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RUNDOWN FEELING – Fairmont third baseman Landen Meyerdirk (left) sprints to tag out Maple River runner Jax Boening during a rundown between second and third base during nonconference baseball action Friday night at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)
FAIRMONT – The Class AA No. 1-ranked Fairmont rallied to four sixth-inning runs on the heels of a lightning delay to exit Herb Wolf Field with a 10-run rule victory on Friday night.
Ace right-hander Brendan Schmidtke pitched five near-perfect shutout innings of one-hit baseball, while Landen Meyerdirk and Lincoln Becker pitched a 1-2 punch from the top of the batting order to powering the Cardinals to a 13-3, six-inning non-league victory over the Maple River Eagles.
“Brendan does a good job of watching his fastball and the rest of his pitches,” said Fairmont head coach Don Waletich. “Coaches love a ‘pitch-to-contact’ guy on the mound like him. He keeps the defense active, and he’ll sneak in strikeouts here and there.
Schmidtke showed his stellar command of his deliveries by striking out six without issuing a walk in five innings to earn the win. The Cardinals’ senior hurler kept a perfect game through four frames before Maple River’s Aidan Sindelir struck out with two outs in the top of the fifth.
While Schmidtke retired the first dozen Eagle batters he faced, Becker singled twice to drive in three runs and spark a 9-0 Cardinals margin through two completed frames.
Meyerdirk, who went 2-for-3, legged a leadoff double in the home half of the first before quickly rounding the bases on Becker’s RBI single to right field for a 1-0 lead.
Cooper Steuber, who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, set the table for Fairmont’s eight-run explosion during the bottom of the second. Steuber singled, swiped second and left with a walk to Cole Wiemers.
Meyerdirk singled hard to center one out later to load the bases before Becker – who went 3-for-5 – hammered a two-run single to left for 3-0 top. Meyerdirk then crossed the plate on Nate Soelter’s RBI single before Jack Kosbab struck out Maple River starting pitcher Asher Krengel.
After a fielder’s choice, both Levi Pooley and Steuber reached on Eagle errors that allowed three more runs to score for a 7-0 lead. Wiemers then knocked a two-run single during his second trip to the batter’s box in the second for a 9-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they stranded three runners during the next three innings without extending their lead to double figures to make a mercy-rule early exit.
Maple River put up three unearned runs thanks to two Fairmont defensive miscues during the top of the sixth inning before the Lightning forced the game to go down 9-3 heading into the home half of the sixth.
Bryce Piotter, who walked, and Landon Fox, who singled, each scored for the Eagles when Braxton Simon’s grounder to short was thrown to first base. Simon later scored on Jax Boening’s bloop RBI single to cut the Cardinals lead to 9-3.
“I thought that our players remained focused on the task at hand and put together a good response that was not good after waiting for the time delay,” Waletich said.
After watching a brief downpour from the dugout, the Cardinals removed the tarp around home plate before Steuber started Fairmont’s sixth-inning bid to collect the run-rule victory.
Steuber scored on a one-out single before Wiemers, Joseph Hackett and Meyerdirk drew back-to-back walks, with Steuber and Wiemers scoring on wild pitches, respectively.
With courtesy runners Carson Pomerenke and Meyerdirk on first and third, respectively, Becker appeared to potentially end the game by lining a single to right field. Pomerenke scored, but Meyerdirk hit a Maple River infielder down the base line near third and didn’t score.
However, Kosbab ended the suspense by drilling a walk-off RBI single up the middle to score Meyerdirk in the game-clinching run with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Becker finished the game with three hits and four RBIs for the Cardinals, while Kosbab went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Moeller walked one during his one inning of two-hit relief for Fairmont.
Maple River starting pitcher Asher Krengel gave up nine runs – four earned – on seven hits, struck out three batters, fanned one and walked three in three innings to take the loss.
Fairmont (3-0) travels to the Fox Lake Sports Complex in Welcome on Monday for a non-league game against Martin County West.
Maple River (2-1) takes on Belle Plaine at 3pm today at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato in a nonconference diamond clash.
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The winning run scored with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Asher Krengel (LP), Landon Fox (4) and Landon Fox, Braxton Simon (4). Brendan Schmidtke (WP), Ben Moeller (6) and Joseph Hackett.
LOB–Fairmont 8, Maple River 2. 2B–Landen Meyerdirk (FMT).
Starting pitcher Joe Long and reliever Cole Brockmann combined for 10 strikeouts in a five-hitter to lead Fairmont to a 6-1 victory over Maple River during junior varsity action Friday at Fairmont .
High notched seven strikeouts, walked three and allowed an earned run on four hits in five innings of work to earn the win. Brockmann struck out three, issued two walks and gave up one hit in two shutout innings of relief.
Merrit Pomerenke and Cole Nawrocki each had two hits to lead the Fairmont offense. Nawrocki scored two runs and delivered one RBI, while Pomerenke crossed the plate once.
Kellen Fritz contributed a hit and an RBI in the Cardinals’ winning ways, while Connor Sanvig and Nolyn Goerndt each chipped in a hit.
Softball preparation
Fairmont 8, St. James Area 3 — An incredible 3-0 start to the spring softball season.
Ace right-hander Tegan Livesay matched the single-game school-record strikeout mark she set just three days earlier, and teamed with teammate Brylee Miller to serve as the offensive anchors behind the 8-3 victory. of the Cardinals against the Saints on Friday night in St. James.
Livesay, who held the Saints scoreless through the first three innings before the lightning strike, racked up an incredible 18 strikeouts in seven innings of work to earn the complete game victory. Livesay allowed three runs – two earned – on three hits and issued five walks in the Big South Conference contest.
Livesay also showed his solid wood by going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Miller went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored from the leadoff spot. in the Fairmont batting order.
Chantel Moeller drilled a double for an RBI in two official at-bats for the Cardinals, while Nevaeh Rahm hit a double to go along with an RBI and a run scored.
Ava Terfehr singled and scored for Fairmont, while Emily Muller and Ava Gillmore each contributed a single in a 12-hit performance for the Cardinals.
The starting pitcher at St. James Area’s Laney Bowers gave up eight runs – six earned – on a dozen hits, struck out seven and walked six in seven-inning pitching.
Fairmont (3-0) traveled to St. Peter on Tuesday.
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Makenzie Lowry, Tiffany Lowry and Saige Leiding each had two hits to lead Fairmont to a 12-2 run-rule victory over St. James Area during the junior varsity action last Friday night at St. James.
Saige Leiding also handled the pitching duties for the Cardinals by striking out four batters in four innings of work to earn the win.
Jadyn Musser, Abi Sundeen, Makayla Lowry, Haleigh Grotzinger, Brooklyn Murphy and Reese Olson each contributed one hit to Fairmont’s offensive effort.
Martin County West 9, Madelia 7 — Emily Anderson collected two hits, including a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, and had a game-best four RBIs to engineer two runs. Mavericks’ win over the Blackhawks during a nonconference game Friday night in Madelia.
Hannah Rosenberg had two hits, including a double, crossed the plate three times and collected an RBI for the Mavericks, while teammate Lina Arnold provided a single, a double and a single you RBI.
Maddie Carlson recorded nine strikeouts and issued one walk in seven innings pitched to pick up the complete game win for MCW.
Emma Coil hit two HRs en route to three RBIs to pace Madelia’s effort.
Blackhawks starting pitcher Corban Tatro allowed seven runs, struck out six and walked six in 4 1/3 innings of work to take the loss.
Martin County West (2-0) travels to Jackson County Central on Monday night for a non-league game.
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