Parden tosses second no-hitter as Jags clinch 1st round bye

Freshman right-hander Lyndsey Parden pitched her second no-hitter of the season on Saturday, April 13, as Georgia Perimeter College swept a doubleheader 2-1 and 2-0 over East Georgia State College.

Parden (9-4) struck out eight batters and issued two walks in blanking the Bobcats for her fourth shutout of the season. She faced only three over the minimum—East’s Laura Cardell reached on an error in the fourth inning.

“Lindsey was spot-on with her location,” said GPC head coach Ken Deyton. “Out of the whole day she missed her spot on only seven or eight pitches.”

The victories clinched at least second place in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association for the Jaguars and potentially set the stage for a showdown with perennial rival Darton State College next Saturday.

If Darton, which swept Abraham Baldwin Saturday, wins two games at Georgia Military Tuesday, the Cavaliers will visit Jaguar Field on April 20 with first place on the line. GPC, 17-13 overall, leads the conference with a 12-2 record. Darton, ranked No. 19 in the nation, sits in second place at 9-3, 28-12 overall.

Third-place Middle Georgia sports an 8-4 league record, but if the Knights win their final four outings and the Jaguars finish with four losses, GPC wins the second-seed tie breaker via its two wins over Middle earlier this month.

The top two teams in the final conference standings draw coveted byes in the first round of the conference tournament on April 25 at Strong Rock Christian Academy in Locust Grove.

Parden’s other no-no came on March 1 when she struck out 15 en route to a 4-0 win over Calhoun Community College. 

GPC gave Parden the only run she needed in the first inning Saturday. Maddie Case led off with a bunt single, Sam Maycock walked, both advanced on a passed ball and Case scampered home on a single by Maegan Coddington.

After Abby Hulsey reached on a fielder’s choice in the third inning, Maycock socked a two-out double to the right-center wall, and Hulsey raced home from first base for the insurance run.

Bobcat right-hander Mallory Riner scattered eight hits, and Savannah Cook was the only Jaguar with two, including a double, as. The Jags’ designated player, Barbara Rego, swiped her 29th base, putting her at the top of the conference in stolen bases.

Parden sat the Bobcats down in order in every inning but the fourth. East’s Cardell led off and reached first on a bobbled grounder, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and stole third base.

With two outs, Parden issued two bases on balls to load the bases, but she induced a fly-out to Hulsey in right to snuff the threat.

In the first game, Jenna Carr (7-6) pitched her own gem, allowing four hits and a walk while fanning five. She benefited from two runs in the third inning, when the Jaguars stranded three base runners, but two was all Carr needed.

Case smacked a one-out double to start the rally, and Maegan Coddington plated her with a bases-loaded single, her second hit of the game. Maycock, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored the eventual game-winning run on an error.

East Georgia (22-1, 7-5) answered the next inning when Nikki Sims got a base hit and Balie Willis belted an RBI double. But Carr ended the rally by whiffing Molly Lillis, who had doubled in her first at-bat.

Brittany Middleton took the loss for East but she limited GPC to five hits and gave up no walks.