Parker breaks out of slump at the right time

TUSCALOOSA | There were moments when Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy wondered if his junior All-American, Lauren Parker, would return to form after a nagging left shoulder injury that hampered her late in the season.

Entering Saturday’s Championship Round in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, Parker was mired in a 0-16 slump.

Murphy doesn’t have to wonder anymore.

Parker showed what made her a first-team All-American as a sophomore when she blasted a first-pitch, two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Crimson Tide a lead in would not relinquish.

“I just tried to focus on letting it happen and patience.” Parker said of her 2-for-3 performance at the plate.

“It was just a matter of time before I felt right, and I still don’t feel like I’m quite there yet.”

That’s a scary proposition for Tide opponents.

Batting seventh, Parker started an Alabama home run derby, with the Tide hitting back-to-back-to-back homers. After the dust settled, UA turned a one-run deficit into a 4-1 advantage.

Jacksonville State coach Jana McGinnis said she knew Parker was injured but that Gamecock pitcher Ashley Eliasson was still trying to pitch her on the corners.

“We were trying to go at her carefully,” McGinnis said. “We know she’s hurt us in times past. We know what a good player she is. It seems like every time we play her she has a home run.

“We were just trying to keep a good mix and hopefully get her back on her heels.”

After lining out to the pitcher in her first plate appearance, Parker said she recognized that Eliasson was pitching her outside and down.

“I knew she was trying to throw a drop in,” Parker said. “That’s kind of what I was looking for. So when she threw the pitch I was kind of like, ‘This is the one I want.’”

As she was rounding the bases she said she almost cried. When Holcombe and Larsen both followed with home runs she said she shed a tear in the dugout.

Murphy said it is the best Parker’s looked since last year.

“[Tonight] really looked like the old swing,” Murphy said. “I think the rest helped. Credit her for all the rehab. She looked as on as she has in a long time.”

Murphy said Parker’s status was “truly up in the air” as the postseason began.

“We decided four weeks ago we were going to shelve her in the hopes she would be able to hit this tournament and the one next week,” Murphy said. “I know she’s probably upset with me for not playing her. But it worked great tonight. It paid off.”

Parker’s return gives the UA a boost and shows that any spot in the lineup can produce runs, as evidenced by the Tide’s three consecutive home runs.

Alabama will host an NCAA Super Regional and Parker is just excited that she is a part of it.

“In my mind I knew I had a shot at coming back, but I didn’t really know,” she said.

Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron.suttles@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0229.