_files/image001.gif)
Thursday, in its season opener, the Wildcats picked up where they left off, defeating rival Delphos St. John's 9-5 at Stadium Park.
Josh Miller, a senior right-hander, got the starting nod on the mound for Delphos Jefferson (1-0). Miller worked 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits, while striking out seven and walking one.
Craig Carder came in to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings for Jefferson. The junior right-hander allowed two runs on one hit, while striking out two and walking two.
Delphos St. John's (0-3) countered with Austin Vogt on the mound. The sophomore right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits. Jordan Bergfeld worked the final 2 2/3 innings, yielding two runs on three hits, while fanning one and walking two.
Cory Bastian led Jefferson at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Ryan Kortokrax (2-for-3) had the big hit of the game for the Wildcats, a leadoff home run in the second that knotted the game at 1. Sean Fisher also had a two-hit day (2-for-5) for Jefferson.
Ty Bergfeld went 1-for-3 at the plate for St. John's. Bergfeld's lone hit was a first-inning double. Mitchell MacLennan also had an extra-base hit for St. John's, a triple in the fifth that made the score 8-3.
Delphos Jefferson coach Troy Montenery said Thursday's performance from his team was solid, considering it was its season opener.
"Overall, I thought it was a pretty good game. ... being the first game of the season," Montenery said. "I thought we hit the ball well, we ran the bases well and I thought we played pretty adequate defense."
The pivotal inning for Jefferson proved to be the fifth. The Wildcats opened the inning with three consecutive hits.
Carder, the No. 9 batter for Jefferson, started things off in the fifth with a double to deep center field. After Carder's two-bagger, Bergfeld came in to relieve Vogt.
Bastian promptly gave Bergfeld a rude welcome with a double down the left-field line, scoring Carder. Fisher then lined a hit to left, scoring Bastian, making the score 4-1.
Jefferson added three more runs in the fifth, two of those runs a result of wild pitches, to take a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
St. John's answered with two runs in the home half of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Joel Pohlman had a hit, while Bergfeld pushed a run across with a grounder to the left side of the infield.
Jefferson had an opportunity to do some damage in the sixth when it had the bases loaded, but managed to score just one run, leaving three runners stranded.
The Wildcats added one more in the seventh when Carder sacrificed Austin Clarkson in from third base. Clarkson led off the sixth with a double to left.
Montenery said he likes the way his team battles at the plate from the top of the batting order to the bottom.
"We like to think that it's (balanced lineup) one of our biggest strengths this year," he said. "We also have guys coming off the bench that contribute, too."
Delphos St. John's coach Dan Metzger felt his team came out and put forth its best effort. He praised his pitching staff on the way it hung in there.
"Austin (Vogt) came out and pitched pretty well," he said. "He made that one mistake (home run by Kortokrax) and they made him pay. But, overall, I thought he pitched pretty well.
"And Jordan (Bergfeld). ... it was like being baptized under fire. But, I thought he did OK."
