Will Whiton struck out 11 and held Carroll to just two hits to help guide Perry to a 5-1 Raccoon River Conference victory at Progressive Field Tuesday.
The win elevated Perry to 14-12 overall and 6-7 in RRC play while Carroll fell to 9-9 and 3-6.
The triumph was the final home appearance for Whiton, Zach Roberts and Nic Wilhelmi. The trio is a combined 73-50, 28-32 in four seasons and helped win the RRC title last summer.
Perry scored a pair of unearned runs in the second inning Tuesday, with a two-out Blake Lansing double to right-center starting the rally. Kade VanKirk singled and then stole second to put two runners on base, with an error on a pop fly in shallow center field with Janier Puente batting scoring both Jays for a 2-0 lead.
Puente laced a line-drive solo home run to right-center to open the Perry fifth. Roberts worked a two-out walk, with courtesy runner Brandon Kenyon stealing second. The theft paid dividends, as Kenyon was then able to score when Kyle Nevitt singled into left field to push the Perry margin to 4-0.
Lansing drew a one-out walk in the sixth, with pinch runner Kenyon stealing second base. He moved to third on a ground out, with Kaleb Olejniczak issued a walk. Olejniczak stole second, with Kenyon breaking for home and sliding in safely on the throw to second base.
Whiton had been in total control for six innings, allowing only singles to Ben Wellendorf and Kyle Christenson.
However, he walked Wellendorf, Mason White and Cooper LaRue, in order, to load the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh. Strikeout number 10 followed, but a walk to Tanner White plated a run and kept the threat alive.
Whiton struck out Peter Stevens and then benefited from an outstanding defensive play from shortstop Alex Long, who drifted into short center field and made on over-the-shoulder catch to rob Peyton Renning of two RBIs and end the game.
Stevens had been nearly as stingy as Whiton on the mound. He took the tough-luck loss after yielding five runs (three earned) on just four hits while walking four and striking out two.
Perry returns to action Thursday with a trip to Kuemper Catholic. They will then visit Pella Monday and Winterset Wednesday to conclude their regular season.
————————–
PERRY 5, CARROLL 1
at Progressive Field, July 7
Team R H E
CAR 000 000 1 — 1 2 1
PRY 020 021 x — 5 4 0
CAR: Stevens and n/a. PRY: Whiton and Roberts. WP: Whiton. LP: Stevens. 2B — PRY: Lansing. HR — PRY: Puente. LOB — CAR: 6; PRY: 4.
