EAST PEORIA, Ill. – No. 15 Parkland College Baseball (24-9, 15-3 MWAC) won game one, 13-3, and then dropped game two, 6-9, in the first half of a four-game, conference series with Illinois Central College (16-21, 10-12).
 
Up next, the Cobras will be in Champaign, Ill., to play games three and four of the 4-game series with Illinois Central on Sunday, April 25. The first pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
 
 
Game 1: No. 15 Parkland- 13,  Illinois College- 3 (6 innings) 
 
Parkland scored four in the top of the first, after singles by Austin Biehl (2-5, 2B, 4 RBI) and Nick Gregory and RBI-doubles from both Cole Evans and Nicholas Fazzari (3-3, 2 RBI), and maintained a slim 4-3 after three innings.
 
The Cobras added one in the fourth, and a Biehl 3-run double sparked a four-run fifth, leading to an 9-3 lead. In the sixth, Cole Jones (2-4, HR, 4 RBI) hit a grand slam, closing out the scoring.
 
Paxton Thompson (6-1) pitched six innings for Parkland, earning the complete-game win. He allowed 6 hits and 5 walks, striking out 8.
 
 
Game 2: No. 15 Parkland- 6,  Illinois College- 9 (7 innings) 
 
Parkland scored two in the second, when Brant Vanaman doubled and was knocked in by a Cole Evans (2-3) single, and then Evans later scored on a Cougars error. Illinois College answered in the bottom half with three of their own, on a double and three singles, and their 3-2 lead held through four innings.
 
A four-run fifth inning by the Cougars extended their lead to 7-2.
 
In the sixth, a Zyon Avery 2-run homer closed the gap to three, but Illinois College matched the two runs in the bottom half on its own home run.
 
The Cobras needed five runs in the seventh to extend the game, but managed only two.
 
Jay Schueler (3-2) pitched four-and-a-third innings, allowing 7 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 7. He took the loss. Reece Rodabaugh (1.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 Ks, 3 H) provided relief from the bullpen.