Senior pitcher Emma Olejniczak started her final prep season on the rubber the way her junior campaign ended — by setting down opponents on strikes.
Olejniczak scattered three hits and a walk while striking out 15 as Perry claimed a 2-0 win over visiting Des Moines Christian Monday.
The Jayettes received all the offense they would need when Jo Diw led off the bottom of the third with a line-drive home run to left-center, a missile that never rose higher than the top of scoreboard as it screamed over the fence.
Perry added an insurance run in the fifth, with a one-out single from Alyssa Kruger starting the rally. Grace Stewart came on as a pinch-runner and moved up a base on a ground out before scoring when Olejniczak sent a double to the fence in right-center.
The hosts had eight hits in the game — Rachel Kinney and Kruger each had two singles, with Maddie West adding a double and T.J. Sheehy a single to those already mentioned — and had West reach on an error and Gabby West with a walk but stranded nine runners on base.
Olejniczak worked around a one-out error in the first by striking out the side, then turned a double play by snagging a line drive back to the ring and firing to Maddie West at first base to double-off Katie Schmidt, who had singled.
The Lions received a two-out single from Rose VanderLinden, with Alayna Bakke reaching on an error to threaten in the sixth, but a strikeout ended the danger. A strikeout started the top of the seventh before Beth Zimmer doubled and Schmidt walked to put the tying run aboard, but Olejniczak struck out the final two batters to end the contest.
The game had started early in an attempt to dodge inclement weather, but a 30-minute delay at 7:11 p.m. — with one out in the top of the second — pushed the game nearly back onto the normal time slot.
Perry visits North Polk tonight and Winterset Wednesday before returning home Friday to entertain Norwalk.
