Roundup: prep baseball, softball, tennis

VW independent sports

Softball

Lincolnview 14 Crestview 3 (five innings)

CONVOY — Crestview scored the first two runs of the game but Lincolnview rallied for a five inning, 14-3 win in the NWC opener at Owen Pugh Field on Thursday.

After a scoreless first inning, Dakota Thornell, who singled to open the bottom of the second, scored on a single by Delanie Balliet. Balliet then scored on an error. The 2-0 lead didn’t last long, as the Lancers exploded for nine runs in the top of the third. Ila Hughes drove in Cassidy Rank and Emme Stevens to tie the game 2-2, then Lainey Spear singled home Ansley Schwab. Avery Hoaglin singled in Hughes and Spear for a 5-2 lead, then Quinlyn Walker tripled and drove in Hoaglin and Kassidy Hammons. With two outs, an RBI single by Stevens plated Walker, then two batters later, Hughes knocked in Stevens for a 9-2 advantage.

Each team scored a run in the fourth – Hoaglin singled and drove in Bella Hire for Lincolnview, and Thornell scored on a two-out single by Alli Thatcher for Crestview. In the top of the fifth, Hoaglin tagged a three run homer, and Hammons later scored on an error.

Hoaglin finished the game with three hits and six RBI, while Stevens, Hughes, Spear, Hammons and Walker each had two hits. As a team, the Lancers finished with 14 hits. Thornell had two of Crestview’s four hits. Hughes struck out nine batters in a complete game effort, while Emily Heth had four strikeouts for Crestview.

Crestview (1-5, 0-1 NWC) is scheduled to host Fairview today, and Lincolnview (5-2, 1-0 NWC) will host Marion Local on Saturday.

Van Wert 11 Lima Central Catholic 7

LIMA — Emma West and Haley Dunlap each homered for Van Wert and the Cougars rallied from an early 5-3 deficit to defeat Lima Central Catholic 11-7 on Thursday.

Dunlap’s two run blast tied the game 5-5 in the top of the third, and West clobbered a two run homer in the top of the fourth to give Van Wert an 8-5 lead.

West finished with three hits and four RBI while Dunlap finished with a pair of hits and three RBI. Emma Haynes also had two hits. West got the win on the mound after giving up nine hits and seven runs (three earned) with six strikeouts.

Lancers vs. Knights…

Lincolnview’s Seth Brant (above) applies the tag to Crestview’s Luke Sawmiller, while Cash Hammons (below) is out at the hands of Grant Zielke. The Lancers topped the Knights 3-1 in Thursday’s NWC opener for both teams (see recap above). Wyatt Richardson/Van Wert independent

Knights fall…

Crestview left fielder Delanie Balliet (above) went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Knights fell to Parkway 23-6 in six innings on Wednesday. Bryn Schoenleben drove in seven runs for Parkway, including a three run home run in the second inning. The Panthers scored 12 of their runs in the top of the sixth inning. Crestview (1-4) will begin NWC play today at home against Lincolnview while Parkway will open MAC play at home against Versailles. Wyatt Richardson/Van Wert independent

Baseball: Musketeers outscore Crestview

VW independent sports

CONVOY — Fort Jennings scored four runs in the second inning and went on to defeat Crestview 6-1 on Wednesday.

Caden Swick accounted for two of those runs with a second inning single. Crestview’s lone run came in the bottom of the second when Luke Sawmiller scored on a single by Evan Brincefield. Huxley Grose pitched the first four innings for the Knights and allowed five runs on four hits with four strikeouts and four walks. Cash Hammons pitched the remaining three innings and gave up a run on two hits while fanning three. Sam Dube went the distance for Fort Jennings (2-2), scattering five hits while striking out two and walking one.

Crestview (0-2) will host Lincolnview today.

Crestview boys take first at Kalida Quad

VW independent sports

KALIDA — The Crestview boys finished first and the girls finished third at Tuesday’s Kalida Quad at Four Seasons Park on Tuesday. The host Wildcats, Lincolnview and Ottoville also competed at the meet. Below are Crestview results that were submitted to the VW independent sports department.

