TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Parkland softball began the 2019 season with back-to-back wins on their first of a six-day trip in central Florida. The Cobras began the day with a 3-2 victory over Morris and then capped things off with an 8-4, come-from-behind win over St. Cloud Tech.

Leading the Cobras to the two victories were pitchers Kate Beckemeyer and Kirbie Mendenhall each tossed complete games in the circle with eight strikeouts each. At the plate, the two hurlers helped their own cause by going a combined 9-10 at the plate with three doubles, six RBI and three runs scored.

As a team the Cobras pounded out 22 hits, including 15 in the win over St. Cloud Tech, and hit .393 across the doubleheader.

Up next, Parkland will play another double-dip tomorrow morning in Titusville, playing Anoka Ramsey at 8:30 a.m. central time and Crowder at 3:30 p.m.

Parkland 3, Morris 2

Freshman Kate Beckemeyer tossed a complete game, striking out eight, and went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate to lead the Cobras in their season-opening victory.
Following a 2-3-2 double play cut down a Morris runner at the plate to end the top of the second, the Cobras scored their first run of 2019 in the bottom half of the inning on a Makenzie Ruppert sacrifice bunt to score Bri Poehler. Two batters later, a ground ball off the bat of Lauren Wendling brought home Tori Witruk.

Leading 2-0, Beckemeyer pitched a scoreless third inning before Morris broke through with a run in the top of the 4^th on a one-out double. However, Beckemyer quickly recovered the run by helping herself with a one-out, RBI single of her own to plate Kerbie Mendenhall.

A walk, a double and a ground out to start the fifth inning drew Morris back within a run, 3-2, but Beckemeyer squashed the rally with a strikeout and groundout to strand the tying run at third base. The first-year Cobra closed out the victory with two clean innings in the sixth and seventh, allowing just a walk, as Parkland held on for the one-run win.

Parkland 8, St. Cloud Tech 4

The Cobras continued their success in game two of the day despite spotting St. Cloud Tech to a 4-0 lead after four unearned runs scored in the top of the first. However, sophomore Kirbie Mendenhall shut down St. Cloud from there with six shutout innings, striking out eight, while going 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI to help her own cause.

While Mendenhall turned over the line-up card out of the nine-hole, Kate Beckemeyer ignited the top of the line-up with a 4-for-4 performance with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Emma Newton and Bri Poehler also added in multi-hit days with Newton also contributing an RBI.

Immediately responding to the 4-0 deficit, Beckemeyer led off the bottom half of the first with a single followed by a one-out double from Camryn Skundberg to set up an RBI ground out from Newton.

After Mendenhall faced the minimum in the second, the Cobras tied the game with a three-run bottom half of the inning. After Bella Coffey and Summer Johnson reached to lead-off the inning, Mendenhall doubled both runners in, and then traded places with Beckemeyer on an RBI double.

Mendenhall struck out the side to begin the third, keeping the score tied, before three straight Cobra hits gave Parkland its first lead of the game in the bottom of the third on a Coffey RBI single to score Newton. Again, helping her own cause, Mendenhall started a two-out rally with an RBI single which Beckemeyer followed suit with for a 7-4 Cobra lead.

With the Cobras holding St. Cloud off the board over the next two innings, the Cobras added on a third insurance run when Beckemeyer recorded her fourth hit of the day, a two-out double to drive in Mendenhall.

Leading Mendenhall to her seven innings and zero unearned runs were 23 first-pitch strikes to stay ahead of St. Cloud Tech batters.