It was NECC tournament time for baseball and softball.
Baseball started its run with an 18-1 win at Prairie Heights. Michael Slabaugh was a triple short of the cycle, driving in four and plating four times. Cohen Yoder added three runs scored. Owen Garrison got the complete game on the mound, allowing just two hits and fanning four.
Eli Miller drove in four runs as Fairfield breezed into the semis with an 11-1 win over West Noble Wednesday evening. Yoder scored four more runs and Luke Mast added a double, two stolen bases and two runs scored.
Garrett stunned Fairfield with a run in the top of the ninth inning to knock the Falcons out of the tournament with a 3-2 win Thursday night at Fairfield. Aiden Orth drove in the winning run for the Railroaders, which were on the short end of a 13-3 dime just over a week ago at the hands of the Falcons.
Fairfield had to rally just to get the game to extras, using a two-out trio of hits from Yoder, Slabaugh and Landon Miller to tie the game at two.
JV baseball scored seven runs in the fourth and held off a late Elkhart rally for an 8-6 win Monday. Grady Garber had a huge night, hitting two triples and driving in three, and also getting the pitching win with six innings of three-hit, two-earned run ball.
The JV split its two games at Saturday’s Concord Invite, clobbering Jimtown in game one, 17-1, but falling to the host Minutemen in the final, 11-6. In the win, Garber threw a complete game three-hitter with 10 punchouts. Drew Beachy had four hits, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs, and Austin Christner added three hits and three driven in. Landon Beasy had two hits in the Concord contest.
Softball’s jump into the NECC tourney had the Lady Falcons score six of the game’s final seven runs in a 10-4 win at Prairie Heights. Lilly Yoder had a season-high three RBIs and Adelyn Holsopple cracked another homer and drove in three. Madison Jones got the pitching win in relief, allowing one run over the final four innings.
Fairfield advanced to the NECC semis with a 9-4 win over West Noble Wednesday afternoon. Three runs in the sixth helped the Lady Falcons pull away from the scrappy Chargers. Kinslyn Pressler led the home side with three RBIs while Lynelle Penrose and Jones both drove in two.
Fremont made Fairfield sweat, but the Lady Falcons escaped to the NECC championship with a 13-12 win Thursday at home. The Eagles scored five runs in the seventh and had the go-ahead run in scoring position before Faith Berkey got a strikeout to end it.
Berkey and Jayslynn Hall both homered and combined to drive in five, and Yoder scored three runs as the Lady Falcons advanced back to the title game.
Fairfield couldn't come back from a five-run Central Noble first inning as the Lady Cougars defeated the Lady Falcons, 6-3, Friday in the Northeast Corner Conference softball tournament championship game in Albion. It was just the second-ever title for Central Noble (2019), which held Fairfield to just three hits in the contest. Madison Jones had two hits and an RBI and both Lilly Yoder and Breah Gill had RBIs for the Falcons, which hasn't won a NECC tournament title since 2016.
Fairfield continued to roll in NECC tennis play Monday, beating visiting Churubusco 4-1. In the four court wins, Fairfield allowed just three games to the Eagles, including singles shutouts from Addie Mast and Allie Stahly.
In staying unbeaten in NECC play, Fairfield needed a third set win from two dubs to hold off Fremont, 3-2, Wednesday evening. Eva Herbert and Lacy Stoltzfus lost its first set 6-3, but came back to lose just one game the next two sets to hold off Erica Cain and Milaina Miller 6-1, 6-0.
Mast shut out Chloe Hivers at one singles, and one dubs of Amanda McGuire and Elise Schwartz closed out two and one.
Fairfield got the wins it needed by allowing just four games in its three court wins, pulling out a 3-2 victory at Westview Thursday.
Mast won by shutout at No. 1, and both doubles teams won 6-0, 6-2.
The JV teams split its 10 games right down the middle, five wins apiece.
Wawasee gave Fairfield its best shot, but a medalist 35 from Brayden Miller and season-best 38 from Miles Nine had the Falcons boys golf hold off the Warriors, 158-166, Monday afternoon at Maxwelton. Both teams also earned an extra win, West Noble third in the group at 221. Jake Elliott added a 41 and Jasper Carl had a 44 to aid the team win.
Jayce Smith and Brady Park each carded 46s in the JV round, Smith using birdies on one and eight, to help Fairfield to a 192-207 win over the Warriors.
Ben Kio shot his best varsity round to date, a 39, to help the Falcons to a 159 to best Westview (172) and Angola (178). In a showdown of two of the top golfers in northern Indiana, Westview’s Luke Harrer outdueled Miller 32-36, Harrar playing the final five holes at four-under, including an eagle on nine.
Fairfield’s JV also picked up two wins at Heron Creek, shooting 197 to edge out Angola’s 201 and Westview’s 256. Lincoln Wogoman had the top round for Fairfield with a 47
Fairfield totaled a 337 Saturday in tough conditions at Maxwelton as part of the Wawasee Invite, but finished runner-up to Columbia City’s championship 330. Full results were not immediately available.
Fairfield won 10 of 14 events against West Noble on the boys side to finish with a commanding 84-48 track win over the Chargers Wednesday afternoon in greater Benton. Evan Correll’s double in the mile (4:51.20) and two-mile (10:17.65) led the track while the field events were huge, led by Caleb Silliman’s 5-3 win in high jump and Marco Garcia’s 18-4.5 win in long jump.
The Lady Chargers topped the Lady Falcons, 78-54. Madelyn Culp won three events, taking both hurdles (17.05 and 51.21) along with long jump (15-1). Jalyn Stofleth and Shelby Miller both hit 9-6 on pole vault, Stofleth establishing first.
Fairfield won both sides of the LaVille Lancer Invite Friday evening. In the track relay, field partner setup, the boys side win nine of 12 events to score 106 points, bettering state-ranked LaVille’s 83 points. The girls won just four of the 12 events, but were top three in five others to score 85 points to edge out LaVille’s 77 points.
Fairfield junior high track hosted Churubusco on Monday, the boys getting a 76-37 win while Busco girls won 84-34.
Fairfield swept the high jump, shot put and discus events, led by Brandt Sark on jumps (5-3), Gavin Lash on shot (39-9) and Dylan Titterington on disc (122-02). Levi Sydor added a win in the 800 (2:33.70).
Emery Holsopple cleared 6-0 to take pole vault for the Lady Falcons, Layna Stoltzfus took the mile (6:27.54) and Julianna Hinkle added wins in the 100 (14.58) and the 200 (29.50).
At Friday’s soggy Westview Invite, Fairfield’s boys finished second overall, trailing just West Noble, 146.5-98, while the girls finished sixth with 56.5 points, all chasing West Noble’s 134 points. Fairfield didn’t have an event champion on either side, but had four runner-up spots in the field in the boys events, and two second-places in girls action.