CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Parkland softball cruised past visiting Kishwaukee with a pair of victories – 16-2 and 2-1 – over the Kougars. Improving to 10-games over .500, the Cobras are now 27-17 on the season. Starting pitchers Kate Beckemeyer (4-5) and Kirbie Mendenhall (5-6) picked up the two wins, allowing a combined two runs over 11 innings.

The Cobras slugged eight extra-base hits in game one, highlighted by six doubles and a Bre Riemenschneider grand slam. The top three in the Parkland lineup each reached base three times, led by four hits from catcher Bri Poehler – three going for doubles – and three hits and a walk by third baseman Camryn Skundberg. Starting pitcher and leadoff hitter Kate Beckemeyer pitched four innings with three strikeouts to pick up the win, while also drawing two walks and singling at the plate.

In game two, Parkland starter Kirbie Mendenhall won a pitcher's duel, pitching her fourth seven-inning complete game of the season and retiring 12 of the final 14 batters she faced. The complete game lowers Mendenhall's season ERA to 3.79. Leadoff hitter Kate Beckemeyer was the lone Cobra to reach base twice, walking in two of her three plate appearances.

Up next, Parkland will host No. 11 Heartland on Sunday at 1 p.m. central time. Saturday's doubleheader against Lewis & Clark was postponed due to forecasted rain and will be made up at a later day.

Game 1: Parkland 16, Kishwaukee 2 (5 inn.)

Parkland sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring an early 4-0 advantage over the visiting Kougars. With a walk by Beckemeyer and a single by Poehler putting the first two runners on, Skundberg singled in the first run, and then Newton lofted a fly ball to left to score Poehler. With two on and two out, Kirbie Mendenhall lined a double into the right-field corner for, driving in both Skundberg and Johnson.

Three straight doubles in the second doubled the Cobra lead. After with a single from Beckemeyer, Poehler, Skundberg and Newton all slugged two-baggers to drive in a run. The fourth Parkland tally came home on an error by the Kougar third baseman off the bat of Johnson.

A two-out single by Kishwaukee in the third put the Kougars on the board, but an eight-run fourth inning by the Cobras put the game away. The bases loaded and no one out, Bre Riemenschneider lined one to deep center that the wind couldn't keep in the yard for the left fielder's first home run of the season. Four batters later, the Cobras used three straight RBI hits to drive in runs, as Skundberg and Newton singled home runs and Parrish tripled in two more.

Making her season debut in the fifth inning, Kate Jones closed out the run-rule victory.

Game 2: Parkland 2, Kishwaukee 1

The Kougars struck first with a run in the top of the first without recording a hit, but the Cobras snapped back with two runs of their own without a hit. Beckemeyer led-off the inning with a walk, stole second and came around to score on an error. Reaching on the error, Poehler stole second and then scored on a sac fly by Skundberg.

Kishwaukee threatened to tie or retake the lead in the top of the fourth when two hits and a walk loading the bases with no one out. Despite one of the hits being lined off her kneecap, Mendenhall stayed in the game and worked her way out of the jam with a fielder's choice, strikeout and inning-ending flyout.

Both sides managed just one hit over the final three innings, as Mendenhall retired 12 of the last 14 batters she faced. In total, Mendenhall finished seven innings on XX pitches, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six.