CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Parkland softball outscored Lincoln Land 19-1 on Tuesday in a doubleheader sweep, defeating the Loggers 11-1 in game one and 8-0 in game two. With the two wins on Tuesday, the Cobras improved to 22-14 on the season and 11-5 in Region 24.
Playing a Logger team that entered the matchup with a 7-3 record in the region, the Cobras moved into third place in the Region 24 standings with the doubleheader sweep. Illinois Central entered the day with a 7-1 record to lead the region, while Heartland sat in second at 10-4.
In the circle,
Tori Witruk picked up her ninth win of the season in game one with four strikeouts and one unearned run over three innings to lower her season ERA to 2.63.
Kate Beckemeyer tossed two clean innings of relief to close out the win. In game two,
Morgan Parrish tossed six clean innings for her seventh win of the season behind four strikeouts to only three hits and one walk.
Offensively, right fielder
Emma Newton led the team in game one and first baseman
Bella Coffey led the charge in game two. Newton went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in the opener, and Coffey hit three extra-base hits, highlighted by her fifth home run of the season, and drove in three runs to lead the victory in game two.
Game 1: Parkland 11, Lincoln Land 1 (5 inn.)
Falling behind 1-0 on an unearned run in the top of the first, the Cobras quickly responded with two runs in the bottom half. After
Kate Beckemeyer reached on an error to start the inning, Poehler hit her sixth home run of the season to give the Cobras a 2-1 lead.
Still leading after a clean top of the second from Witruk, the Cobra pitcher started a six-run second inning by reaching on a hit-by-pitch.
Kirbie Mendenhall moved Witruk to second on a single, and then Witruk came home on a
Lauren Wendling RBI single. Beckemeyer kept the line moving with an RBI double to score Mendenhall. The second hit batter of the inning,
Camryn Skundberg took one for the team to pick up the RBI to bring home Wendling. After an
Emma Newton RBI single made it 6-1, the Cobras, again, took a pitch off the body as Coffey picked up the RBI. A
Summer Johnson sacrifice fly added the sixth run, as Skundberg tagged up and scored.
The Cobras put up a crooked number for the third straight inning in the third, scoring three runs with two outs. With Wendling and Beckemeyer reaching on singles and advancing into scoring position on a passed ball, Newton drove in her second and third runs of the day with an RBI single. After another single by Coffey, Johnson doubled home Newton with her second hit of the game.
Game 2: Parkland 8, Lincoln Land 0 (6 inn.)
With Parish holding Lincoln Land scoreless through their first two at-bats, first baseman
Bella Coffey put the Cobras in front with a solo homer to centerfield. The round tripper was the fifth bomb of the season for Coffey.
Back-to-back hits in the third inning doubled the lead, 2-0, as the top of the line-up produced the game's second run. With one out, Beckemeyer doubled to right field. After Beckemeyer moved to third on a passed ball, Poehler drove in her third run of the day with an RBI single.
Adding their third run of the game in the bottom of the fourth,
Bella Coffey got things started with a lead-off double to center field for her second hit of the game. A Johnson single moved Coffey to third, and then the Cobra first baseman scored on a ground ball off the bat of Mendenhall.
The Cobras padded their lead in the fifth with a four-run inning, as three doubles paced a five-run inning. With Beckemeyer on first after a fielder's choice, Poehler doubled her home on a line drive to centerfield. After a Skundberg single advanced Poehler to third, Newton hit the second RBI double of the inning to score Poehler. Hitting her third extra-base hit of the day, Coffey doubled to left to score both Skundberg and Newton.
