JEFFERSON — Perry had one hit against Class 3A No. 3 Greene County Tuesday, and that was almost enough.
Senior Katelyn Whelchel’s clean shot with one out into center field plated both Victoria Hegstrom and Rachel Kinney to bring Perry to within 3-2 of the hosts.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the top of the seventh ended on a fly ball to left field and on a bang-bang play at first after a dribbler in front of the plate, allowing the Rams (11-0) to hold on for the non-conference win.
Greene County entered the game averaging over nine runs per contest but were largely kept in check by Jayette starter Emma Olejniczak. Hannah Onken crushed a line-drive home run to left-center with one out in the second inning, but a lead-off single in the third was followed by three consecutive strikeouts, with a 1-2-3 fourth frame keeping Perry (1-8) within range.
The Jayettes, however, could make little headway off Ram ace Marissa Promes. A two-out error that allowed Maddie West to reach base in the third and a two-out miscue that put Sidney Vancil aboard in the fifth were the only base runners Promes faced through six full innings.
Tressa Rasmussen was called safe on a close play at first to open the Greene County fifth, with a double and outfield error off the bat of Emma Saddoris plating Rasmussen. Saddoris scored after a pop-out when Bailey Godwin reached on an infield single.
Godwin and Onken are seniors and are the last female athletes playing for the Rams who attended high school at East Greene, as that chapter in Greene County history nears closure.
The Rams had a runner on third with two outs in the sixth, but Olejncizak induced a ground out to keep any realistic hope of a Perry comeback alive.
Hegstrom and Kinney promptly reached the third and fourth infield errors of the game by the hosts, with a tapper back to Promes in the ring moving the runners up a base, from where Whelchel drove them in before the Rams snuffed the rally.
Promes allowed one hit while striking out seven in the win, with Olejnczak yielding six hits and fanning six. Neither pitcher issued a walk.
Perry visits Bondurant-Farrar tonight and hosts Ballard Thursday. They will then play twice Friday and twice Saturday at the W-G Classic. ThePerryNews.com will have full W-G Classic schedule details when available.
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3A No. 3 GREENE COUNTY 3, PERRY 2
at Jefferson, June 9
Team R H E
PRY 000 000 2 — 2 1 2
GC 010 020 x — 3 6 4
PRY: Olejniczak and Huntington. GC: Promes and Godwin. WP: Promes (10-0). LP: Olejniczak (1-8). 2B — GC: Saddoris. HR — GC: Onken. LOB — PRY: 3; GC: 3.
