ROCKINGHAM — Stepping up big in a pressure situation against a rival team, junior infielder Makayla Parks has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by HWY 55.
In a walk-off win over Scotland High School last Friday, Parks erased a one-run deficit to help collect a pivotal victory on senior night.
Hitting her fifth homer of the season, and help create momentum heading into the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament, this is Parks’ first career selection,
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: March 2, 2005
Year: Junior
Spring Sport: Softball
Position: First Base
Years on Varsity: 1 year
Experience: 10 years
“WALK-OFF” WITH MAKAYLA PARKS
New to the Lady Raiders this season after transferring from Marlboro Academy, Parks has been a powerful bat in the third spot of Richmond’s lineup.
Entering last Friday’s game against conference-winner Scotland, the Lady Raiders were trying to even the season series with their rivals.
The game turned into a classic battle between pitchers Quston Leviner and Avery Stutts, which saw them combine for just eight hits in the game and strand a total of nine runners on base.
Six innings of scoreless softball by both teams led to the seventh inning, when Scotland used a single and an error to take a 1-0 lead in the top half.
In the bottom of the frame, with one out, senior teammate Kenleigh Frye hit a double to the right field corner to put the tying run on second.
On a 1-0 offering from Stutts in the next at-bat, Parks sent the home fans into a frenzy when she lasered a walk-off two-run shot over the left-center fence.
Through 18 games this spring, Parks is the Lady Raiders’ RBI leader with 26 and is also batting .333 at the plate.
Her five homers are second on the team to Frye (6), she’s scored 24 runs and has recorded 17 hits, including 10 for extra-bases.
Richmond (14-4, 10-3 SAC) will play for the SAC tournament championship on Thursday. The opponent, location and time are to be determined at the time of publication.
Junior Makayla Parks crosses home plate after hitting her walk-off home run in a win over rival Scotland. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
RAPID RESPONSES WITH MAKAYLA PARKS
ROSports: What was that moment like hitting the walk-off home run against Scotland, especially to help the team get ready for the conference tournament?
Parks: “(Stutts) was pitching outside, so I got on the plate in my last at-bat. She missed her spot and the pitch was down the middle so I just swung at it. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, I just wanted to score Kenleigh from second and tie the game.
“After I hit it, I was really excited. This is something I’ve dreamed about, having the chance to walk it off in the bottom of seventh. That win helped create a lot of momentum for us and we’re a really competitive team. We knew if we could keep our energy up, we’d be able to win games.”
ROSports: What will it take for the Lady Raiders to win the SAC tournament championship on Thursday and do well in the playoffs?
Parks: “We’re going to have to compete and play really good defense like we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks. Offensively, the runs will come. We have a lot of big sticks in the lineup that can produce.
“We’re taking things one game at a time and trying to win the conference tournament before we focus on the playoffs.”
ROSports: What has been the best part of your first season as a member of the Richmond softball team?
Parks: “When I first got here, I was extremely nervous. I didn’t know how I’d fit in with the team. The first people I met were Kenleigh and Allyiah (Swiney) and we really bonded from there.
“The chemistry on this team is the best I’ve ever played with. Our friendships are so strong and it’s been fun to win a lot of games. This has been my favorite year of playing softball.”
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Richmond County Athletes of the Week next week.
