Parker dominates as Pocola hits 11-0

Pocola’s softball team extended its unbeaten start by taking down two district opponents with major help from the bat and arm of Allyssa Parker.

Pocola (11-0, 6-0 District 2A-6) won 11-1 at home against ChouteauMazie on Tuesday as Parker hit a pair of tworun home runs and threw nine strikeouts in five innings.

“It’s been a long week, going Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. She didn’t have her best stuff, the infield didn’t make plays behind her in that [fourth] inning, but she pitched great,” Pocola head coach Eddie Combs said of the sophomore, who threw 31 strikeouts in 31 innings across six games in six days.

Parker held C-M to two hits and two walks and didn’t allow the girls in yellow and blue to hit the ball in the air.

She mixed up her typical slow, arcing changeup with a faster one to fool batters for strikeouts.

In the first inning, she hit a two-run shot over the left-field wall. Maci Maxwell and Kylee Merritt drove in runs to make it 4-0.

Bailey Lairamore hit a two-run home run over the wall in straightaway centerfield in the bottom of the third for a 6-0 lead.

After C-M scored in the top of the fourth, Merritt and Lety Parga hit backto-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the fifth.

After a run-scoring double by Smith, Parker ended the game in the sixth by pulling the ball for another home run over the left-field wall.

Parker, who went 3-for4, has five home runs thus far this season.

Lairamore went 3-for3. Merrit, Smith and Presleigh Riggs each had two hits, with Merritt driving in two runs and Smith producing one.

Pocola earned its first early-week win 5-2 on Monday at Oktaha.

Parker hit a two-run home run in the first inning. In the pitching circle, Parker threw five strikeouts while allowing five hits and a walk.

Kylee Smith walked twice. Merritt went 2-for3 with a run batted in.

With Howe’s loss to Oktaha on Tuesday, Pocola and Panama (3-2, 1-0 district) are the only 2A-6 teams yet to take a district loss.