Champaign, IL - The Illinois Central College Baseball team (14-37, 9-21) got its final regular season MWAC series underway on Friday by traveling down to Champaign to take on the Parkland Cobras (30-17, 17-11) in the first two of their four-game set. Alas, the Cobras would take both, winning the opener 6-3 thanks to an early start and 10-3 in the nightcap thanks to a flurry of runs in the first two innings. 

GAME ONE | PARKLAND 6, ILLINOIS CENTRAL 3
The Cougars were unable to find the hit column within the first two innings, and in that same span of time, Parkland was able to take a 3-0 lead on an RBI groundout and 2-RBI single. Kaiden Lucero got a single in the top of the third, but was retired stretching it to a double. 

Meanwhile, the Cobras scored twice more in the fifth before ICC got back in the hit column on a leadoff single from Elliot Seckman in the sixth, but no runs came of it. 

After holding Parkland scoreless in the sixth, the Cougars made their best push of the game, with a Jayden Malone double and Chris Casey single putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Malone would score on a passed ball, soon followed by Kyle Binder drawing an RBI sacrifice fly to score Casey and pull within four runs. 

Another scoreless frame for the hosts in the bottom of the seventh set the table for the Cougars in the eighth, when a Thomas Krueger leadoff single led to an RBI hit for Casey (single) to cut it to 6-3, but no more scoring was to be had. 

ICC got the Cobras to go 1-2-3 in the eighth thanks to a double play from Ryan Brucker to Nate Bartman to Jake Stewart. In the ninth, Kyle Binder singled and Seckman walked, putting the game-tying run at the plate, but it would be a double play and strikeout that ended the game. 

COUGAR HITTING
Kaiden Lucero | 1 single, 1 hit by pitch
Thomas Krueger | 1 single
Ryan Brucker | 1 walk
Jayden Malone | 1 double
Chris Casey | 2 singles, 1 RBI
Kyle Binder | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Elliot Seckman | 1 single, 3 walks, 1 stolen base
Nate Bartman | 1 hit by pitch

COUGAR PITCHING
Caleb Bieneman (L) | 3 innings, 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts
Broker Bailey | 2 innings, 1 hit, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
Caleb Diver | 3 innings, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

GAME TWO | PARKLAND 10, ILLINOIS CENTRAL 3
In the final game of the day, the Cougars found themselves behind the eight ball early. ICC did score first thanks to Chris Casey scoring on an error, but eight unanswered runs by the Cobras would follow over the next two innings to take control at an 8-1 clip. 

The Cougars would have their best inning of the game in the top of the third, and after a Casey double, Blake Norton jumped on an 0-2 pitch and sent it over the left field fence to pull within an 8-3 score. 

Unfortunately, the Cougars couldn't muster much further stranding a fifth inning single for their lone hit the rest of the way. Parkland would add on two more in the fifth inning to set the final score. 

COUGAR HITTING
Jace Easley | 2 singles
Chris Casey | 1 double
Blake Norton | 1 home run, 2 RBI, 1 walk
David Ripke | 1 double

COUGAR PITCHING
Kaiser Quick | 1 inning, 4 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
Logan Justus | 3 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Finn Heath | 2 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
vs. Parkland Cobras (30-17, 17-11)
Saturday, May 3rd - 12:00 PM (DH)
at Thome Field - East Peoria, IL