The Wickliffe Blue Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Perry Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wickliffe had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 14-run drubbing they dealt Kirtland on Tuesday. The Blue Devils' pitcher stepped up to hand the Hornets a 14-0 shutout. The Blue Devils haven't had any issues with the Hornets recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Leigha Blazetic
| 05/06/25 @ Kirtland | 12 |
| 05/05/25 @ Cardinal | 6 |
| 04/28/25 @ Crestwood | 13 |
| 04/25/25 vs LaBrae | 11 |
| 04/24/25 @ West Geauga | 6 |
| + 6 more games |
Leigha Blazetic made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mackayla Gazdak, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Maddie Prosuch was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Perry had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 12-6 win.
Morgan Winters spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, Sydney Collins was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Madeline Infalvi, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Perry pushed their record up to 17-5 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Wickliffe, their record now sits at 10-6.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wickliffe hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .406. However, it's not like Perry struggles in that department as they've averaged .394. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wickliffe might still be hurting after the 13-5 defeat they got from Perry in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
