It was an interesting day for Perry freshman Piper Lujan. Lujan is a catcher by trade primarily, but playing in in her first varsity season for Perry High she's had to give way to upperclassmen and shift to corner infield and outfield spots. Not ideal, but it gets her bat in the lineup.

Lujan showed that importance Wednesday afternoon by lining an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh giving Perry a 4-3 victory over Red Mountain at Perry High. Perry has won 11 games in a row and improved to 14-2 overall, 3-0 in power-ranking games. Red Mountain dropped to 12-7, 1-4 prg.

Lujan's single to center off Red Mountain's Alex Wiley brought home Chandler Walter, who was on second after scratching out her third hit of the day (an infield hit). Lujan started the game at first base and as she's done several times this season, played a corner outfield spot due to injury to players who are outfielders.

Lujan took the place of Tatum Johnson, who was injured making a diving catch to end the top of the first. on Lujan's first chance in the second inning, she speared a low liner off the bat of Tabitha Shupe and flipped it to first to complete an inning-ending double play. The rest of her stint in right didn't go as well as her inexperience and bright sun  led to a couple plays she didn't make. Perry coach Rob Hehe subbed Lujan out after the fifth inning, but had every intention of putting her back in when her next turn to hit came.

"She's a a good hitter and we need her in the lineup for that," Hehe said. "I took her out for defense, but there was no way she wasn't going back in to hit. She stung that first pitch."

Lujan, who was 2-for-4 on the day and reached base three times, made a winner of freshman pitcher Kenadee Rausch with her one-out hit in the seventh. Rausch pitched in and out of jams the first five innings. The only inning she allowed runs was the third when Red Mountain scored its three. All of the runs came on four successive hits with two outs. A two-run homer by Lyndsey Steverson and RBI double by Mya Davis erased a 1-0 deficit for Red Mountain.

Red Mountain failed to score with runners and first and second  and noone out in the first, second and fourth innings. The Lady Lions loaded the bases in the fifth, but came away empty. They left nine runners on base. They were retired in order in the sixth and seventh.

Not getting timely hits has been a problem for Red Mountain, but defense has proven equally as costly particularly in the Lady Lions' power-ranking games. Red Mountain began the season 7-0 winning its own tournament. Since then it is 5-7. The Lady Lions' power-ranking game losses have been by scores of 2-1 (Hamilton), 4-2 (Xavier), 4-3 (Mountain Ridge) and now Perry. Red Mountain has committed 11 errors in the four power-ranking game defeats. Their opponents in those have made one.

"Defense has cost us," Red Mountain coach Rich Hamilton said. "We've adjusted. Made some changes. I think we may need to make more. You can't win if you don't play good defense, especially in close games."

Oddly enough it was Lujan's at-bat in the fifth inning that resulted in Red Mountain's lone-yet-costly error. A low throw from short to first was not handled on a routine play that would have been the third out. The error could have gone to either player. Perry followed with back-to-back singles that tied the game at 3 -- the RBI going to Emily Babcock.