DANVILLE, Ill. – No. 5 Parkland baseball won its weekend series against Danville Area with a sweep of Sunday's doubleheader, 2-1 and 11-2. Improving to 31-12 overall, and 22-6 in the M-WAC, the conference-leading Cobras were led by four hits from shortstop Trevor Minder and three from second baseman Dan Warkentin, while Ryan Culley (5-2) tossed a game-one complete game and Chase Gockel (3-0) picked up the win in game two.
 
In game one, Culley tossed a one-run complete game to improve to 5-2 on the mound this season. Striking out six Jaguars while allowing just four hits, Culley held Danville Area off the scoreboard until the seventh inning. Tied 0-0 into the sixth, Jeremiah Lebron and Alex Steinbach drove in the Cobra runs with a bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly.
 
The Cobra bats came alive in game two, as Parkland scored all 11 runs over the first four innings to overcome a two-run first by the Jaguars. Trevor Minder highlighted the offensive outburst with three hits in four at-bats and four RBI. On the mound, Chase Gockel settled down after the two-run opening frame, allowing just one hits over his final four innings. Christian Watson closed out the victory with two scoreless innings, striking out one.
 
Up next, the Cobras will travel to Wabash Valley on Tuesday, April 30, at 3 p.m. central time in Mt. Carmel, Illinois.
 
Game 1: No. 5 Parkland 2, Danville Area 1
 
Working around four hits and six walks to earn the victory, starter Ryan Culley escaped back-to-back walks in the first inning with a strikeout and a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
 
The Jaguars, again, put two runners on base with less than two outs in the second inning, but a lineout and ground out got Culley out of trouble to keep the game scoreless.
 
After Parkland was unable to score a two-out double by Dan Warkentin in their half of the second inning, Culley used three strikeouts to work around a pair of walks in the third and fourth frames and then stranded a single in the fifth.
 
Stranding two more runners in the fifth, the Parkland offense came alive in the sixth whne the first four batters reached. Trevor Burkhart led off with a single, followed by Tynan Shahidi reaching on a fielder's choice and then Minder loading the bases with a single. Jeremiah Lebron and Alex Steinbach then put the Cobras in front, driving in runs with a four-pitch walk and sacrifice fly to left.
 
Staked to a 2-0 lead entering the final frame, Culley allowed a lead-off double by the Jaguars but retired the final three batters for the one-run victory.
 
Game 2: No. 5 Parkland 11, Danville Area 2
 
Parkland fell behind in the top of the first with two runs on two hits, but responded with three runs in the bottom half to take the lead. After Burkhart reached on a single and Lebron on a walk, Trevor Minder drove in the first run with a single through the left side and then Lebron came around on an error by the Jaguar shortstop. With runners on the corner and one out, the Cobras took the lead with a sac fly by Pierce and added a fourth run with a Shahidi RBI single.
Compounding the lead in the second, the Cobras capitalized on a catcher's interference and walk to set up RBI singles and extend their lead to 6-2. Minder singled to center to score Burkhart with one out, and then Pierce came through with two outs to drive in Lebron with a single to left.
 
The Cobras doubled their lead in the third, putting up four runs for the second time in three innings. With two runners in scoring position and one out, Warkentin singled to left, driving in Archbold and Barnard. Following a walk to Lebron and passed ball, the Cobras again scored twice on a single, as Minder pushed a ball through the right side to make it 10-2 Cobras.
 
Parkland added their final tally of the day in the bottom of the fourth, as singles by Shahidi and Barnard set up an unearned run on an error by the Jaguar shortstop off the bat of Trevor Burkhart.  
 
Settling in after the two-run first, Gockel completed five innings while retiring 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. After a leadoff single in the second inning, Gockel set down nine straight Jaguars before a walk to begin the fifth. After a lineout, Gockel erased the walk on a double play to finish his day.