After opening the season with 13 road or neutral contests, the Parkland Softball team finally opened at home on Thursday and came away with a  sweep of Olney Central. Parkland won the opener 1-0 before taking the finale 11-8. The wins improve the Cobras to (6-9) on the season while the Blue Knights fall to (6-7). Parkland will be at home again tomorrow when they host Danville in an M-WAC doubleheader starting at 2:00.

Game 1:

Kirbie Mendenhall went the distance as she tossed a seven-hit shutout to earn the victory. Despite giving up at least one runner in every inning, Mendenhall (2-4) walked just one and struck out seven, leaving 8 runners on base.  Meanwhile her teammates got the only run she would need as Ivy Nichols singled with one out and came home on a Lauren Wendling single. Wendling had two of the Cobras six hits in the win.

OCC            000 000 0    0 7 0
PC               100  000 X   1  6 1

W-Mendenhall
L-Davis

Game 2:

The finale was a completely opposite type of game as the two teams scored 19 runs and banged out 26 before PC rallied for the win. The Cobras jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead as Kyliegh Washam started the inning with a  triple and later scored on a sacrifice by Shelby Youngblood.  After a two out walk to Wendling, Bre Riemenschneider drove her home with a double. After OCC scored a run in the 2nd, PC would score two of their own with one coming on a Brigette Belt solo shot. Trailing 5-1 in the 4th, Olney scored five times despite collecting just two hits as they took advantage of four walks and three Cobra errors to plate five runs and grab a 6-5 lead.

PC would wait just an inning before they erupted for six runs of their own. Four straight hits to start the bottom of the 5th allowed PC to tie the game and take the lead as Lauren Spelich stroked a two-run double. PC used three more hits and a walk to score four more times as they grabbed an 11-6 lead.  OCC would score two runs in the top of the 7th and loaded the bases with two outs before lining back to reliever Tori Witruk to end the uprising.  Witruk worked the final 2.1 innings, picking up the win in relief of Morgan Parrish.   Three Cobras ended up with three hits in the game as PC pounded out 16 in the victory. Belt and Spelich each went 3-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored while Basham had 3 hits and scored twice. Wendling and Riemenschneider also added two hits apiece.

OCC           010 500 2            8    10   2
PC              221 060 X           11   16  3

W-Witruk
L-Bonesteel
HR-Belt (PC) Grubb (OCC)