NORMAL, Ill. – No. 5 Parkland baseball dismantled No. 16 Heartland, 21-3 and 9-2, in a doubleheader sweep at The Corn Crib in Normal, Ill., on Friday afternoon. Now 5-0 against NJCAA Division II ranked opponents, the two victories elevate Parkland's record to 26-9 overall and 18-4 in the region.
 
Facing Heartland starter, and University of Dayton commit, Andrew Zapka, Parkland set a new season high for runs in a game, as the Cobras put 21 runs on the board – seven charged to Zapka – across five innings, highlighted by a 15-run fourth inning. Upping their previous season best of 16 runs at Spoon River last Saturday, April 13, the Cobras recorded 11 hits and stole five bases.
 
Leading the offensive onslaught, Trevor Minder exploded for seven RBI to set a new single-game career high. With all three hits going for extra bases, the Cobra shortstop went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and two doubles to go along with a stolen base. Starting pitcher Ty Rybarczyk improved to 6-0 on the season with three strikeouts over five innings while allowing two earned runs.
 
The Cobras again controlled game two, scoring three runs in both the first and third innings in route to a seven-run victory. Designated hitter Jeremiah Lebron hit a three-run homer in the first and drove in four runs, left fielder Tynan Shahidi went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Minder hit his second homer of the day to back starting pitcher Ricky Castro's (3-1) five innings with eight strikeouts.
 
Up next, the Cobras and Hawks will conclude their top-20 weekend series tomorrow, April 20, in Champaign with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
 
Game 1: No. 5 Parkland 21, No. 16 Heartland 3 (5 inn.)
 
The Cobras drew first blood in the second inning after third baseman Alex Steinbach hit a one-out triple to left center and scored on a Dan Warkentin sacrifice fly. The lead would be short lived, as the Hawks turned a one-out error by Parkland into a game-tying run on a two-out double.
 
Tied, again, to start the third, the Cobras struck for five runs as each of the first five batters to come to the plate rounded the bases, capped by a three-run homer by Trevor Minder. Back-to-back singles by Damian Pierce and Robert Barnard put runners at the corners with the top of the order due up. Trevor Burkhart laced a double down the left-field line to drive in Pierce, and then Barnard touched home on an error by the Hawks' shortstop off the bat of Tynan Shahidi. With two runs already in, Minder's third jack of the season – an opposite-field homer to right field – finished off the five-run barrage.
 
After the Hawks got a run back in the bottom of the third, the Cobras scored a season-best 15 runs in the fourth with 23 plate appearances. Back-to-back doubles by Price and Pierce scored opened the scoring. After a walk by Barnard chased Zapka, Burkhart reached on an error to load the bases. With one out, Minder again drove in three runs, this time lining a double down the left-field line. Jeremiah Lebron reached first on a hit-by-pitch, and then a double steal by Lebron and Minder forced an errant throw by Heartland, plating Minder. With Steinbach at the plate, Lebron raced home on a wild pitch for the sixth run of the inning. The bases momentarily clear, Parkland re-loaded the bases with a single by Steinbach, a Warkentin hit-by-pitch and another walk to Price. Three consecutive RBI hit-by-pitches by Pierce, Barnard and Burkhart forced in three more tallies. A wild pitch scored Pierce, and then Barnard and Burkhart came around to score on a Shahidi single. The second Minder double of the inning chased Shahidi home, a bases-loaded walk to Warkentin brought home another and then Lebron touched home on a fielder's choice.
 
Improving to 6-0 on the season, Ty Rybarczyk allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out three over five innings. The freshman right-hander holds a 1.18 ERA through 43 innings pitched this season.
 
Game 2: No. 5 Parkland 9, No. 16 Heartland 2
 
The bats stayed hot to start game two, as Jeremiah Lebron hit an opposite-field, three-run home run to right field in the top of the first. Setting up Lebron's fourth bomb of the year, Tynan Shahidi reached on a one-out single and then Trevor Minder reached base on an error with both swiping a base in the inning.
 
After allowing a run in the bottom of the first, starter Ricky Castro pitched out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the second inning with an inning-ending strikeout to keep the Cobras in front, 3-1.
 
The Cobras doubled their run total in the third, using two hits and three stolen bases to set up a three-run inning. After Burkhart reached on a hit-by-pitch and stole second to start the inning, Shahidi singled to right field to drive in Burkhart. Minder added a second single, and then executed a double-steal to put runners on second and third. Lebron picked up his fourth RBI of the game with an RBI groundout, and then Steinbach followed suit to score Minder.
 
After another shutdown inning from Castro, the Cobras kept the line moving in the fourth with a pair of runs driven in by Shahidi to increase their lead to 8-1. After a one-out hit-by-pitch put Barnard on first, Burkhart moved him to third on a double and both scored on a two-RBI single by the Cobra left fielder.
 
Trevor Minder added the final run with his second home run of the game and fourth of the season, blasting one to the opposite field.
 
Castro allowed a run in the fourth, but held the Hawks scoreless in the fifth to pick up his third win of the season. Reliever Chase Gockel pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit while striking out one.