Box Score NORMAL, Ill. – No. 1 seed Parkland dropped a seesaw battle to No. 4 seed Lincoln Land, as the Cobras' season came to an end in a 9-5 defeat in the Region 24 Championship round. Overcoming two deficits, the Cobras led in the fourth, 2-1, and the eighth, 5-4, before a five-run Lincoln Land bottom of the eighth sent the Loggers to the NJCAA DII World Series. The 2019 Mid-West Athletic Conference Champions, Parkland finishes the season with a 38-17 overall record.
 
Following the conclusion of the Region 24 Tournament, Parkland freshman pitcher Ty Rybarczyk was named Region 24 Pitcher of the Year. Also named to the All-Region team, Rybarczyk was joined on the team by fellow Region 24 All-Region selection sophomore third baseman Alex Steinbach. Rybarczyk finished the year with an 8-1 record and a 0.96 ERA that ranks fourth in NJCAA DII. Steinbach led the Cobras with 10 home runs, a .675 slugging percentage and 48 RBI this season while batting .344 with a .437 on-base percentage.
 
The right side of the infield led the Cobras at the plate against Lincoln Land, as second baseman Trevor Burkhart and first baseman Dan Warkentin each went 2-for-4, while catcher Robert Barnard hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
 
Starting pitcher Ryan Culley took a no-decision on Sunday, going 5.1 innings and allowing four runs on six hits while striking out three. Relievers Christian Watson and Logan Pillars pitched the final 2.2 innings of work.
 
Lincoln Land struck first in the bottom of the first when a two-out single scored a runner from second base, but the Cobras answered back in the second and fourth innings with runs ignited by first baseman Dan Warkentin. In the second, Warkentin scored the tying run on a wild pitch after a lead-off double. The right-handed batter returned to the box in the fourth, smacking a one-out triple in right center and scoring on a Trevor Minder sacrifice fly.
 
Parkland nabbed a potential tying run at the plate to end the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Loggers came back to tie the game in the fifth before taking a 4-2 lead on back-to-back solo home runs in the sixth.
 
The Cobras bounced back with a home run of their own in ensuing inning, as catcher Robert Barnard snuck a ball over the left-field fence for a game-tying, two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
 
After a Minder sliding catch in foul territory stranded a Logger at third in the seventh, the Cobras struck again in the eighth to retake the lead. Jeremiah Lebron worked a lead-off walk, and then Alex Steinbach hit a two-strike pitch off the wall in dead center to score Lebron.
 
Region 24 Tournament Results
 
Thursday, May 16^th
Game 1: 10:00 AM No. 1 Parkland 7, No. 8 Spoon River 4
Game 2: 1:00 PM No. 4 Lincoln Land 10, No. 5 Illinois Central 8
Game 3: 4:00 PM No. 2 Lewis & Clark 10, No. 7 Vincennes University 3
Game 4: 7:00 PM No. 6 Danville Area 11, No. 3 Heartland 8
 
Friday, May 17^th
Game 5: 10:00 AM No. 5 Illinois Central 9, No. 8 Spoon River 2
Game 6: 1:00 PM No. 3 Heartland 5, No. 8 Spoon River 2
Game 7: 4:00 PM No. 4 Lincoln Land 2, No. 1 Parkland 0 
Game 8: 7:00 PM No. 6 Danville Area 8, No. 2 Lewis & Clark 5
 
Saturday, May 18^th
Game 9: 10:00 AM No. 1 Parkland 6, No. 3 Heartland 3 
Game 10: 1:00 PM No. 2 Lewis & Clark 13, No. 5 Illinois Central 4
Game 11: 4:00 PM No. 4 Lincoln Land 10, No. 6 Danville Area 3 
Game 12: 7:00 PM No. 1 Parkland 6, No. 2 Lewis & Clark 3
 
Sunday, May 19^th
Game 13: 1:00 PM No. 1 Parkland 22, No. 6 Danville Area 4
Game 14: 4:00 PM No. 4 Lincoln Land 9, No. 1 Parkland 5