Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORMAL, Ill. – The No. 14 Parkland College Baseball team dropped two games against No. 5 Heartland Community College to come up short in the NJCAA Division II Central District Championship on Saturday, May 18th. The Cobras (42-15) dropped the first game 3-0 to the Hawks (43-16) as the tournament hosts forced a rematch to decide the title. In the second game, Parkland surrendered a late lead in the 9th and suffered a heartbreaking 8-7 loss in 10 innings to the reigning national champions.
 
Up next, Parkland will await the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series Selection Show to see if they earn one of the two at-large bids. The bracket and the seeds for the NJCAA World Series will be announced on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday, May 21st, at 10:00 a.m.
 
Game 1: No. 5 Heartland Community College 3, No. 14 Parkland College 0
 
Both defenses started the day strong in a fast, low-scoring rematch of yesterday's semifinal game. The Hawks took the lead in the top of the 2nd inning and added to it with a run in the 4th to go up 2-0. Heartland drove in one more run in the 6th, outhitting Parkland 12-5 in a 3-0 win in game one.
 
Starting pitcher Gavin Parkerson (5-4) suffered the loss despite a strong, five-inning outing, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out seven batters. Sophomore John Cederberg (4.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 K) entered the game in the 6th, allowing one unearned run in his 16th appearance of the season.
 
Game 2: No. 5 Heartland Community College 8, No. 14 Parkland College 7 (10 innings)
 
The Cobras fell behind 1-0 in the 1st inning but tied the game back up in the top of the 2nd on a Ryan Snell (2-5, 2 RBI, SB) RBI single back up the middle. Parkland took its first lead of the day in the 3rd when Adison Worthman (2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R, BB) lifted an RBI double to center field, and Jacob Filip (2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB) brought Worthman home with a single to left in the ensuing at bat. Snell lined his second RBI single of the day later in the 3rd to put the Cobras up 4-1, but the Hawks got one back in the bottom half to cut the lead to two.
 
Freshman Will Applegate grounded an RBI single past the third baseman to score Scott Newman (R, SB) in the next inning, but Heartland countered again with a run in the bottom of the 4th, and the Hawks drove in two in the 5th to tie the game at 5-5 heading into the 6th inning. Both offenses went cold until Applegate (2-5, HR, 3 RBI, R, SB) powered Parkland ahead 7-5 with a clutch 2-run home run in the top of the 9th. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Heartland answered with a 2-RBI double to tie the game and force extra innings – and the Hawks loaded the bases in the 10th inning before grounding a walk-off RBI single up the middle to hand the Cobras a potentially season-ending 8-7 loss.
 
Freshman Alex McHale (4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, 2 BB) got the start on Saturday afternoon, his fourth of the season, allowing just two earned runs on four hits and two walks in four innings. Sophomore relievers Hunter Pudlo (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, BB) and Freddie Elftmann (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K, BB) made solid appearances in the 5th and 6th, and freshman Lane Lorton (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER) closed out the 7th. Closer Mike Boyce (2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K, BB) threw 47 pitches in the 8th and 9th innings, and freshman Cale Coursey (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season with his appearance in the 10th.