Perry softball teams have collected multiple victories and have high expectations for the season. The varsity pitching staff, and the team as a whole, has played enthusiastically, and hope to keep up the momentum. 

The Varsity team has won two out of their four games, shutting out Corona del Sol 3-0 and crushing Cactus High with a final score of 14-0. A single home run in the sixth inning at Desert Vista resulted in a loss.  Junior Autumn Kunze explains the challenges at Desert Vista as, “I think we had trouble, not trouble but, it was one of the better pitchers we’ve seen. So, we were not used to seeing as many strikes and stuff like that.” Kayla Seto and Noelle Gumm each got a hit, but neither player scored. The second loss came from a game against Xavier High, with a final score of 3-1. The teams were seemingly evenly matched, with no runs scored until the ninth inning. 

Kunze has pitched the majority of the games, with a total of 23 innings pitched during which she allowed only four counted runs and struck out 18 batters. Freshman Sarah Phillips is a welcome addition to the varsity team.  According to Coach Robert Hehe, “Sarah Phillips has pitched once. She pitched a no hitter allowing only one base runner, and striking out eight.” Senior Alyssa Dean and Sophomore Alexa Ortiz round out the pitching staff.

The team’s proficiency in pitching is helping in the pursuit of making it to the championship, but not without effort from all the players. At practices and scrimmages, the pitchers perfect their pitches to throw the maximum amount of strikes. Overall, the pitchers are proud of the work they do, Phillips saying, “I think it’s great. I think we both have really great movement, and the speed is good. And, we work together and use that to our advantage.” 

Pitching statistics from the team’s first three games reflect those accomplishments. After the first three games, the team has an earned run average of 0.39 and the opposing teams have an on base percentage of .081.  

The team’s hitting has been strong as well, with a total of 20 hits, and 17 runs, and a batting average of .278 after the initial three games. 

Overall, the coaches and players alike are optimistic, with high hopes for the championship. Kunze says, “I think we’re going to continue doing very well, unless we come against a hard team. But, I think we’re gonna rally and just keep our energy up and keep playing.” 

The JV team and freshmen team have had success as well. Out of the four games JV players have played, they have won with surplus runs over their competitor. For freshman players,  their three games against Casteel and Xaiver resulted in very high wins.. The final score ended at 20-0, 15-0, and 22-6.