The No. 9 seed Parkway Panthers defeated No. 24 Chalmette 3-0 in the first game of their best-of-3 non-select Division I playoff series Friday night at Ronnie Coker Field.
Game 2 is set for 11 a.m Saturday. If Chalmette wins, Game 3 will be played at 2.
Parkway improved to 22-8. Chalmette dropped to 18-12.
The opener of No. 23 Haughton’s first-round home series against No. 23 Covington was postponed because of poor field conditions resulting from Thursday night’s heavy rain.
The Bucs (22-11) and Lions (24-9) will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1. Game 3, if necessary, will be Sunday at 3 at Haughton.
Benton (20-15), the No. 20 seed, can wrap up its first-round series against No. 13 Natchitoches Central (24-10) with a victory Saturday at 1 in Natchitoches. If the Chiefs win, Game 3 will immediately follow.
At Parkway, the Panthers capitalized on Chalmette mistakes and got a solid performance on the mound from Shawn Driggers.
Parkway scored one in the first, one in the third and one in the fifth.
In the first, Trenton Lape doubled with two outs, advanced to third on an error and scored on a balk.
In the third, leadoff batted Zachary Clute reached on an error, advanced to second on a balk and scored on a single by Lape.
In the fifth, leadoff batter Ashton Martin attempted a bunt and the result was a three-base error. Driggers then brought him home with a single.
Driggers pitched a complete game. He scattered seven hits, struck out five and walked only one.
Lape went 2-for-3. Zach Schoenborn and Barrett Newman also had hits.
Chalmette’s Bryce Wilson allowed five hits, struck out six and walked two.
Evan Jacob and Allen Duvio had two hits each.
Three of Chalmette’s hits came in the top of the second.
The Owls loaded the bases with one out. But Driggers got a strikeout and induced a flyout to end the threat.
Chalmette left eight on base, but only one Owl advanced past first other than in the second.
