Avery Slaymaker threw out the first pitch Wednesday afternoon at the Warsaw-Fort Wayne Carroll softball game. The Lady Tigers were hosting a “Fear Is A Liar Night” for Avery’s sister, Payton, who is battling cancer. Photos courtesy Kerry Ousley

NorthWood Softball 17, LaVille 6

Crazy eights for NorthWood as the Panthers got off the mat with its first win of the season Wednesday at LaVille.

NorthWood (1-4) put up snowmen in both the third and sixth innings to pull away from the hosts. Behind the offense was a career day for Morgan Jenkins, who homered three times. She drove in four and scored five runs among her fantastic showing. Lili Lomeli and Carly Mast both had three RBI and Halle DeMien had three hits and two RBI in the win.

Ashlyn Brooke worked four innings, allowing three runs and striking out three to get the win in the circle.

Fort Wayne Carroll Softball 11, Warsaw 0

Avery Slaymaker poses with the Warsaw softball team prior to the game with Fort Wayne Carroll Wednesday afternoon. Slaymaker was the First Pitch guest for the game.

It was the second straight night on the wrong end of a dime for Warsaw, but the Tigers still came out with a win Wednesday afternoon at the Tiger Softball Complex.

Carroll did all the damage in the game itself, using three homers and seven total hits from Molly Wallace, Baylee Uhrick and Madeline Goheen, the three also responsible for nine of the team’s 11 RBI.

Shaelyn Peters scattered just two hits to Megan McKenzie and Natalya Holder to earn the five-inning shutout for the Chargers.

Warsaw’s bigger role in the day came in its support for Payton Slaymaker. The team dubbed the game “Fear Is A Liar Night” in respect for Payton, a Warsaw community 10-year-old who is battling an aggressive form of cancer. The #prayforpayton event had the team bring out Payton’s sister, Avery, to throw out the first pitch, sell shirts as a fundraiser, and donate gate proceeds to the Slaymaker family.

The team did not have a confirmed donation total as of Wednesday night.

Tippecanoe Valley JV Softball 23, Warsaw 22

Valley won a wild JV contest at home on a walk-off walk. Valley did not provide stats for its team.

Warsaw had three hits apiece from Allison Gonzalez, Taylor Myers, Camille Kazee and Alyssa Swanson.

Wawasee JV Baseball 9, Columbia City 5

Wawasee used three pitchers to get the job done, won by Brady Russell with two innings of three strikeout ball. Hunter Fiedeke was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored and Landen Alexander homered and drove in three for the Warriors.

Indiana Tech Baseball 6, Grace 1
Indiana Tech 10, Grace 1

Grace’s baseball team got a memorable opportunity on Wednesday, playing at one of the premier minor league ballparks in the country.

The Lancers played a doubleheader against Indiana Tech at Parkview Field, home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Grace lost both games of the twin ball, falling 6-1 and 10-1.

The Warriors won the opener 6-1 despite holding just a 6-5 edge in hits.

The Lancers used a pitcher-by-committee approach in both games, and Grace’s hurlers were efficient in the opener. Bret Wilhelmi, Mason Meyer, Hunter Schumacher and Nick Stoltzfus combined to allow just six hits and three earned runs.

But Grace had three fielding errors in the game, and the Warriors produced extra-base hits in key moments. The Warriors scored three unearned runs in the fifth off back-to-back doubles to put the game out of reach.

Grace got on the scoreboard in the final at-bat of the game. The Lancers loaded the bases thanks to singles by RJ Snyder and Jaron Mullet as well as a walk by Chris Griffin. Alex Rich drove in one run with a two-out single, but the game ended with a rundown on the basepaths between third base and home.

Snyder finished 2 for 3 from the leadoff position, and Mullet was 1 for 2 with a run and a walk.

In the second game, the Lancers showed promise early on offense. In the top of the first, Grace had three singles off the bats of Griffin, Rich and Sam Newkirk. Newkirk’s single brought in Griffin for a 1-0 lead.

The Warriors responded in emphatic fashion. Indiana Tech plated six times in the bottom of the first and eased away for a 10-1 victory.

The Lancers did not have a base hit after the top of the first.

Braden Compton and Zach Platt were the most effective pitchers for Grace, throwing one scoreless inning in relief apiece.

The Lancers will head to Marian this weekend for a four-game series on Friday and Saturday.