Normal, Ill. - After having opened the Region Tournament with quite the slugfest, ICC baseball (23-33) was right back at the Corn Crib on Thursday to begin play in the winner's bracket. First up were the Parkland Cobras, a team that had won the regular season series 3-1. The Cougars didn't go down without a fight, certainly making it a competitive score by game's end, but were unable to withstand an early scoring run by the Cobras, falling 8-5. That shifted ICC into the consolation bracket, where the John Wood Blazers awaited them - a team that swept the Cougars in the regular season. Perhaps five was the magic number, as ICC would chip away towards a 7-5 win over the Blazers to eliminated John Wood from the tournament and advance ICC into the Region Final Four on Friday.

GAME 1 - PARKLAND 8, ICC COUGARS 5
ICC's bats were unable to find a rhythm early, and conversely, the Parkland bats capitalized and would lead 5-0 after four innings of play.

Alas, here come the Cougars. ICC would edge the Cobras 5-3 the rest of the way. That got going in the fifth when Zach Otten legged out an infield single that also scored Kaleb Gauf. 

After Nick Hainline and the Cougar defense held the Cobras 1-2-3 in their half of the fifth, ICC would get a little bit closer when Jackson Powell launched a solo home run to get within a 5-2 score.

In fact, the Cougars got as close as a singular run. Powell would continue his quality afternoon with an RBI double to score Beau Durbin. What followed was quite the series of events. With Gauf at the plate, the Parkland pitcher would balk, scoring Josh Heyder and advancing Powell to third. Although Gauf would be out on a dropped third strike, ICC was able to push across a run on that same play, with Powell crossing the plate and making it a 6-5 game in the eighth. 

The dagger would come from the Cobras by way of a two-run home run after a lengthy at-bat to set the 8-5 final score. The Cougars would get a Matt Evans single and Otten hit by pitch to put the game-tying run at the plate, but both runners would be stranded. 

GAME 2 - ICC COUGARS 7, JOHN WOOD 5
Regular season play matters, for sure, but what's also the case is how it isn't always representative of how a matchup pans out in postseason play. John Wood was in the other dugout. As mentioned, they had swept the Cougars 4-0 in regular season play, including 22 combined runs over the last two games. For starters, there wouldn't be 22 runs scored, and further, the Cougars would turn the page from those results.

Now, when a player has the power-hitting resume that Josh Heyder has accumulated this season, an intentional walk is a viable option. That's what would happen in the top of the second inning. However, it would spiral for the Blazers and be followed by Jackson Powell lining a two-run double to score both Heyder and Tyler Bishop to go ahead 2-0. 

At that point, a bit of a see-saw affair would ensue. After John Wood had tied the game back up at 2-2, ICC responded with yet another two-run inning. It would be déjà vu, as a Powell double would score two more. 

Defense kept any offensive success from happening for the next few innings, including some key throws from the Cougar outfield. Luke Doty and Matt Evans fired in throws from left and right field respectively to knock out John Wood runners at home to keep the game at 4-2 ICC. 

A Blazer run to make it a one-run game was short-lived, with the Cougars' base running giving them a 5-3 lead by way of Zach Otten hustling home on a passed ball. 

John Wood nearly pounced. A single and a walk put two runners on in the fifth, but Gavin Thompson would shut the door with a strikeout and hold onto the lead. The Blazers would, however, break through. An error would make it a 5-4 game. After drawing a pair of walks, John Wood would tie it up at 5-5 in the seventh on an RBI single. 

ICC would take the lead for good in the eighth on a Kaleb Gauf RBI double. It would be the bat of Gauf that sealed the deal with an RBI single and expand the lead to 7-5, which they would not surrender, with Carson Johnson limiting the Blazers to a scoreless bottom of the ninth. 

HE SAID IT - HEAD COACH BRETT KELLEY
"Great day today - we played two really great games and came out on the winning end of the second one. It's a great thing being able to play on May 19 in our region. We got some good pitching there at the end with Carson Johnson; he threw a lot of strikes and we made some good plays behind him, especially the two outfield assists from Doty and Evans to Powell. We also came up with some timely hits so now it's onto the Final Four tomorrow."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
A rematch is on the way. ICC will battle once again with Lincoln Land after having defeated the Loggers in the first round 12-10. The game is set for a 3:00 PM first pitch from the Corn Crib on Friday on Hawks All-Access.