CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 5 Parkland baseball finished off a 3-1 series win over Spoon River by splitting Tuesday's doubleheader (9-0, 5-9) in Champaign. The Cobras won the first two games in Canton on Saturday, and are now 22-9 on the season and 16-4 in Region 24.
 
In game one, pitchers Ryan Culley and Chase Gockel combined to three-hit the Snappers over seven innings. Dan Warkentin and Damian Pierce each drove in a pair of runs, while Trevor Minder and Trevor Burkhart joined Pierce with two-hit performances.
 
The Cobras trailed 3-1 in the fourth inning of game two before coming back to win with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth to take the lead. A six-run seventh inning by the Snappers helped the visitors salvage a game in the series.  
 
Up next, the Cobras will play a doubleheader at Millikin JV tomorrow, April 17, at 5 p.m. central time.  
 
Game 1: No. 5 Parkland 9, Spoon River 0
 
Starters Ryan Culley and Chase Gockel combined for a three-hit shutout, as the Cobra bats stayed hot with nine runs on nine hits. Nine Cobra batters reached base, led by two-hit performances by Trevor Burkhart, Trevor Minder and Damian Pierce.
 
Culley threw three no-hit innings, allowing two walks while striking out two. Gockel relieved Culley and completed four innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven.
 
After a three-up, three-down first inning by Culley, Parkland drew three walks as part of a two-run first inning to take the lead. Tynan Shahidi started the rally with a one-out walk and moved over to third on a Minder single and Steinbach walk. A third walk to Warkentin plated the first run, and then an error by the Snappers' shortstop added an unearned run.
 
With Culley still holding the visitors without a hit, the Cobras put the game away in the bottom of the third with seven runs on four hits. A leadoff single from Lebron and back-to-back one-out walks to Warkentin and Price set Pierce up for a two-RBI double into the left-center gap. After a lineout by Robert Barnard, seven straight batters reached with RBI singles from Burkhart and Shahidi. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch by Warkentin plated the final run.
 
With multiple hits in both the fifth and sixth, the Cobras had a chance for their second straight run-rule victory over the Snappers, but were unable to push across the necessary 10^th run.
 
Game 2: No. 5 Parkland 5, Spoon River 9
 
Parkland, again, scored in the bottom of the first, using two hits to score the game's opening run. Tynan Shahidi reached on a one-out single, and then came around to score on a two-out RBI double to left field by Jeremiah Lebron.
 
Spoon River took their first lead of the series in the third inning with three singles and a sacrifice fly. The Snappers added an unearned run in the fourth to extend their lead.
 
Trailing 3-1, the Cobras used two singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fourth to level the score. After the Snappers retired the lead-off man, Corey Price started the rally with a single and advanced to second on a Pierce walk. With two on, Robert Barnard hit his second single of the game, plating Price. Burkhart loaded the bases by taking a pitch off his ankle, setting up a Shahidi sacrifice fly to score the tying run.
 
After a pair of clean innings from reliever Logan Pillars, the Cobras put together a game-winning, two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth. Burkhart started the rally with a bunt single, and then moved to second when Shahidi was hit by the pitch. With the go-ahead run at second, Trevor Minder lined a single into center to easily score Burkhart from second.
 
Spoon River responded in the top of the seventh by putting each of the first three batters on base, using a single, an error and a walk. Pillars was able to get a strikeout and flyout while keeping a run from scoring, but a hit-by-pitch tied the game. A walk to the following batters put the Snappers in front, and then the visitors added four more runs of insurance.
 
Alex Steinbach led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to score Parkland's final run of the day.