Visiting Carroll held off a Perry rally to claim a 7-5 win in their Class 4A Region 3 softball battle July 8, eliminating the Jayettes after an 8-25 season. The loss followed a 3-1 setback to visiting Pella that capped the regular season.
Carroll (13-22) scored twice in the top of the first, but Perry countered with two runs of their own. A Lydia Olejniczak double started the spurt, with Olejniczak later scoring on an error. Macy Killmer walked and was driven in by a Peyton Tunink base hit, with Perry having runners on second and third with only one out but unable to add to their total.
The Tigers moved into a 5-2 lead with three runs in the second, then extended their lead to 7-2 with two more runs in the fourth.
However, Perry refused to yield, with Jasmine Shriver starting a rally after being hit by a pitch in the fourth. She moved up on an Olejniczak hit, then raced home on a RBI-ground out from Jayna Kenney to cut the gap to 7-3.
A Kennedy Tunink single and Addison Huntington walk quickly turned into two more Perry runs when Olejniczak kept hopes alive in the sixth with a two-run, two-base hit. Unfortunately, the Jayettes could not complete the comeback and had their season end on their own diamond.
Olejniczak had two doubles, a single, a run and two RBIs for the hosts, with Aidyn Hood adding two base hits. Kenney had a single and a RBI, with Peyton Tunink, Kennedy Tunink and Shriver also recording singles.
Kenney tossed all seven innings, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits. She walked only one and finished with 10 strikeouts.
Two Jayettes played their final games in the setback, with Kennedy Tunink and Jasmine Shriver each donning Perry blue for the final time.
The regular season had concluded two nights prior with a 3-1 loss to the Little Dutch.
Pella scored in the second and again in the sixth, with Perry cutting their deficit to 2-1 with a run of their own in the sixth. A final Pella tally in the seventh went unanswered as the guest seized the win.
Olejniczak had two hits, with Peyton Tunink and Addison Huntington each hitting a double. Hood and Kennedy Tunink both had singles, with Hood driving in Kassidy Atwell for the lone Jayette run.
Kenney allowed three runs (one earned) on just four hits in seven innings. She recorded three strikeouts in seven innings on the rubber.
