Prep softball: Parkes’ four-hit shutout leads Poway High past Westview
By Michael Bower
Freshman Brianna Parkes had no idea she would be playing such a huge role for the Poway High softball team this season. But there she was Friday afternoon, starting the Titans’ second Palomar League game in the circle.
And she certainly did not disappoint.
The right-hander started slow but calmed down to retire 16 in a row at one point, finishing with a four-hit shutout in Poway’s 3-0 victory over visiting Westview.
It was a much-needed win for the defending league champions, as the Titans lost the league opener to Mt. Carmel on Wednesday and are slated to play at Torrey Pines Saturday. The Falcons, which entered the week ranked No. 15 in the state, fell to Mt. Carmel Friday 2-1.
“It was a huge game,” said Parkes, who did not allow a runner in the third through sixth innings. “We lost to Mt. Carmel and we have Torrey Pines tomorrow. We needed to come out and have a good game. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum for (Saturday’s) game.”
The Titans (12-6, 1-1 Palomar League) had momentum early on at the plate, but failed to deliver the big hit to push any runs across. Poway loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning and failed to score and then loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning and couldn’t push a run across.
“All you can do is just keep giving yourself chances,” Poway coach Jim Bennet said. “It is frustrating when you don’t cash in early, but you have to keep getting chances and we did that. We stayed at it.”
The Titans finally broke through for two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kristen Shiotani smacked a two-out, RBI triple to score Ashley Johnson, who had an infield single to start the inning. Kathryn Duran’s groundball to short was mishandled, allowing Shiotani to score to make it 2-0 Poway.
The Titans got a third run in the fifth inning on a perfectly-executed squeeze play by Catherine Seitz. The freshman put down the bunt a few feet in front of home plate, allowing Johnson to race home from third to make it 3-0.
Three runs were plenty for Parkes, who finished with five strikeouts. She nailed down the victory by striking out Westview’s Brianna Sanders in a 12-pitch at-bat with runners on first and second base.
“It was a tough start,” Parkes said. “But I just made myself focus more and I moved the ball around a little more and it worked.”
Johnson finished the game 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Duran was 2-for-4 with a double. Shiotani chipped in with two hits and the RBI for the Titans. Westview falls to 13-5 overall and 0-2 in league play.
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Posted by Michael Bower
on Apr 20 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
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