Crestview boys

100 meter dash: Liam Putman (1st, 11.8), Drayden Hoffman (2nd), Beckam Putman (4th) Brentyn Rodriguez (5th)

200 meter dash: Liam Putman (1st, 24.5), Drayden Hoffman (3rd), Brentyn Rodriguez (4th), Beckam Putman (5th)

400 meter dash: Ian Owens (1^st, :57), Hunter Waltmire (3rd)

800 meter run: Lincoln Smith (1st, 2:10), Ian Owens (5th)

1600 meter run: Lincoln Smith (1st, 4:52), Hudson Perrott (2nd)

3200 meter run: Derek Young (1st, 9:58), Caleb Thomas (3rd)

110 meter hurdles: Bladin Scott (4th)

300 meter hurdles: Noah Mosier (5th)

4×100 relay: Drayden Hoffman, Hayden Perrott, Braxton Leeth, Liam Putman (1st, 45.4)

4×200 relay: Drayden Hoffman, Braxton Leeth, Liam Putman, Brentyn Rodriguez (1st, 1:36.6)

4×400 relay: Brentyn Rodriguez, Braxton Leeth, Hudson Perrott, Beckam Putman (1^st, 3:46.3)

4×800 relay: Derek Young, Lincoln Smith, Ian Owens, Hudson Perrott (1^st, 9:01)

Discus: CJ Speelman (3rd)

Pole vault: Bentley Scott (4th) Bladin Scott (5th)

Crestview girls

100 meter dash: Graylie Grose (1st,13.6), Delanie Balliet (2nd)

200 meter dash: Graylie Grose (1st, 28.7), Delanie Balliet (2nd)

400 meter dash: Lydia Grace (3rd), Marissa Gros (4th)

1600 meter run: Anna Gardner (3rd)

3200 meter run: Anna Gardner (1st,13:36)

4×100 relay: Lydia Grace, Delanie Balliet, Ellieannah Ward, Graylie Grose (1^st, 53.6)

4×200 relay: Lydia Grace, Delanie Balliet, Ellieannah Ward, Graylie Grose (2nd)

4×400 relay: Lydia Grace, Ellieannah Ward, Zoe Ross, Marissa Gros (3rd)

High jump: Evie Williman (5th)

Pole vault: Emily Adams (3rd)

Long jump: Ellieannah Ward-(2nd)

Tuesday baseball, softball recap

VW independent sports

Baseball

Lincolnview 12 Ayersville 1 (five innings)

In the long awaited home opener for Lincolnview, the Lancers held Ayersville to just one hit, while scoring nine runs in the fourth inning in a run-shortened 12-1 win on Tuesday.

Lincolnview wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. After back-to-back walks in the bottom of the first, Seth Brant singled in Holden Price, then Evan Rahrig doubled and drove in Case Young and Seth Brant for a 3-0 lead. Ayersville scored a run in the top of the second and the score remained 3-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when the Lancers plated nine runs. Holden Price had an RBI, then scored along with Chayse Overholt on an error by the Pilots. Gavin Evans drilled a two-RBI double to center field, Grant Zielke drove in a run and Jackson Ingledue singled home a run. Lincolnview also scored on a wild pitch and another Ayersville error.

Brant finished with three hits, while Rahrig and Zielke each tallied two hits. Young, Rahring and Evans each drove in two runs. Graham Kill, Evans and Price teamed up to allow just one hit, while striking out five.

The Lancers will begin NWC play at Crestview on Thursday.

Parkway 8 Crestview 2

CONVOY — The Knights dropped their season opener to Parkway 8-2 on Tuesday. Game statistics were not available.

Crestview will Fort Jennings today.

Softball

Parkway 3 Lincolnview 2

ROCKFORD — In a highly anticipated matchup, Parkway scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Panthers topped Lincolnview 3-2 on Tuesday.

Lincolnview (4-2) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Emme Stevens scored on a wild pitch. Parkway tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Brittyn Bruns scored on a sacrifice fly by Megan Hughes. In the second, Avery Hoaglin scored on a grounder by Quinlyn Walker. Parkway (7-0)  tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the third when Bruns scored on a grounder by Madelyn Stover.

Ila Hughes allowed three hits and three runs (one earned), while striking out seven and walking three. Parkway’s Bryn Schoenleben earned the complete game win and gave up two runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks.

Random Thoughts: very random edition

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

This week’s installment of Random Thoughts centers around Mother Nature, more shot clock news, the NCAA Women’s Final Four, an open note to the NCAA, and paying big bucks to park.

Mother Nature

Mother Nature just wasn’t having it last week – very few spring sports games and events happened as planned. I’m guessing 90 percent or more of local games were postponed due to seemingly non-stop rain.

Here’s hoping this week is better – a lot better.

