The Perry offense erupted for six runs in the third inning, four in the fourth and three more in the fifth to topple Interstate-35, 14-4, in the consolation game of the Paul and Mary Ann Graves Classic Saturday.[wpedon id=”82220″ align=”center”]
Perry had been upended by IKM-Manning, 7-6, in the first contest of the day, with I-35 crunched by Van Meter, 14-2, in their semifinal. The potent Van Meter offense was at work again in the title game, as the Bulldogs rallied to beat IKM-Manning, 12-7, to win the classic.
Alyssa Kruger collected the win in the consolation game. She tossed five innings, yielding four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out five.
She aided her own cause by finishing 3-for-4 at the dish with two doubles off the fence, two RBIs and three runs scored. Jo Diw was 3-for-4 and scored three times, with Sid Vancil scoring twice.
Gabby West had two hits and a RBI and was walked twice, with courtesy runner Cassidy Heck scoring twice. T.J. Sheehy and Peyton Tunink both had singles and two RBIs, with Grace Stewart singling home a run while Dri Eastman lifted a RBI-sacrifice fly.
Kennedy Tunink broke through at the plate with two-run double in the third and a two-run base hit in the fourth.
I-35 had taken a brief 2-1 lead in the top of the third, with the Roadrunners adding a final two tallies in the fifth.
Laynie Duff had a RBI-double and Holly Finley a two-run single to highlight the I-35 offense.
Ava Knoll suffered the loss. She surrendered 14 runs (eight were earned) on 13 hits and two walks in 4-2/3 frames. Knoll struck out two batters and hit one with a pitch.
Perry had very nearly reached the title game, falling to IKM-Manning by a 7-6 final in five-innings of time-limit action.
The Wolves raced to a 4-1 lead after three innings, then scored three times in the top of the fourth to spread the gap to 7-1.
The Jayettes answered with a three-spot of their own in the fourth, then added two runs in the fifth before falling short.
Kruger went all five innings, allowing seven runs on seven singles by seven different players. She walked four batters and hit two while striking out four.
Diw had a single and a double, with Vancil hitting a double while Kruger, Sheehy, Peytoon Tunink and Jayna Kenney provided base hits. Kruger, Diw and Stewart each walked twice, with Vancil and West also drawing walks.
Peyton Gross collected the win in the ring. She yielded six runs on seven hits and eight walks in five innings while recording six strikeouts.
Van Meter (9-2) was coming off a Thursday twinbill sweep at Panorama where the Bulldogs had scored a combined 30 runs on 26 total hits.
They easily dispatched I-35, 14-2, in five frames before facing a solid IKM-Manning team that entered the game 6-0.
The Wolves held a 7-5 lead when Bulldog lead-off hitter Megan Blomgren hit a grand slam to dead center field for a 9-7 Van Meter advantage in the fifth. The blow helped power the Bulldogs to an eventual 12-7 victory.
Perry returns to action Monday with a visit to Carlisle before hosting Greene County Tuesday. A trip to Bondurant-Farrar is on the docket for Wednesday, with a visit to Ballard slated for Thursday.
