RIVER GROVE, Ill. – No. 5 Parkland rallied from down 6-4 with four runs in the top of the eighth to defeat Division I Triton College (23-13), 8-6, on Wednesday evening. NJCAA Player of the Week Trevor Minder drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out, bases-loaded walk, while reliever Sam Ballard (3-3) picked up the win with two innings of work.    
 
Playing from behind from the bottom of the first, the Cobras tied the game three times before taking their first lead on Minder's six-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth. Alex Steinbach was Parkland's top hitter in the victory, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, and is now hitting .382 with nine extra-base hits and 22 RBI in the month of April. Second baseman Dan Warkentin added two RBI on two hits, while centerfielder Trevor Burkhart also recorded two hits and stole his team-leading 36^th base of the season.
 
The Cobras used three lefties to cover nine innings, beginning with Cody Hawthorne who pitched five innings in his third start this season. Ballard pitched the sixth and seventh innings, allowing one earned run while striking out two. Casey Kempner closed out the game with a pair of hitless innings and four strikeouts to earn his first save.
 
Falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Parkland tied the score in the third with a Minder sacrifice fly that scored Burkhart from third after he led off the inning with a double. The Trojans would respond with two runs in the bottom half to retake the lead, 3-1, and then would add a fourth run in the fifth.
 
A lead-off single by Jeremiah Lebron in the sixth jumpstarted a three-run inning to tie the game, 4-4. With Lebron at third with only one out, Steinbach lined a double to left to plate Lebron, and then Warkentin took three bases on a hit to right field that chased Steinbach home. Warkentin would then capitalize on a two-out wild pitch by Triton to tie the game.
 
Trailing for a third time after single tallies in the sixth and seventh by Triton, Alex Steinbach ignited the game-winning rally with his second extra-base hit of the day, tripling to right and then scoring on a Warkentin ground out. With two outs, the Cobras stayed alive when Robert Archbold reached on an error by the Trojan shortstop and then advanced to second on an error by the pitcher. The tying run in scoring position, Barnard lined a single to left to tie the game. A Burkhart single and Tynan Shahidi walk set the stage for Minder's go-ahead walk, and then a passed ball following the walk allowed Burkhart to score an insurance run.
 
Up next, Parkland is back in action this weekend with a series against Danville Area. The Cobras and Jaguars begin their series in Danville on Saturday, April 27, with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The series concludes with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Champaign on Sunday, April 28.