Offensive onslaught powers Perry softball in doubleheader sweep over North Springs 

PERRY – In the first round of the GHSA Class 4A State Tournament, the Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Spartans 10-2 and 17-2 for a clean sweep.

Perry (19-8) continuously put the ball in play in the first game. The Lady Panthers were aggressive on the base path as they beat throws to the bags multiple times throughout the night. 

PHOTOS: See more shots from Wednesday’s doubleheader.

North Springs (14-12) was never able to establish a rhythm to put runners on base. The Lady Spartans were kept off balance through an excellent defensive performance by Perry and consistent strikes by their pitcher. 

Anna Dean kicked off the scoring for Perry in Game 1 with a stand up RBI triple to the right field wall in the bottom of the first. 

After back-to-back singles by Avery Grant and Rachel Driver, Nyah Thomas hit an RBI double followed by Chloe Davey’s RBI single to center field to give the Lady Panthers a 3-1 lead. 

Davey slapped a double to the outfield wall to put runners in scoring position in the fourth inning. Gentry added an RBI double to her big game to put Perry up 6-2. 

North Springs saw any chance of getting back into the game dashed when Rayanna Harrell smashed a two-RBI double to center field, pushing the Lady Panthers’ lead to 8-2. 

Kameron Fielder hit a solo home run at the end of the inning to cap the scoring outburst for Perry. 

Emma Rose Wood struck out six and issued zero walks over five innings of action. After allowing the lead off home run at the top of the first, Wood found a groove and retired the next eleven of thirteen batters through a combination of strikeouts, groundouts, and flyouts. 

The Lady Spartans added an RBI double in the third inning, but could not muster any more hits afterwards. 

Perry 17, North Springs 2

In Game 2 the Lady Panthers finished off the Lady Spartans 17-2 to complete sweep. 

Perry’s bats exploded in the second inning as the team batted around the order two-and-a-half times, sending twenty-one players to the plate and scoring 16 runs. 

The Lady Panthers did not skip a beat from game one as Harrell started the game with a sliding triple to the left field wall, then Dean drove her in with an RBI single back to left. 

Enter the second inning gauntlet. Seven players went to the plate before the first out was recorded. The Lady Panthers were aggressive on baserunning and continuously hit the ball hard into the outfield. 

McKenzie Crumley extended a double into a triple after the North Springs’ right fielder dove and missed the catch. 

A pinch runner entered the game for Crumley and stole home on a wild throw to give Perry a 2-1 lead. 

Grant launched an RBI double to right field, which was followed by two more Lady Panthers reaching base. 

Davey stepped up to the plate and hit an RBI double to left, putting runners at second and third and put the score at 7-1 

Dean and Crumley hit RBI singles, extending Perry’s lead by eight runs at this point in the inning. 

Fielder stepped up to the plate and launched a moonbeam two-run home run over the left-center field wall. 

Driver slapped an RBI triple to the wall to push the scoreboard to 12-1. 

Another eight players reached the plate before the second out was recorded after Gentry hit a two-RBI double to left, which gave the Lady Panthers a commanding 15-1 lead over the Lady Spartans. 

Fielder extended a single into a double off of a dropped third strike as the runner on third raced home to score the 17th and final run of the night. 

North Springs had an offensive blunder in the second inning when the batter impeded the catcher’s throw to second, which resulted in both the runner and batter being called out.

In the third inning, Perry players were substituted in for plate appearances and playing time in the field. 

Perry head coach Ally Clegg was optimistic and exuded confidence about the way her team played over both games: 

“I told the girls before the game, ‘Look, if we come out here and do what we do, we can beat anybody. Be aggressive in the box, play solid defense, and have solid energy,’ and that’s what we did.” 

“We came out and had fun,” Clegg added. “We put the ball in play, had hard hits after hard hits, and it gets to rolling like that. Everyone wants to contribute – everyone wants a slice of the pie. If we continue playing Perry softball, we can beat anybody.” 

UP NEXT 

Perry will match up against either Jones County (Region 2, Team 4) or Eastside (Region 8, Team 1) depending on who wins the “if” game on Thursday, Oct. 17.