Perry baseball coach Mike Long earned his 700th career victory last night as Perry defeated Carroll 14-3 in five innings at Merchants Ball Park. Long’s 700 wins places him in the top 20 in the state of Iowa for all time wins in a career. Every single victory has been with Perry over the past 39 years.
It was only appropriate that his grandson Alex Long picked up the win on the mound to secure his grandfather’s milestone. Long was able to get out of a couple of early jams thanks to a rare triple play and a traditional double play that ended a bases loaded threat. He went 5 innings, scattering 4 hits and 5 walks to go along with 6 strikeouts.
The Perry offense exploded knocking around Carroll pitching for 14 hits. Janier Puente enjoyed a huge night finishing 3 for 3 with 5 RBI’s. Puente ripped a pair of triples to the spacious outfield and also launched a RBI double in the first inning. Puente’s triples carried an estimated 352 and 375 feet respectively. Brandon Kenyon finished with 3 hits as well. Aaron Lockwood finished with 2 hits and 2 RBI’s in just his second varsity start of the season.
Perry improves to 7-14 on the season and will continue their 3 game road swing tonight with a trip north to Boone to battle the conference frontrunners.
There will be a special presentation Friday night prior to the Perry and Knoxville varsity baseball game recognizing Long and his 700 wins. The public is encouraged to come out to Progressive Field and show your support for this incredible accomplishment.