SECTIONAL FINAL … Fayette’s Monroe Simon snags a throw at third base while Grace Hastings slides in safely.
PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
CLEAR THE BASES … Pettisville’s Kendall Vickery hits a grand slam in an 11-run second inning for the Blackbirds. VIEW PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM.
By: Mario Gomez
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
PETTISVILLE (May 15, 2026) — Pettisville and Fayette have met two other times this year with each game resulting in a mercy-rule win for the Blackbirds, so for the Eagles it would seem like the third time might be their charm for a win.
The Birds (8-12) made sure that the saying remained just a saying with the help of an 11-run inning to boost them to a 14-3 win to advance to a district semifinal.
“Fayette is an improved team,” said Pettisville head coach Chris Richer. “They’ve come a long way. We told our girls pregame do not take this game lightly. We knew they were going to come to play.”
Pettisville moves on to Bryan to battle Edgerton in one district semifinal with the winner moving on to the final to face the winner of Old Fort/Tiffin Calvert in the district final.
Macy Hoylman toed the slab for the Blackbirds and went through the first inning giving up a single to Kayla Sliwinski with no damage behind it.
Leadoff hitter Ali Genter slapped a hard hit past the shortstop for a single to get Pettisville started.
Genter swiped a pair of bases to reach third but Fayette pitcher Ellie Williams got Sophie Beltz to strike out and Hoylman to line out to first.
A walk to Bailey Booth put runners on the corners but catcher Willow Mitchell caught Genter too far off third to record a pick off and end the inning unscathed.
A bunt single by Monroe Simon to start the second was all the Eagles could muster with Hoylman setting the next three batters down.
Pettisville sent 14 batters to the plate in the second to bust open a scoreless game. Madison Miller opened with a single and came home on an error after Brynn Schwartz hit a double to left field and the relay throw was errant to allow Miller to score.
Locke Boulton came on to pinch run for Schwartz and scored the second run of the game on a Grace Hastings bunt single.
Hastings stole second to move into scoring position. Williams struck out Kendall Vickery for the first out then walked Kendyl Davis after Hastings stole third to put runners on first and third.
Genter singled to right field to score Hastings but another Fayette error allowed Davis to move to third base. Beltz doubled on a rope to center field to score Davis and Genter to give the Birds a 5-0 lead.
The hits kept coming after Hoylman reached on a single to move Beltz to third. Hoylman stole second and Booth was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Miller singled to score Beltz for a 6-0 lead.
Fayette got a fly ball out by Schwartz for the second out of the inning. Hastings singled to first base to score Hoylman.
Vickery came up for the second time in the inning, having struck out her first time, and put the exclamation mark on the game when she sent a 3-2 pitch over the center field fence for the grand slam and an 11-0 lead.
Williams got the final out on a ground out but the damage was done. After another 1-2-3 inning for the Eagles, Pettisville scored two more runs to extend their lead.
Genter led off with a triple and came home on a Beltz double. Beltz moved to third on a steal and scored on a Booth double to give the Birds a 13-0 lead after three innings.
Fayette got on the board in the top of the fourth when Williams hit a single to center to score Simon from third base but one run was all that they could muster and trailed 13-1 going into the bottom of the fourth.
The Blackbirds got that run back after Hoylman singled to score Genter and take a 14-1 lead into the fifth and potential final inning if Fayette could not overcome the 13-run deficit.
Maycee Beers got the Eagles off to a positive start, slapping a double to left.
After a strikeout, Addison Schang singled to put runners on the corners. Mitchell grounded out to third but moved Schang to second.
Sliwinski hit a single that scored Beers and Schang to make it 14-3. The end came on a fly ball by Reilly Bailey to shut the Eagle rally down and send Pettisville on to the district.
“We worked all week to get ourselves in a good mental state ready to go and they were in it start to finish,” said Richer. “I’m very proud of our approach.”
The Blackbirds face the first seed Edgerton Bulldogs in the district semifinal at Bryan knowing the battle they have ahead of them.
“They [Edgerton] are very solid from top to bottom,” said Richer. Their lineup is legit and we know that. We know it’s a tall task but we are going to go at them and give them a game in Bryan.”
FHS 000 12 – 3 7 3
PHS 0(11)2 1x-14 17 0
WP- Macy Hoylman (IP-5, R-3, H-7, K-2, BB-2)
LP- Ellie Williams (IP-4, R-14, H-17, K-3, BB-5)
LEADING HITTERS: (Fayette) Kayla Sliwinski – 2 singles; (Pettisville) Ali Genter – single, triple, RBI; Kendall Vickery – grand slam, 4 RBIs; Sophie Beltz – 2 doubles, 3 RBIs.
