EAST PEORIA, Ill. – No. 5 Parkland baseball split a Friday doubleheader at Illinois Central, taking game one by a count of 9-3 before dropping game two by a score of 9-0. Freshman Ty Rybarczyk (3-0) was the winning pitcher in the victory, while Robert Barnard and Trevor Minder led the Cobras at the plate with two hits and two RBI.
 
In the game one victory, Parkland scored nine runs on 10 hits and worked 12 walks while only striking out five times. Alex Steinbach and Tynan Shahidi recorded the lone extra base hits, a pair of triples, while the Cobras stole six bases to aid the attack.
 
On the mound, Tybarczyk and reliever Ricky Castro combined for nine innings with zero unearned runs and only one hit with eight strikeouts.
 
Up next, the four-game series moves to Champaign tomorrow, March 23, as the Cobras and Cougars play a seven-inning doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
No. 5 Parkland 9, Illinois Central 3
 
Parkland scored single runs in both the first and fourth to take an early 2-0 lead. The Cougars responded in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run homer to take a brief 3-2 lead. However, the Cobras responded with a three-run inning of their own in the fifth and added a sixth run in the sixth to take a 6-3 lead. A three-run ninth doubled the lead for a 9-3 victory.
 
Picking up his third win of the season, Ty Rybarczyk improved to 3-0 on the season with five innings without an unearned run. Only allowing one hit and a walk, the Cobras righty struck out five. Ricky Castro picked up his first save of the season with four no-hit innings with a walk and three strikeouts.
 
Four Cobras paced the offense with two-hit performances, led by catcher Robert Barnard and shortstop Trevor Minder who each added two RBI. Third baseman Alex Steinbach and left fielder Tynan Shahidi also got hits in two at-bats, while designated hitter Damian Pierce led the Cobras with three runs.
 
Parkland was also active on the bases, stealing six bases between three players. Leadoff hitter Trevor Burkhart joined Minder in double digits this season, reaching 10 steals on the year with two stolen bases. Damian Pierce stole his third and fourth bases of the season, while Shahidi pilfered his first two bases of the season.
 
No. 5 Parkland 0, Illinois Central 9 (7 inn.)
 
Following a win in game one by six runs, the Cobras fell behind early in game two, dropping the seven-inning finale, 9-0. Starter Sam Ballard (1-2) took the loss.
 
Ballard and the Cobras fell behind in the first inning, but used a double play and a strikeout to limit the damage to a single run. However, the Cougars delivered the big blow in the following inning with a five-run second frame. Logan Pillars and Cody Hawthorne pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs and striking out three.
 
Held to four hits in the loss, catcher Robert Barnard, first baseman Dan Warkentin, third baseman Alex Steinbach and Tynan Shahidi recorded the four Cobra base knocks.