Perry baseball coach Damien Tippett was looking for starting pitcher Kai Taylor to be more economical in his outing against Westwood on Monday. Tippett got what he asked for.

Taylor threw six strong innings and got backing at the plate from  Isaac Turbarg and Trevor Desiderio as the Pumas blanked visiting Westwood, 6-0, in a 6A non-region game.

Perry improved to 4-3-1 and evened its power-ranking game record at 2-2. Westwood lost for the first time in seven games and is 5-1-1, 2-1 in prg.

"The goal was for Kai to shoot for 15 pitches an inning," Tippett said. "We've been throwing way too many pitches in innings so far. He was more under control today. Pitched well. He was able to go six innnings and last time he didn't make it out of the fourth."

Taylor threw 89 pitches on Monday, almost right on the button for his coach's prescriptionand eight more than his less-than four-inning stint a week ago. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. That bid ended with back-to-back two-out hits by Westwood's Michael Perez and Brenton Dyer. Taylor struck out four and walked one to earn his second victory of the season. Senior Jason Barres tossed a 1-2-3 seventh in relief of Taylor.

Perry scratched out a run for Taylor in the second off Westwood starter Jose Apodaca. A walk to Carter Richey and single by Brycen Tambone set up the run. Courtesy runner Jaydan Israel raced to third on Tambone's single and the relay to third got away from Apodaca backing up the play allowing Israel to score.

Perry made Taylor's outing the final three innings easier. A two-run triple by Turbarg to the gap in right-center highlighted a three-run fourth. Turbarg was deprived of an extra-base hit in to left-center in the second inning. The power-hitting Desiderio capped the scoring in the fifth with a two-run, opposite field homer. It was his fifth homer of the young season.

While many high schools are competing in invitationals this week, Perry and Westwood are involved in power-ranking games only. Perry is set to visit Red Mountain on Tuesday night and Tucson High on Thursday, weather permitting. Westwood is on the road Tuesday at Tolleson and is scheduled to host Tucsoh on Friday if weather cooperates.