Griffin ties Perham hits record as Yellowjackets sweep Park Rapids

Gavin Griffin did more than tie a school record in Park Rapids. He helped keep Perham rolling, reaching base in all five plate appearances as the Yellowjackets beat Park Rapids 11-0 on Thursday, April 30, and pushed their winning streak to four games.

Griffin finished the night with two runs, one double and one RBI, a line that matched the bigger point of the evening: Perham is getting production from its most recognizable name while the team is winning with depth and consistency. The junior tied Ben Schumansky’s Perham record of 110 career hits, then moved to within one hit of standing alone at the top as the Yellowjackets prepared to host Breckenridge at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Krueger Field.

The milestone carries local weight because it connects two generations of Perham baseball. Schumansky’s 110-hit mark came from 2021 to 2023, and the former Yellowjackets standout is now listed as a Concordia College Moorhead player from Perham. Griffin’s chase is built on more than contact hitting, too. Perham’s record book lists him as the school’s career triples leader with 14 and the season triples leader with 11, numbers that show how often he has turned singles into extra bases and put pressure on opposing defenses.

That kind of offensive profile fits a program that has been climbing fast. Perham went 22-2 in 2024, won back-to-back Section 8AA titles and reached the Class AA state tournament for the second straight year. The Yellowjackets’ 2024 run ended with a 9-1 loss to Le Sueur-Henderson in the quarterfinals on June 13, and the school was still chasing its first state title in program history. Even so, the recent stretch has kept Perham in the state conversation, especially after the team tied the Minnesota state record for triples in a season with four in 2025.

For Griffin, the next swing now carries double meaning: it could give him the school hits record outright and further underline where Perham stands as May begins, with a veteran-like junior leading a team that looks increasingly comfortable winning on the road and chasing bigger goals.