JACKSON CENTER, Ohio — The Indians got back on track in a big way.

Less than 18 hours after suffering a road loss to the National Trail Blazers, Fort Recovery High School’s softball team recorded two big innings to obliterate the host Jackson Center Tigers 16-1 in five innings Saturday.

The Indians (10-4), who fell 6-2 to National Trail on Friday, were already up 2-0 through two innings before exploding for six runs in the third. They added eight more in the fifth to end the game early.

Leadoff hitter Emma Will led the massive day for the FRHS offense with a double, a single, a run and four RBIs. Sophie Pearson, Ella Schoen, Kensey Gaerke, Jackie Homan and Cali Wendel all added two hits apiece.

Homan had three RBIs and two runs, and Pearson and Gaerke both finished with two RBIs and two runs. Schoen scored three times, and Chloey Grisez and Wendel each had two runs.

Pearson turned in a strong pitching effort, striking out 11 in five innings. She limited Jackson Center to one run on two hits.



JC golfers place 5th

GENEVA — Jay County’s boys golf team posted a score of 364 at its first 18-hole event of the season, finishing fifth out of 12 teams Saturday at the South Adams Invitational.

Northeastern won the event with a 338 at Wabash Valley Golf Club. Winchester (352) was second and Norwell (357) placed third. Bluffton was three strokes better than the Patriots in fourth and Adams Central was five strokes behind in sixth.

Caleb DeRome paced JCHS with an 85. He shot 4-over-par on the front nine, including a birdie on the second hole and pars on the third, fourth, fifth and seventh.

Kyle Sanders, Brock DeHoff and Ricky Nava all shot 93 to round off the Patriots’ team score.



Funkhouser fourth

MUNCIE — Aaron Funkhouser recorded the top individual finish for the Jay County boys track team as it finished seventh with 32 points at Saturday’s Muncie Central Relays.

Funkhouser recorded a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash. He also teamed with Isaac Kunkler, Cristian Marentes and Dylan Knapschafer in the 3x400 relay.

Skyler Bee, Gabe Pinkerton, Knapschafer and Marentes were fifth in the 4x100 relay. Sean Guntle finished sixth in the shot put.

Adding seventh-place finishes were Bryce Collins in the discus, Knapschafer in the long jump and Kunkler in the 300 hurdles.



Tribe baseball falls

FORT RECOVERY — The Lincolnview Lancers limited the Tribe offense Saturday as they handed the Fort Recovery baseball team a 4-0 defeat.

The visitors scored the only runs they would need with two in the top of the first inning. They added single runs in the fourth and sixth.

Fort Recovery (8-5) managed just two hits, one each from Troy Homan and Landon Post. Homan, Marcus Gaerke and Kendrik Wendel each drew a walk.

Wyatt Bihn suffered the loss, giving up three runs — two earned — on four hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. Jackson Ervin gave up one run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief.



Jay JH track 2nd

MONROEVILLE — Jay County ended up in the middle.

Competing Monday at Heritage, the Jay County junior high track teams both finished in second place in a three-team meet with the Bluffton Tigers and host Patriots.

Maria Hemmelgarn and Joseph Boggs set the pace for the Jay County teams.

Hemmelgarn led the girls as she won the 100-meter dash and the high jump. Amelia Heath added a first-place finish in the discus, and Alexis Sibray, Aixa Lopez, Ariel Beiswanger and Moa Sakamoto were first in the 4x400 relay.

Boggs set the pace for the boys as he took first place in the 800-meter run and the 1,600 run. He also teamed with Beckett Brandenburg, Creed Beiswanger and Jon Pitman to take the top spot in the 4x400 relay.

Chris Compton recorded the only other individual win in the shot put.



All-stars sweep

Portland’s 8-and-younger all-star softball team swept a doubleheader Thursday against Winchester with a couple of 13-0 victories.

Ellie Wiggins racked up eight RBIs on the evening, smashing a home run in the opener and recording a double in each game. Lilah Hudson had three hits, including two doubles, in the first game, and Paisley Day and Kenzlea Bentz also each drove in two runs.

Hudson had four hits and an RBI in the second game, and Emma Wilhelm recorded three hits, including a double and two RBIs.