Mountain Ridge came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Perry Pumas. This was payback for Mountain Ridge, who suffered a 15-12 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Kaleb Williams spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up eight Ks. Those eight strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
On the hitting side, Ryland Sands was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Neville, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
On Perry's side, Payton Holinka was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (he also only allowed one walk). Holinka has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Perry saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ethan Miller, who went 2-for-2 with a double.
Mountain Ridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-9. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs per game. As for Perry, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-13-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mountain Ridge will take on Liberty at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Liberty will roll in looking for their sixth straight victory, something Mountain Ridge surely won't give up without a fight. As for Perry, they will head out on the road to face off against Hamilton at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Hamilton is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.6 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
