GRINNELL — The Perry baseball team collected their 10th win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Grinnell in non-conference action Tuesday.
The Bluejays (10-17) scored twice in the first inning and once in the third to stake themselves to a 3-0 lead. The Tigers (8-22) plated a pair of runs in the fifth to shave their deficit to 3-2, but a final Perry tally in the sixth helped set the final score.
Errors doomed the Tigers, as all four Bluejay runs were unearned.
Kyle Nevitt reached on a dropped third strike to start Perry’s first-inning rally. Janier Puente followed with a base hit, with Adan Medina’s double scoring Nevitt, with Puente scoring on a RBI ground-out from Alex Long.
Kade VanKirk reached on an infield error in the third and eventually scored when Medina lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
Puente started for Perry and threw four scoreless innings to earn the win. He allowed two hits while walking three batters and hitting another and finished with four strikeouts.
He was relieved by Alexis Garrido, who yielded two runs (one earned) on two hits and a hit batsmen while tossing the fifth inning.
Medina was in the midst of the action again in the sixth. He singled to start the frame and was on third one out later after Garrido walked and Brandon Kenyon reached on an error. Medina trotted home with the final run moments later when Kaleb Olejniczak came through with a base hit.
Alex Long picked up the save with two scoreless innings. He walked three and struck out three was the beneficiary of a double play in the seventh. A lead-off walk gave the Tiger hopes a lift, but a ground ball to Garrido at shortstop helped stifle any rally as Medina took the short flip while standing on second and fired to Kenyon at first base for the 6-4-3 double play.
Perry also avoided danger in the second when Ryan Hollibaugh was tagged by catcher Gavin Boyer when a suicide bunt attempt was missed.
Perry returns to action Thursday when they host Kuemper Catholic in the first of three consecutive games at Progressive Field that will conclude the regular season. Pella will visit Perry Monday, with Winterset’s visit July 13 also the final Raccoon River Conference game of the year for the two rivals.
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