One night after Perry’s Kyle Nevitt was handed a tough-luck loss in a 4-2 setback at Roland-Story Monday the same fate awaited Janier Puente Tuesday as North Polk escaped Progressive Field with a 1-0 victory.
Puente allowed one run on just two hits and three walks in six innings of work, striking out eight batters along the way.
Unfortunately for the Bluejay senior, he was out dueled by Comet southpaw Coltoen Parkins, as the hard-throwing sophomore fanned 11 batters and walked none while allowing just two hits. Parkins faced only one batter over the minimum in throwing a near-masterpiece.
Parkins reached on an error to open the top of the second inning, with courtesy runner Reid Summers stealing second base, but Puente gassed two batters and induced a ground out to end the threat.
Puente survived Colby Cupp single in the third with a ground out and dodged a lead-off walk in the fourth with a ground ball and strikeout to strand a runner at third base.
The Comets finally scratched across a run in the fifth, which began with Payton Johnson and Ryan Spalding drawing walks. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, with Cupp’s RBI ground out to Adan Medina at second base scoring Johnson.
Puente prevented further damage with a strikeout, then survived a two-out single with a fly out to end the sixth.
Parkins, in the meantime, was making sure the Perry bats would make little noise. He retired the first 12 batters he faced on eight strikeouts before Medina opened the Bluejay fifth with a double to left-center.
Medina was doubled-off second when Parkins made a leaping catch of a popped-up bunt, with a ground out ending the inning.
Johnson singled and Spalding walked to start the seventh against Medina, on in relief of Puente. A pop out kept the runners in place, with Cupp driving the ball deep into right-center.
Nevitt made a long run to track the ball down, then fired quickly back to shortstop Alexis Garrido at second base for a double-play to end the frame.
A single from Nevitt with one down in the seventh kept Perry’s hopes alive, but Parkins whiffed the final two batters he faced to seal the victory.
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Monday’s Game
ROLAND-STORY 4, PERRY 2
STORY CITY — Perry and Roland-Story played four scoreless innings before the Bluejays scored twice in the top of the fifth.
Kaleb Olejniczak walked and stole second to begin the surge, with walks to Nevitt and, after an out, to Medina loaded the bags. Brandon Kenyon drove in Olejniczak with a suicide squeeze bunt, with an error allowing Nevitt to score for a 2-0 lead.
Roland-Story countered with three runs on two walks and a hit in the bottom of the frame to seize a 3-2 lead, then added a final run in the sixth to insure the win.
Nevitt threw 4-2/3 frames of one-hit ball. He walked five batters and hit one with a pitch while 12 of the 14 outs recorded with the lefty on the mound coming via strikeout.
Garrido threw 1-1/3 innings of relief, allowing an unearned run on a hit and a walk. He recorded three strikeouts as the Perry defense was asked to assists on only 6-of-21 outs made by the hosts.
Kenyon was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice and three stolen bases, with Olejnicak stealing a base and recording a hit. Nevitt had a base hit and Medina a stolen base, with Olejniczak and Nevitt each scoring once.
Perry will host Norwalk tonight at Progressive Field in their final action of the first week of the season.
