By Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (May 13, 2026) — While Evergreen missed out on a bundle of scoring chances, Delphos Jefferson rang up 19 hits and took advantage of multiple Viking errors to chalk up a 13-5 victory in a Division V girls softball sectional final at Evergreen.
The first play of the game was a big indicator of what would happen the rest of the night when Carolyn Mueller’s fly ball to center was dropped to put a Wildcat runner in scoring position.
Gianna Lee’s base hit gave Jefferson a lead they never lost. Evergreen got one back to tie in the first on a Jefferson error, Leah McVey’s single and a ground out, but missed a golden opportunity in the second.
A hit batter, walk and error loaded the bases with one down, but Wildcat pitcher Claire Brinkman whiffed the next two hitters to end the threat.
Jefferson took advantage of that lost chance when they chalked up four third inning runs. Mueller’s ground ball triple down the right field line began the rally and a two-out error extended it.
That miscue led to Blaire Gable’s two-run single that gave the Wildcats a 5-1 margin. The Vikings again put the first two hitters on base in the bottom of the third but only got one run, that coming on Riley Studenka’s run-scoring single with two down.
Jefferson expanded their lead to 8-2 the next frame. Lee and Megan Kerner each had RBI hits in the inning.
Evergreen got the first three hitters on base in the fourth putting a run on the board on a pair of walks and a Wildcat error but again couldn’t get a big hit to climb back into the game.
Jefferson extended the lead one more time in the fifth. Isabela Basinger doubled to score one run and Ky Eberle singled to bring home another, making it a three-run inning.
For the fifth straight inning, the Vikings put the first two hitters on base as Sydney Bull singled and Studenka drew a walk.
Two ground ball outs scored one run, and Avah Vaculik brought home a second with a base hit, but Evergreen (10-13) still trailed 11-5.
Jefferson (14-11) added single runs in the sixth and seventh for insurance.
DJHS 104 331 1 – 13 19 3
EHS 101 120 0 – 5 5 3
WP- Claire Brinkman (IP-7, R-5, H-5, K-5, BB-7)
LP- Peyton Mossing (IP-7, R-13, H-19, K-7, BB-2)
LEADING HITTERS: (Jefferson) Carolyn Mueller – 2 singles, double, triple; Gianna Lee – 3 singles, 3 RBIs, 2 runs; Ky Eberle – 4 singles, RBI; Isabela Basinger – double, 2 RBIs; (Evergreen) Sydney Bull – 2 singles.
