Fourth-ranked Winterset slowly chipped away Monday to record a 4-0 win over No. 7 Perry in a Raccoon River Conference contest that could have playoff position repercussions.
As of the June 15 rankings, Ballard (3rd), Winterset (4th), Perry (7th), Boone (10th), ADM (12th) and Carlisle (13th) were all ranked, and finishing in the top three of the RRC standings would likely generate a smoother path through the postseason. Class 1A, 2A and 3A regional pairings were released Monday, with Class 4A and 5A to be announced Thursday.
Winterset used a pair of fortunate breaks to score a run in the top of the first.
Macy Johnson doubled to the fence in center field, with Alyssa Kruger unable to corral the ball in the 20 mph swirling winds. Kruger fought off the gusts to snatch a high fly ball for the first out, with a ground out moving Johnson to third, from where she scored when Emma Lowden singled right past the legs of pitcher Emma Olejniczak.
The Huskies scored an unearned run in the fourth and fifth for a 3-0 lead, with a Lowden double leading to a final tally in the sixth.
In both the fourth and sixth it was ground ball outs to shortstop Jo Diw from Madison Berns that scored runners from third.
Winterset starter Sophie Stover kept the Jayette batters guessing throughout the game, mixing a sharp curve ball with a cleverly disguised change-up to strike out 12. She issued four walks, with a pair of hard-hit singles up the middle from Brooke Huntington and a sixth-inning double to the fence in left from Alyssa Kruger the only Perry hits.
Maddie West drew a pair of walks, with Sid Vancil and Emma Olejniczak also earning free passes.
Olejniczak was tagged for four runs (two earned) on seven hits. She walked three batters and finished with seven strikeouts.
Perry visits Clarke tonight for a non-conference game before stepping back into league play with home contests Wednesday and Thursday against Carroll and Boone, respectively.
