a 3-run home run, his 11th of the season to give Parkland a 6-3 lead. The Cougars rallied in the 8th inning, scoring four straight runs to retake the lead, but Gomm (3-5, HR, 5 RBI) tied the game back up at 7-7 with an RBI single, scoring Jackson Blemler (3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R). Illinois Central drove in a go-ahead run in the top of the 9th, and Parkland couldn’t keep the win streak alive, losing 8-7 in game two.
Freshman Chase Becker (6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) made his third start of the season on the mound, striking out seven before being relieved by William O’Gorman (1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) in the 7th. Sophomore Brenden Katz (2-1) was credited with the loss after making his 10th appearance in the 8th.
