VW independent baseball, softball recap

Van Wert independent sports

Baseball

Defiance 5 Van Wert 3

The Cougars suffered their first loss of the season, falling 5-3 to Defiance in a Western Buckeye League showdown at Smiley Park on Friday.

After a scoreless first inning, the Bulldogs plated three runs in the top of the second, but Van Wert answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, when Parker Conrad doubled in Nathan Temple and Lawson Blackmore.

The Cougars tied the game an inning later when Hayden Maples singled in Jake Lautzenheiser, but Defiance scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.

Lautzenheiser had two of Van Wert’s six hits, and Maples, Blackmore, Conrad and Jalen McCracken had the remaining hits.

Blackmore pitched five innings and allowed six hits while striking out five and walking three. Maples went the remaining two innings and gave up one hit.

Van Wert (6-1, 1-1 WBL) will host Napoleon in a doubleheader at 11 a.m. today.

Lincolnview 15 Continental 5

CONTINENTAL — The Lancers pounded out 17 hits in a 15-5 rout of Continental on Friday.

Gavin Carter had four hits and three RBI, Collin Overholt had three triples and three RBI and Creed Jessee had three hits and an RBI.

Lincolnview scored two runs in the first inning, two more in the second, three in the fourth, a pair in the fifth, one in the sixth and five in the seventh.

Six Lancer pitchers took the mound – Thad Walker, Brayden Evans, Cole Binkley, Creed Jessee, Ethan Kemler and Reece Farmer. Jessee was given credit for the win.

The Lancers (6-1) will play a doubleheader at Wayne Trace today, then will face New Knoxville at 1 p.m. Sunday at Fifth Third Field in Dayton.

Softball

Defiance 10 Van Wert 8

DEFIANCE — The Lady Cougars rallied twice but came up short in a 10-8 loss to Defiance on Friday.

Van Wert trailed 3-0 before putting up four runs in the top of the third. Defiance tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, then took the lead for good the next inning. The Bulldogs added five more runs in the bottom of the sixth and led 10-4 before the Lady Cougars scored four in the top of the seventh.

Lauren Moore led Van Wert with three hits, including a home run and a grand slam, and five RBI.

The Lady Cougars (1-4, 0-2 WBL) will host Crestview, Lincolnview and Wayne Trace in the second annual Cancer Classic Softball Tournament, beginning at 11 a.m. today.

Lincolnview 16 Continental 1 (five innings)

CONTINENTAL — The Lady Lancers continued their high scoring ways with a 16-1 win over Continental on Friday.

In three games this week, Lincolnview (5-1) scored 48 runs.

Against Continental, the Lady Lancers scored seven runs in the first, a single run in the second, three in the third and fourth innings and two more in the fifth.

Lakin Brant and Kendall Bollenbacher each had three hits and two RBI, while Morgan Miller, Andi Webb and Annie Mendenhall each had a pair of RBI.

Amy Beair pitched three innings and allowed four hits while striking out five and walking two. Winter Boroff gave up two hits in two innings.

Crestview 16 Kalida 5 (five innings)

KALIDA — Crestview raced out to a 7-1 lead then tacked on nine more runs in the fifth inning on the way to a 16-5 win at Kalida on Friday.

The victory boosted Crestview’s overall record to 5-1.

Hannah Binion had three hits and three RBI, while Lexi Gregory had a double, a triple and three RBI. Bailey Gregory had two hits and two RBI. Olivia Cunningham had a triple and two RBI, and Caitlin O’Hagan and Olivia Skelton each knocked in a pair of runs.

Aleigh Chesbro picked up the win, going all five innings, allowing seven hits and striking out four.