The Perry Pumas will head out on the road to square off against the Queen Creek Bulldogs at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Perry is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Perry is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They never let Tolleson get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Pumas have posted since April 1st.
Julianna Nava looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Perry's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jasmine Abeyta, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI. That's the most hits Abeyta has posted since back in March.
Perry hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 9-2 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Queen Creek waltzed into their matchup on Monday with 14 straight wins... but they left with 15. They walked away with a 4-0 win over the Colts.
Alexis Mendez looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, Tayla Falquez was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. Abbey Redish was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Perry has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-13 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Queen Creek, their win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Perry hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Queen Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Perry came up short against Queen Creek in their previous meeting back in March, falling 6-3. Can the Pumas avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
