(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
ENDING THE INNING … Fayette’s Willow Mitchell snags a pop up from behind the plate for the final out of the inning in Thursday’s non-league tilt at Evergreen.
GETTING THINGS STARTED … Evy Shrader lines a double to start the third inning for the Vikings in a 12-1 win over Fayette.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (March 27, 2025) – Evergreen lead-off hitter Leah McVey opened the game circling the bases on a single and a pair of miscues, and the Vikings kept running after that to post a 12-1 five inning win over Fayette at Bill Steck Field.
“I was really impressed with the base running tonight,” Evergreen coach Mollie Youtzy said. “We did a great job with that, and we were aggressive.”
Fayette took a 1-0 in the top of the first inning against Viking freshman Peyton Mossing.
Aysha Shade drew a leadoff walk and Monroe Simon followed with a sharp single that chased Shade to third. Willow Mitchell’s RBI groundout gave the Eagles an early lead.
McVey erased that deficit leading off the bottom of the inning when she rifled a sharp single to left.
When the ball got loose, McVey raced to second and when the throw into the infield got away, the Viking third baseman circled the rest of the way to tie the game.
Evergreen took the lead for keeps a short time later. Alex Paulson walked, stole second and when the throw to there got away, Paulson went to third where she came home on Avah Vaculik’s fly ball.
The Vikings added on in the second. Megan Clancy’s leadoff single initiated a four-run rally and after a pair of walks, Paulson singled to knock in one run, then when the Eagles misplayed the throw in, Riley Studenka raced home for a 4-1 lead.
Vaculik’s sharp single brought home a third Viking run and a dropped infield pop marked another to make it 6-1.
Evy Shrader’s ringing double started the third and Clancy followed with a run-scoring single to push the gap to 7-1.
Two more walks, Paulson’s ground out and Vaculik’s booming double to left center tallied three more Viking runs for a 10-1 lead and Evergreen got two more in the fourth when Alyssa Marvin doubled with two on for the last pair of Viking markers.
Mossing pitched around six walks for the victory, as she struck out nine while allowing just two hits.
Evergreen travels to Ottawa Hills on Friday while Fayette hosts Continental on Friday.
FHS 100 00 – 1 2 3
EHS 244 2x – 12 8 1
Records: FHS 0-2, EHS 1-1
WINNING PITCHER: Mossing (5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts)
LOSING PITCHER: Jennings (4 innings, 8 hits, 12 runs, 9 earned, 6 walks, 4 strikeouts)
LEADING HITTERS: Fayette – 2 singles; (Evergreen) McVey – double, 2 runs; Paulson – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Vaculik – double, single, 4 RBIs; Shrader – double; Marvin – double, 2 RBIs; Clancy – double, single, 2 runs