WINDING UP — North Union reliever Kaylee Meyer winds up before delivering a strike against Lawton-Bronson during second-round action in Saturday’s West Sioux softball invitational in Ireton, Iowa. Warrior shortstop Olivia Von Bank (right) and left fielder Sam Nielsen look on. (Photo courtesy of Kim Meyer/Bancroft Register)

IRETON, Iowa — Iowa Class 2A No. 4-ranked North Union donned orange socks to show its support for Claire Yaw during the West Sioux softball invitational on Saturday.

Yaw, a junior player for MOC-Floyd Valley, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the week and had already started treatments for the disease.

While the Warriors did not square off against MOC-Floyd Valley during the regular-season event, the high-octane, green-clad lineup knocked the socks off of their three opponents to improve to 19-1 overall on the season.

North Union needed only three innings to dispatch opening-round opponent Sioux City West by a 14-0 decision, plated six sixth-inning runs to exit the Ireton ballpark with a 16-2 run-rule win over Lawton-Bronson in second-round action before edging host West Sioux in the third round, 5-2.

“We, as well as a number of other teams in the tournament, wore orange in some form — socks, (hair) ribbons, shoelaces, wrist bands — to recognize (Yaw) and her battle with leukemia,” said Warriors’ assistant coach Jack Von Bank.

North Union ace right-hander Emily Meyer fired a three-inning no-hit shutout against Sioux City West as the Warriors’ batting order erupted for 11 runs in the first inning to put the game out of reach.

Meyer displayed outstanding control of her pitches in issuing only one walk, while recording seven strikeouts to earn the victory in Game 1.

Vanessa Von Bank went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored two runs to top the Warriors’ offensive outpouring, while Sam Nielsen went 2-for-2 with a triple and a walk, scored three runs and produced one RBI.

Cassie Beadle and Emily Meyer each went 2-for-3, with Beadle crossing the plate three times and Meyer driving in one run.

Naomi Jones went 1-for-1, was hit by a pitch, scored twice and collected one RBI for North Union in the opener, Shelby Fraker singled, while Olivia Von Bank, Maggie Engelby and Ella Ulrich each generated one RBI.

Olivia Von Bank then went 3-for-4 with a double to produce a game-leading five RBIs to ignite the Warriors’ 16-2, six-inning triumph over Lawton-Bronson.

Nielsen and Beadle set the proverbial table in Game 2 for North Union from the respective Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the batting order. Nielsen went 4-for-4 with four runs scored and one RBI, while Beadle went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Ulrich went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored against Lawton-Bronson, while Vanessa Von Bank went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and crossed the plate twice.

Naomi Jones singled, reached on an error and scored a pair of runs, while Meyer contributed an RBI single to her own pitching performance in second-round action.

Emily Meyer notched six strikeouts, issued two walks and allowed one hit in four shutout innings of work to earn the victory in Game 2.

Kaylee Meyer allowed two runs on three hits, struck out two and walked two in two innings of relief.

Ahead 6-2 through four completed frames, the Warriors sent eight hitters to the batter’s box during a four-run fifth before batting 11 hitters during a six-run sixth at-bat to put the game in the win column against Lawton-Bronson.

Olivia Von Bank’s two-run double served as the key catalyst during the fifth, while Ulrich’s two-run triple highlighted the green-and-white’s explosive sixth.

Naomi Jones doubled twice and drove in two runs, while Olivia Von Bank went 3-for-4 with an RBI double to guide the Warriors to a narrow 5-2 third-round victory over the hometown Falcons of West Sioux.

Emily Meyer scattered eight hits to allow two earned runs over seven innings of work to earn the complete-game victory. Meyer struck out four and issued two walks.

Meyer displayed her skills to trigger the Warriors’ initial offensive outbreak in the top of the second inning. Meyer singled before courtesy runner Aliyah Jones moved to second base on Fraker’s bunt hit.

Aliyah Jones and Libby Stevens — Fraker’s courtesy runner — each advanced a base on Engelby’s sacrifice bunt before Naomi Jones plated both teammates with a double into the left-field corner for a 2-0 lead.

Tied at 2-all on the heels of West Sioux catcher Avery Coyle’s two-run single in the bottom of the third inning, Nielsen engineered a pivotal two-out rally for the Warriors during the top of the fourth.

Nielsen legged out a bunt hit before Beadle swatted an RBI triple into the right-field corner to beat West Sioux’s defensive shift.

Olivia Von Bank then drilled an RBI double to plate Beadle for a 4-2 edge for the Warriors.

Ulrich reached on a bunt hit and ensuing error to lead off the Warriors’ sixth at-bat, wheeled to third on Nielsen’s groundout and scored on Beadle’s RBI groundout.

Emily Meyer worked around an infield hit during the bottom of the seventh inning to seal her third pitching victory of the tournament.

North Union (19-1) plays host to West Hancock in a doubleheader starting at 6 p.m. tonight in Swea City.