Crowell leads Parkway past Perry

WAPAKONETA - Megan Patton was good, Emily Crowell was just a bit better.

The end result was a quick-paced pitchers duel but a second straight district title for Parkway's softball team.

Patton, pitching for Perry, and Crowell, throwing for Parkway, locked horns for seven innings before the Panthers came away with a 2-0 victory in a Division IV district championship game at Wapakoneta on Thursday.

Parkway will play in the regional semifinals at Huber Heights on Wednesday to take on the winner of the Southeastern/Twin Valley South game, which will be played Saturday.

Patton allowed just five hits, one earned run, one walk and struck out 12 batters while her defense committed two errors.

Crowell, meanwhile, pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, walked one, hit one batter and allowed only two balls to leave the infield.

"I thought both pitchers were mirror images of each other," Perry coach Paul Patton said. "Crowell is a nice pitcher, very nice.

"We thought we'd hit the ball a little better. We just couldn't lay off the rise ball. We're young. We're inexperienced and that had a lot to do with it."

Parkway coach Mark Esselstein said his team did plenty of chasing at the plate also.

"Patton did a good job," he said. "She was throwing high and we chased. Once we starting picking out balls down in the zone we made contact."

Parkway got its first hit in the top of the fourth when Hannah Beougher blooped a double to shallow left. She then scored when Crowell dropped down a bunt, which was mishandled and allowed Beougher to come home for a 1-0 lead.

"Hannah got us started and Emily's bunt was perfect for the defense they were playing," Esselstein said. "It put some pressure on them and it's always a relief to get the first score."

Morgan Cron ledoff the sixth with a single and later scored when Katlyn Smith flied out in foul territory in right field.

Crowell faced the minimum number of batters through six innings, 18, before Perry made a last stand in the seventh. Brittany Triplett reached first after getting hit and Patton walked. Two outs later, each runner moved up a base on a double-steal.

However, Crowell struck out the following batter to end the game.

"I thought we did well, it was the only inning we were patient," Paul Patton said. "We caught them flat-footed when we stole second and third.

"It's hard to hold a good team down. They're experienced and we're not that experienced. We've got a lot of sophomores, so we'll be back."

Perry graduates just one senior, Sarah Ewing. One of those sophomores is Patton, who turned in a strong regular and postseason.

"She broke her finger (during the preseason) and it bothered her all year," Paul Patton said. "The last couple of weeks she really got back to where she was last year. She was able to control the ball more."