NORMAL, Ill. – The No. 17 ranked Parkland baseball team fell to No. 8 ranked Heartland Community College (33-13) on Friday, April 25. Parkland (26-16) battled in both games, but the Hawks pulled away late to secure two wins.
No. 8 Heartland Community College 13, No. 17 Parkland College 8
Heartland struck first in the bottom of the 1st, but a solo home run by
Alex Schimmel made it a 2-1 game. The Hawks extended the lead to 5-1 in the 4th, but the Cobras mounted a comeback in the 6th.
Mark Mennecke tripled to cut the deficit to 5-4, and
Jax Hisle drew a walk to tie the game 5-5.
Andrew Gallegos also walked, giving the Cobras the first lead of the game. However, a big 8th inning from the Hawks sealed the deal, and Heartland earned the 13-8 win.
Mark Mennecke finished with two hits and three RBI.
Andrew Gallegos drew three walks.
Alex McHale (1 BB, 0 K) took the loss, surrendering three hits and three runs in two innings.
No. 8 Heartland Community College 15, No. 17 Parkland College 8
The Hawks scored first again in the second game, but
Jax Hisle homered in the 4th inning to tie the game 2-2. Parkland then gained the momentum, getting the 8-5 lead when
Andrew Gallegos tripled in the 5th. Heartland responded quickly, however, and pulled ahead 13-8 after scoring eight runs in the bottom of the inning. The Hawks tacked on two more runs in the 6th, and the Cobras did not score again.
Mark Mennecke,
Andrew Gallegos, and
Matthew Carrano had two hits each for the Cobras.
Cody DelFavero (7 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) threw 4.1 innings and took the loss.
Up next, the Cobras play a home doubleheader against No. 8 Heartland Community College on Sunday, April 27. The first game is scheduled for 12:00 pm at the Parkland Baseball Field.
