vs
| 04/17/25 - Away | 3-7 L |
| 05/01/24 - Away | 14-1 W |
| 04/22/24 - Home | 6-8 L |
| 04/21/23 - Away | 0-10 L |
| 05/16/19 - Neutral | 11-8 W |
| 05/18/18 - Away | 9-7 W |
Perry and Jefferson Area are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Pirates will be playing at home against the Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Jefferson Area's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Perry hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Pirates' pitcher stepped up to hand Conneaut a 15-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Pirates haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Madelyn Rupert made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Perry got a massive performance out of Arianna Rogers, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Rogers has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Elise Strahan, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Perry was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .344 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Jefferson Area made sure to put some runs up on the board against Conneaut on Wednesday. The Falcons put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 12-1 victory.
Jefferson Area let Rylee Demattia and Marillia Matuz run wild. Demattia went 2-for-4 with five RBI and one double, while Matuz got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Alaina Barress, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Perry's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Jefferson Area, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Perry has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .467. However, it's not like Jefferson Area struggles in that department as they've averaged .449. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Perry couldn't quite get it done against Jefferson Area when the teams last played back in April as they fell 7-3. Will the Pirates have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
