The Perry Pumas will take on the Williams Field Black Hawks at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Perry is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Valley Christian, who was ranked third at the time (Perry was ranked tenth). Perry fell just short of Valley Christian by a score of 11-10 on Thursday. It was the first time this season that the Pumas let down their fans at home.
Rowen Noreus
| 03/13/25 vs Valley Christian | 4 |
| 03/01/25 @ Notre Dame Prep | 3 |
| 02/27/25 vs Arcadia | 2 |
| 03/13/24 vs Corona del Sol | 1 |
Rowen Noreus was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Luke Calendo stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lou Berg, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Even though they lost, Perry kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Williams Field got the win against Desert Mountain on Thursday by a conclusive 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Black Hawks, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Jaxin Hernandez, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-2. Asher Landry was another key player, scoring two runs.
The win made it two in a row for Williams Field and bumps their season record up to 8-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 11.5 runs. As for Perry, their loss dropped their record down to 9-2.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Perry hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .405. However, it's not like Williams Field struggles in that department as they've averaged .342. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Perry took their victory against Williams Field in their previous matchup back in March of 2015 by a conclusive 16-4. Does Perry have another victory up their sleeve, or will Williams Field turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
