Perryman spins gem as Elgin blanks Larkin

The pregame notes would have read something like this:

Larkin - Scored 7 runs Monday and beat West Aurora ace Christina Hunger. Scored 29 runs in its last four games.

Elgin - Pitching its sophomore ace, who hasn't been in the circle for a game since April 1.

And one would have given Larkin the upper hand, right?

Wrong.

Elgin turned out to be the aggressor at the plate and that sophomore pitcher, Hannah Perryman, threw her best game of the season as the Maroons rolled to a 7-0 Upstate Eight Conference softball win on Elgin's west side Tuesday afternoon.

"You can't win unless you score runs," deadpanned Larkin coach Larry Hight. "We have been hitting the ball pretty well all year but today we didn't."

Speedy Elgin senior standout Brandi Hernandez set the table for the Maroons (5-10, 1-2) when she sliced an inside-the-park home run down the left field line on the second pitch of the game.

And even though the Maroons got her more, that was the only run the left-handed Perryman needed. She scattered 3 singles, struck out 11 and walked only 2 after missing the last 12 days for what first-year Elgin coach Chad Dahlman called "unspecified reasons."

"It felt pretty good to be out there again," said Perryman. "It's tough coming back from (12) days off and pitching against Larkin. I just pitched every day and kept at it nonstop."

"I thought she threw great," said Dahlman of Perryman. "She went after the hitters and let her defense work and the defense played great."

Larkin (3-9, 1-2) got only one runner as far as third base in the game.

"Hernandez set the table for them early and she's been doing that to us for four years," Hight said. "But I told the girls that being down 1-0 at home is like being in a tie game. Then we gave them some runs and we didn't hit. Give their pitcher credit. We beat her last year. But she had some rest and she came out ready to roll. She maintained her composure when she got behind in the count. (Elgin) just outplayed us today. A season has its ups and downs. (Monday) was an up, beating a Top 20 team. Today was a down.

"But it's early. We could play them four times this year including regionals and Slugfest."

Elgin gave Perryman (4-2) some breathing room in the top of the fourth off Larkin losing pitcher Kiernan Schock (1-4). Senior leader Kelly Patchett (2-for-2, 2 runs) led off with a solid double to right-center and went to third on Jenna Jaynes' groundout and scored on Samantha Doty's single up the middle. The Maroons then used two Larkin errors and a wild pitch to plate two more runs in the inning and take a 4-0 lead.

The Maroons added 3 runs in the sixth off Larkin reliever Lexi Smithberg. Patchett walked and after a Jaynes sacrifice, scored on another solid single up the middle from Doty, who took second on a throwing error. With two out, pinch-hitter Jennifer Fulton singled home Doty and after Hernandez beat out a bunt single and Rachel Roth reached on an error, Perryman drew a walk to force home Fulton with the game's final run.

"It was nice getting that one run early," Dahlman said. "Elgin-Larkin games are usually close so you never know."

For Dahlman the win was especially satisfying. He's a Larkin graduate and coached under Hight before taking the job at Elgin this season.

"I still miss these (Larkin) girls," said Dahlman, a pink-slipped U-46 teacher who is anxiously awaiting the callback process. "I still have feelings for Larkin and those will never go away. But I'm building a program at Elgin now and hopefully I'll be here for a long time."