Perryman’s return sparks Elgin by Larkin
Elgin junior Hannah Perryman says she loves pitching under pressure, and if that happens to also be under the lights so much the better.
And even though Perryman struggled with some wildness in her first appearance in over 10 days, she got the job done every time she needed to Wednesday night.
The fireballing lefty struck out 12 and allowed crosstown rival Larkin just 5 hits — and she overcame 10 walks — as the Maroons downed the Royals 7-2 in a game played under the lights in front of a good-sized crowd of about 300 on a bitterly cold night at Judson University.
“The strike zone was real tight,” said Perryman, who also agreed the sore arm coupled with a freak accident that caused a concussion layoff had her a bit out of rhythm. “I started off good but then I started falling apart a little in the middle. We had good defense tonight. I love the pressure and the night setting. I always do really well at night.”
The Maroons (14-8, 3-5 Upstate Eight) also had their bats going. They rapped out 9 hits off two Larkin pitchers and took advantage of their scoring opportunities, while Larkin left 13 runners on base.
“We hit the ball really well,” said Perryman, who had an RBI double in the fourth inning. “We came out at 4:30 and hit today and everybody hit the ball really well.”
Larkin (7-14, 1-7) jumped ahead of the Maroons 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Corinne Wimmer beat out an infield hit, went to third on Lexi Smithberg’s sacrifice bunt, then scored on a hard grounder to first from Anna Esterino.
The Maroons came back in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own off Larkin senior Megan Johnson (3-5). Freshman Anna Eckholm, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI, led off the inning with a double and scored on Kelly Bremer’s two-out single.
“I don’t know where we’d be without her,” said Elgin coach Chad Dahlman of Eckholm. “She’s not your typical leadoff hitter but she’s batting over .400 and she’s getting on base.”
Elgin took the lead for good in the second. Jaclyn Navarro and Monica Stockman led off the inning with singles and Navarro came home when Larkin booted Elizabeth Gorski’s bunt. With one out, Eckholm drove in Stockman with a fielder’s choice grounder and Elgin had a 3-1 lead.
And while Larkin had its chances, the Royals just couldn’t get a hit when they needed one. They left the bases loaded in both the third and fifth innings and a total of 7 runners in scoring position. Perryman ended every serious threat the Royals had with a strikeout.
“It’s great to have her back out there and at the plate,” Dahlman said of Perryman. “She pitched well and she got the big outs when we needed them. She can always get you out of an inning with one pitch.”
The Maroons extended their lead to 4-1 in the third when freshman Jennah Perryman singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Elgin then put the game out of reach with a 3-spot in the fourth. Eckholm singled, went to second on an error and scored on Hannah Perryman’s double, Kelly Bremer tripled home Hannah Perryman and courtesy runner Kendra Johnson scored the Maroons’ final run on a two-out error.
“We’ve been working on our approach and our situational hitting,” said Dahlman, “and now we’re beginning to spray it to all fields.”
Smithberg had a double for the Royals, who scored their other run on an RBI single from Alex Buhrow in the top of the sixth.
“We didn’t take advantage of the walks (Hannah Perryman) was giving us,” said Larkin coach Larry Hight. “To beat them you have to take advantage of what they give you. But last time we played them they kicked our butts 10-0 so this is an improvement. Our team had a good eye today.”
Dahlman said he hopes to be able to continue one Elgin-Larkin game each year at Judson, and Hight is all for it.
“It’s a good atmosphere and I’m glad Chad got this going,” said Hight of his former assistant. “Even though we lost it was fun. We’ll just get ’em next time.”