Summer swim team opens with big win

UNION CITY — The Jay swimmers started their season off with a bang.

The Jay County Summer Swim team started the 2024 season off strong as the girls dominated to push Jay County to a win at the Wabash Valley Conference Relays on Saturday held at Union City High School.

Jay County tallied 1,876 points between the boys and girls, blowing away runner-up Wells Community by 420 points. South Adams avoided the bottom spot with 1,044 points, while Blackford/Marion brought up the rear with 388.

Jay County claimed 26 of the 50 relays in the meet.

The girls dominated the younger age groups as they swept the 8-and-younger, 9-10-year-old, 11-12-year-old and 13-14-year-old categories. 

The 15-and-older girls only won the 200-yard backstroke relay.

The boys won five relays.

Four of the first-place finishes came from the 13-14-year-old relay team, while the 8-and-younger team claimed the 100 backstroke relay.

Rockets struggle

The Portland Rockets finished 1-3 over the weekend after a pair of doubleheaders against the Northeast Kekiongas.

The Rockets dropped both games on Saturday with scores of 4-1 and 9-1.

Joel Kennedy drove in the only run of the opening game with an RBI single in the first inning, but the Rockets (4-6) already trailed after Tyler Reynolds gave up a pair of runs in the top half of the inning.

Reynolds suffered the loss, giving up two more runs in the sixth without getting any more run support.

Another RBI single by Kennedy got the Rockets on top in game No. 2, but Sam Dunlavy couldn’t hold the lead, giving up six runs – only two were earned – over the next four innings.

Portland won the third game of the series 10-6. It jumped on top early with three runs in the first and four in the second. Kennedy had two hits and drove in three runs.

The Kekiongas took the finale 7-5 by breaking the tie in the seventh inning with a triple and a passed ball.

Penrod leads

Kenna Penrod dominated the Stinger Division of Pennville Soccer Club on Saturday, finding the net six times for the A Place to Grow Wasps.

Penrod’s day started by scoring all three goals for the Wasps in a 3-3 tie with the Patriot Sportswear Hornets.

Grant Cosner scored two goals for the Hornets, while Ian Kaehr added one.

Penrod netted three goals, while the Wasps shut out the AgBest Express Bees for a 4-0 win. Mabel Leonhard also scored to support Penrod’s effort.

Meteors dominate

The Bro Shadow Meteors boasted the most dominant win of the day Pennville Soccer Club’s Space Division.

The Meteors beat down the Vinson Rental Property Galaxy for a 7-0 victory. Neymar Carreno led the way with five goals for the Meteors, while Audriana Gaucin and Jonas Westfall each added one.

Owen Ehrhart scored a pair of goals to help lead the Dave’s Heating and Cooling Asteroids past the New Beginnings Holiness Church Rockets 3-2. Jordan Wendel had the other point for the Asteroids. The Rockets’ scores came from Cooper Bailey and Ivy Riley.

The Ohio Valley Gas Stars and the Galaxy finished in a 1-1 draw. Madalyn Malyska found the net for the Stars, while Calvin Minch accounted for the Galaxy’s goal.

Lions take two

The WPGW Lions won a pair of games in the Wildcat Division of Pennville Soccer Club on Saturday.

The Lions’ first win came against the Portland Cougars by a score of 4-3.

Jade Westgerdes found the goal twice for the Lions, while Charlee Peters and Payson Rickard each added a goal. Lyle Beiswanger scored all three of the Cougars’ points.

Later in the day, the Lions took down the Pennville General Store Tigers 2-0. Peters and Karsen Kuhn powered the Lions offense.

The Penrod Monument Jaguars and the POET Biorefining Cheetahs wound up in a 1-1 tie. The Jaguars’ score came from Carsten Penrod, while the Cheetahs’ got theirs from Liam Thompson.