BOONE — The offensive struggles that tormented Perry over the final weeks of the regular season returned to haunt the team in Monday’s Class 3A District 4 Final as host Boone scored a 5-1 win to eliminate the Bluejays.
“It is real simple — we just did not hit the ball consistently over the last half of the season and did not again tonight,” Perry head coach Mike Long said. “Down the stretch we just have not put hits together to create the big inning. When that happens you have to be almost perfect on defense … we have been much better in the last few weeks but you still have to score runs to win.”
Boone’s Storm Wagner held Perry (15-16) to just four singles while walking two and hitting one batter in collecting the win. He tossed all seven innings, striking out two but receiving several sharp defensive plays to keep the Bluejay offense in check.
Four of the five Boone runs came from the top three spots in the Toreador lineup. Those three batters — Danny Anderson, Tyler Newbold and Tanner Schminke — were a combined 4-of-7 and drew five total walks to reach. Toss in a Perry error, and the trio were aboard safely in 10-of-12 trips while the first three in the Bluejay lineup was a combined 1-of-8 with one walk.
Anderson singled and stole second to start the bottom of the first for Boone (22-10). Newbold produced a RBI-single, with Schminke drawing a walk off Perry starter Kyle Nevitt. A long running catch that ended with a face-first dive in foul territory from right fielder Janier Puente produced the first out, with a fly out to center and a ground out limiting the damage.
Perry tied the game in the third when Kade VanKirk single and moved up on an Alex Long sacrifice bunt. He scored with a twisting, diving slide around Boone catcher Nolan Newcomb when Will Whiton singled to left field. The Jays may have done more damage, but a diving stop along the line and quick scramble to the bag by first baseman Joe Pruismann robbed Nic Wilhelmi of a RBI and ended the inning.
Walks to Anderson and Newbold and a Schminke single allowed Boone to load the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the frame.
Whiton came on in relief of Nevitt and, after allowing the Schminke hit, forced two fly outs, the second of which scored Anderson. A walk re-loaded the bags, but a grounder back to the mound kept the damage at just one run.
A two-out Adan Medina single in the Perry fourth went unused, as did an opportunity when Puente was nicked by a pitch in the fifth.
Nevitt returned to the mound and tossed a 1-2-3 fourth, but a lead-off walk to Newobold in the fifth brought Whiton back to the hill. An infield error allowed Schminke to reach, with a two-run single moments later from Jackson Hull pushing the lead to 4-1.
Zach Roberts drew a one-out walk in the sixth for Perry, but the Jays did not take advantage of the runner, with Boone using two singles and a walk to score a final run in the sixth.
The win will keep Boone at home, where they will host Humboldt Wednesday in the Substate 2 Final. Humboldt was a 6-4 winner over Gilbert Monday in the District 3 Final.
Medina had two singles and Whiton and VanKirk one each for Perry, with Whiton providing the lone RBI and VanKirk the sole run, with Medina and Roberts each walking once.
Nevitt went a combined three innings on the bump and was assessed the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits while walking four, with Whiton yielding two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks in his combined three innings of work.
The loss ends the prep careers of Roberts, Whiton and Wilhelmi, mainstays on the Perry varsity for many years.
“They are three great kids and I love them to death,” Long said. “I have had them around the varsity for five years and it won’t be the same not having them here.”
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Class 3A District 4 Final
at Boone, July 20
Team          R  H  E
PRY Â 001 000 0 — 1 Â 4 Â 1
BNE Â 101 021 x — 5 Â 6 Â 0
PRY: Nevitt (3), Whiton (3) and Roberts. BNE: Wagner and Newcomb. WP: Wagner. LP: Nevitt. LOB — PRY: 5; BNE: 7.
Video highlights courtesy of PEGASUS-TV12 and volunteer Doug Wood. Check www.pegasustv12.com for air times of complete game.
Video highlights have also been added to the story of Perry’s 2-0 win over Webster City in their District Semifinal. Find the story at https://theperrynews.com/pitching-defense-sparkle-as-bluejays-blank-lynx-in-district-4-semifinal.
