HUXLEY — Perry stayed within striking distance of host and ninth-rated Ballard in Raccoon River Conference softball Thursday.
Ballard (24-8, 11-3) trailed 1-0 after one inning but scored twice in the second for a 2-1 lead. Perry (4-21, 0-12) tied the game with a tally in the third, but the hosts scored twice in the bottom half of the stanza to move in front, 4-2. Single Bomber runs in the fourth and fifth, and then three in the sixth, helped the hosts pull away for the victory.
Lydia Olejniczak started the game by ripping a lead-off solo home run, the fourth of the eighth-grader’s young varsity career. She would later add a single and score again for the Jayettes. Jayna Kenney had Perry’s only other hit, with Kennedy Tunink, Macy Killmer and Libby Hastings each reaching with a base on balls.
Kenney pitched all six frames for Perry, yielding nine runs (six earned) on nine hits. She walked four batters and struck out one.
Maggie McCrady tossed four frames for Ballard, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. Hailey Walzer pitched three innings, walking two and striking out two, with McCrady striking out three.
Skyler Rigby had a home run, two doubles and two RBIs, with Isabell Hobbs driving in three runs on two singles. McCrady also hit a home run and drove in two runs, with Carley Wilson adding a home run.
Perry has only two regular season games remaining, both on the road. The Jayettes visit Carroll Monday and Winterset Wednesday, with a long break following before a visit to Harlan July 11 for their postseason opener.