More shot clock

If you read last week’s Sports page, no doubt you saw that someone jumped the gun with news of a high school shot clock in Ohio. No formal proposal was submitted to the OHSAA. Make no mistake though, it’s coming – the proposal and in all probability, the shot clock itself.

Once the proposal is submitted by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association, it’ll be the OHSAA’s nine member Board of Directors that makes the decision – yes or no. Either way, it’s not expected to be a unanimous decision. Five yes votes are needed.

Honestly, I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t pass. I will find it extremely interesting if, when the time comes, the vote is close, like 5-4. I do expect at least 1-2 no votes.

If all goes as planned, the shot clock will be used as the girls and boys varsity level during the regular season only, not the tournament, during the 2027-2028 season. That seems a little odd, but apparently that’s going to be in the proposal. The 2028-2029 season is when it would be fully implemented, regular season and tournament.

Women’s Final Four

Did anyone really see UConn losing in the national semifinals? I didn’t. Did anyone see UCLA winning the national championship by 28 points? I sure didn’t. It was an interesting Final Four to say the least.

Monday prep baseball, softball roundup

VW independent sports

Baseball

Van Wert 9 Parkway 6

ROCKFORD — A sixth run fifth inning by Van Wert was the difference as the Cougars improved to 3-0 with a 9-6 win over Parkway on Monday.

Trevor Halker opened the sixth with a double, then scored on a single by Cam Werts to give Van Wert a 4-2 lead. Werts later scored on a single by Zander Coleman, then Griffin McCracken doubled home Wyatt Scott and Conner Harris for a 7-2 lead. Coleman scored on a bases loaded walk and McCracken scored on a sacrifice fly by Halker. Parkway scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth but could draw no closer.

Werts led the Cougars with three hits while McCracken and Halker each finished with two hits. Scott Harris and Finley Dickenson combined for six strikeouts.

The Cougars will open WBL play at Shawnee today.

Lincolnview 27 Ottoville 0

OTTOVILLE — After a week of postponements due to rain, Lincolnview’s 2026 season finally began in a big way on Monday, as the Lancers routed Ottoville 27-0 in six innings.

Chayse Overholt and Holden Price each drove in four runs in the victory, while Case Young, Grant Zielke and Marshall Hammons each finished with two RBI. Price had a team high four hits, including two triples.

The Lancers scored nine runs in the first inning then added 12 more in the second, two in the fourth and four in the fifth. Overholt, Max Hammons, Young and Owen Long teamed up to hold the Big Green to just two hits in the game. Ottoville was plagued by eight errors in the game.

Lincolnview (1-0) will host Ayersville today.

Softball

Lincolnview 11 Coldwater 1 (five innings)

COLDWATER — Lainey Spear drove in four runs and Lincolnview bounced back from Saturday’s loss to Defiance with a five inning, 11-1 win over Coldwater on Monday.

Lancer softball team falls to Defiance

VW independent sports

DEFIANCE — A pair of errors in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Defiance a 2-1 walk off win over Lincolnview on Saturday. The Lancers were plagued by six errors in the game.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Defiance scored on a sacrifice fly by Elley Ward. Lincolnview answered in the top of the sixth when Ansley Schwab scored on a sac fly by Lainey Spear. In the seventh, the Bulldogs got runners on with two outs via an error and a walk, then scored on another error.

Both teams had just four hits in the game. Lincolnview’s Ila Hughes struck out 10 and walked two.

Lincolnview (3-1) will travel to Coldwater today.

Crestview hoops awards

The Crestview boys basketball program recently concluded its season with head coach Doug Etzler and his coaching staff, recognizing various accomplishments throughout the season, which ended at the Division VI regional semifinals. NWC Scholar-Athletes (above, left to right): Hudson Perrott, Will Sheets and Liam Putman. Not pictured: Denver McDougall. Special awards (below): Cash Hammons (70 percent Free Throw Club), Liam Putman (Defensive Award), Hudson Perrott (Hustle Award), Hayden Perrott (Most Assists, Offensive Award, NWC Second Team, District 8 Second Team, All-Northwest District Third Team, All-Ohio Honorable Mention), Will Sheets (Most Rebounds, Offensive Award, NWC Second Team, All-Northwest District Honorable Mention), Huxley Grose (Knight Pride Award), Braxton Leeth (Knight Pride Award), Owen Heckler (Most Improved). Not pictured: Denver McDougall (Most Improved). Photos submitted