NORMAL, Ill. – The No. 2 seed Parkland College Baseball team dropped its final game of the season to No. 3 seed Lincoln Land Community College 21-8 in the Central District Championship consolation bracket on Friday, May 19th. The Cobras (46-14) took an early lead over the Loggers (37-22) with home runs from catcher Charlie Marisca, third baseman Austin Gomm, and left fielder Chase Becker, but it was not enough as Lincoln Land rallied late to knock Parkland out.

"This group bought in from day one," Parkland head coach Anthony Silkwood said after the season-ending loss. "They accomplished some things that had not been done in many years, and they set the tone for the future."

"Each and every one of them I would do anything for," Silkwood continued. "They are great kids, good ball players, and now, for many of them, I get to be a fan of for the rest of their careers, on and off the field."

"I also want to shoutout my assistants: Zach Pych and Deacon Letner," Silkwood added, "They truly were so versatile, and this season would not have been possible without them."

No. 3 Lincoln Land Community College 21, No. 2 Parkland College 8

The Cobras struck first, taking the lead on a Charlie Marisca 3-run home run in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and Austin Gomm launched his 20th homer of the season later in the inning to put Parkland up 4-0. Freshman Chase Becker extended the lead with a solo home run of his own in the 3rd, but the Loggers cut the score to 5-4 in the 4th.

Becker scored again on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the 5th to make it 6-4, but Lincoln Land responded with another four-run rally in the 6th to take an 8-5 lead. The Loggers stayed hot in the 7th, scoring another five runs, and the Cobras trailed 13-8 heading into the 8th after a Tyler Herron RBI single. Lincoln Land added eight runs in the top of the 8th to take a commanding lead, and Parkland could not undo the damage, falling 21-8 in the consolation final.

Starting pitcher Brenden Katz (4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) faced 21 batters, striking out two in his third start. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Waldridge (1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) relieved Katz in the 5th, and freshman Drew Evans (1-2) was credited with the loss on Friday night. Freshmen Sebastian Gutierrez, Sam Bryan, and Hunter Pudlo all made appearances in relief.

"This group changed the program," Silkwood stated when asked what he would remember about this season. "We were in a drought for a little bit. We did a lot of things for the first time in a while this season. We broke a lot of records."

"This group was an absolute blast…" Silkwood trailed off. "I don't know what else to say."