NORMAL, Ill. - The NJCAA Region 24 Baseball Tournament kicked-off on Thursday at the Corn Crib in Normal. Day 1 saw Parkland College, Lincoln Land Community College, Lewis & Clark Community College, and Danville Area Community College take wins while Spoon River College, Illinois Central College, Vincennes University, and Heartland Community College all recorded losses. 

Game 1 | Box Score
#1 Parkland College (W) - 7
#8 Spoon River College (L) - 4

Parkland's Keegan McHood took the mound for the Cobras in their first game of the tournament, throwing a complete 9.0 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out nine. 

Spoon River's Clay Schroeder threw 7.1 innings for the snappers, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out 11 before James Shaw came in for relief. Shaw pitched 1.1 innings, allowing five runs on three hits with a strikeout. 

A pitchers' duel, the first game of the tournament remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth inning when Parkland scored three to take the lead going into the top of the ninth inning. It was in the top of the ninth that Spoon River scored four of their own to have the lead heading into the bottom of the ninth to close out the game. Parkland would go on to tie the game up, bringing Jeremiah Lebron to the plate with two outs. Lebron would hit a walk-off three run homerun to end the game and advance the Cobras into the second round of the winner's bracket. 

Game 2 | Box Score
#4 Lincoln Land Community College (W) - 10
#5 Illinois Central College (L) - 8

Lincoln Land's Adam Deal started on the mound for the Loggers, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out 10 of the 30 batters he faced. 

Illinois Central College would pitch Brandon Bickers to start the game, but after allowing four runs on four hits in the first inning, Logan Peterson, Owen martin, Lucas Ketcham and Noah Fischer would all see playing time on the mound for the Cougars.

Lincoln Land dominated the first six innings of the game, leading 9-1 going into the seventh inning. Late in the game was when the Cougars would find themselves contending for the lead, scoring a total of seven runs in the last three innings of the game. Vinnie Massaglia lead the charge on offense for Illinois Central College with a homerun and three RBIs on the day but it wouldn't be enough to catch up with the Loggers, who had two players with three RBIs a piece in Bryce Torricelli and Jonathan Walder. 

Game 3 | Box Score
#2 Lewis & Clark Community College (W) - 10
#7 Vincennes University (L) - 3

Quinton Kujawa got the start for Lewis & Clark and threw a complete 9.0 inning game, allowing three runs on seven hits, recording eight strikeouts in the outing. 

Vincenne's Nate Toone threw 4.1  innings for the Trailblazers, allowing six runs on seven hits before Luke Lancaster, Jacob Cochrum, and Austin Walden would be utilized for relief. 

After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, Lewis & Clark answered immediately in the bottom of the first scoring four of their own to take a three run lead that they would hold until the fourth inning. Vincennes cut the lead to two, scoring one in the top of the fourth, but an inning later the Trailblazers from Lewis & Clark would drive in three, going ahead 7-2 after five. Lewis & Clark would score a run in each of the last three innings, allowing one run to score for Vincennes in the seventh, ending the game with a 10-3 score. 

Vincennes' Max Flock recorded a homerun, and Walker Paris lead the team with two RBIs. Lewis & Clark's Chris Iazzetta hit a homerun and posted three RBIs on the day. 

Game 4 | Box Score
#3 Heartland Community College (L) - 11
#6 Danville Area Community College (W) - 8

Clifton Slagel started the game on the mound for the Hawks, allowing eight runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Johnathan Burkhart would come in for Slagel in the fifth inning and allowed three runs on five hits before Tyler Willman would be called in to close out the game. 

Danville would utilize three pitchers, as well, starting Brody Ulrey who threw 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Justin Wilson would come in for the Jaguars in the fourth inning, allowing two runs on three hits in 3.0 innings pitched. Mitchell Fowler would close out the game for Danville, throwing 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. 

There was only one inning that didn't see a run score for either team in the final game of the first day of the NJCAA Region 24 Baseball Tournament. The Hawks were the first on the board, scoring two in the bottom of the first inning. This would be the only time the Hawks would have the lead in the game, as Danville would quickly retaliate a half inning later scoring two of their own to tie the game at two after two innings of play. Three more runs would score for the Jaguars in the third inning, who would lead 5-2 going into the fourth inning. Heartland would cut the deficit to one run in the fourth, scoring two in the bottom half of the inning. The top of the fifth saw Danville separate from the Hawks, adding five more runs to their lead, going ahead by six going into the bottom half of the fifth inning. Heartland would score two in the bottom of the fifth, and another run in the eighth and the ninth innings, but it wouldn't be enough to catch up with the Jaguars from Danville. 

Heartland's Peyton Dillingham and Shakur Jackson would both post homeruns and record three RBIs each. Danville's Noah Nelson, Andy Bunton, and Devante Hicks would have a multi-RBI game. 

The NJCAA Region 24 Baseball Tournament continues on Friday, May 17th at the Corn Crib in Normal, Illinois. Admission to the tournament is $5. 

For the full tournament schedule, updated bracket, and live stream information, visit heartlandhawks.com/feature/region24tournament.