Missy Parkin Reigns After First Night of PBA King of the Lanes Empress Edition by Pabst Blue Ribbon

Defeats two-time Empress Daria Pajak to take the crown into action tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET on FS1

JUNE 16, 2021 JEF GOODGER

Portland, Maine—Missy Parkin claimed the title of Empress of the Lanes when she defeated Daria Pajak, 209-193, to take the crown into the final two telecasts of the PBA King of the Lanes: Empress Edition presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon, which will air live tonight on Fox Sports’ FS1 beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Parkin won her contenders match against Diana Zavjalova in the third telecast of the evening to earn a match with Pajak, who had already won and successfully defended the Empress title in the first two telecasts.

“My ball, especially on the left lane, was starting to burn up a little bit,” said Parkin of her win over Zavjalova. “Between games, I decided to switch balls. I used a stronger asymmetrical ball on the left lane and a stronger symmetrical ball on the right lane, and it worked out really well.”

Parkin, the 2011 USBC Queens champion, looked like she might be in trouble against Pajak, but Parkin converted a 3-6-7-9-10 split in the fifth frame to shift the momentum in the match.

“I like picking up splits,” said Parkin. “I just told myself to make the right move and make a good shot. That’s what I did and luckily all the pins fell down.”

After the split conversion, Parkin struck on five of her last seven shots to clinch the victory.

Pajak opened the King of the Lanes: Empress Edition series by winning a contenders match over Clara Guerrero, then beating inaugural Empress Kelly Kulick to earn the crown. Pajak then defended the title with a win over Danielle McEwan in the second telecast, keeping Pajak on the throne until falling to Parkin. In total, Pajak earned $25,000 for her three-telecast run, picking up $10,000 for each win and $5,000 for her loss to Parkin.

Reigning as the Empress after three telecasts, Parkin will have up to two more chances to defend her crown. She’ll face the winner of Liz Johnson and Ashly Galante, who will be bowling in the contenders match tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

“I’m going to keep an open mind,” said Parkin. “The lanes transitioned pretty quickly, so I’m going to stay on top of that. The games I got tonight definitely gave me some great information for tomorrow.”

Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.

PBA KING OF THE LANES: EMPRESS EDITION PRESENTED BY PABST BLUE RIBBON RESULTS

Tuesday, June 15 – 8-9 p.m. ET on FS1
Daria Pajak def. Clara Guerrero (earns $3,000), 245-219
Daria Pajak ($10,000) def. Kelly Kulick ($5,000), 203-187, Pajak becomes the new Empress

Tuesday, June 15 – 9-10 p.m. ET on FS1
Danielle McEwan def. Maria José Rodriguez ($3,000), 235-204
Daria Pajak ($10,000) def. Danielle McEwan ($5,000), 214-213, Pajak remains Empress

Tuesday, June 15 – 10-11 p.m. ET on FS1
Missy Parkin def. Diana Zavjalova ($3,000), 207-152
Missy Parkin ($10,000) def. Daria Pajak ($5,000), 209-193, Parkin becomes the new Empress