ST. JAMES – Fairmont VFW Post 1222 has played St. James Post 1912 three times in the last 10 days, and the result remained the same. Fairmont was a run shy of doubling up St. James in Thursday’s 9-5 win for the 2nd District, Southwest Sub-District baseball title.

“We did OK,” said Post 1222 head coach Todd Sukalski. “We’ll need to play better once we get to districts. We’ll practice some Monday and Wednesday, and try to get better. We’re just glad to play more games.”

Fairmont (16-3) plays the runner-up of the Northeast Sub-District during the opening round of the 2nd District Tournament at 5 p.m. next Thursday in Shakopee.

Post 1222 got on the board quickly as Nos. 1 and 2 hitters Jordan Wolter and Collin Steuber each singled in the bottom of the first inning. St. James starting pitcher Sawyer Carr walked Brady Allen to put three on.

Wolter scored on Camren Saxton’s RBI groundout, and Steuber crossed home on Jacob Tennyson’s sacrifice fly for the 2-0 score.

Aaron Rodriguez scored first for Post 1912 on Garrett Larson’s sacrifice fly to center during the second inning. Rodriguez reached on an error, moved to second on Alex Goltz’s bunt hit and reached third on a fielder’s choice.

Parker Jones flied out to right for the last out as Post 1912 inched within one of Post 1222.

Carr provided the tying run in the next inning. He singled to right-center and stole two bases before running home on Riley Sandmeyer’s sacrifice bunt.

But Fairmont regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Steuber walked, stole second and moved up on an error that got Saxton on. Tennyson lined a hard grounder up the left-field line, giving Steuber and Saxton enough time to add runs.

Jack Hested benefitted on a dropped fly ball to right to reach before swiping two bases. Tennyson later raced home on a wild pitch for the 5-2 Post 1222 lead.

Hested provided Post 1222 with the fourth run of the inning by scoring as courtesy runner Nick Eversman got caught in a rundown.

Eversman was able to make it to second base after Post 1912 tried for the throw home unsuccessfully.

Post 1912 got back within one in the sixth inning. Lee Hillesheim led off with a single to left field before Brady Allen, who came in for Steuber during the third, hit Larson with a pitch.

But Steuber, who moved to shortstop, got Larson out on a fielder’s choice that put Parker Jones on first. Sam Kulseth singled to score Hillesheim, and Jones wheeled his way home after a Post 1222 errant throw to third.

Daniel Zavala hit a two-out RBI single as Kulseth ran in Post 1912’s last score of the game. Rodriguez grounded out to end the top half of the inning.

Isaac Donnelly singled to center to start off Fairmont. Colby Kuhl reached on an error, while Wolter and Steuber notched back-to-back RBI hits.

Wolter’s hit was enough for Reiter, who re-entered the game for Donnelly, to score, while Kuhl made it home on Steuber’s single.

Allen followed suit with a one-out hit to load the bases. Wolter then scored as Saxton grounded out.

“We started hitting the ball hard,” Sukalski said about his team’s at bats during the sixth inning. “It was important to get those (runs) back. It makes the seventh inning a little tougher for them.”

Facing a 9-5 deficit in the top of the seventh, Goltz led off with a hit, and Hillesheim singled to put two Post 1912 runners on base. But Wolter scooped up Larson’s groundball, flipped it to Tennyson on second, who made the throw to Kuhl on first to complete the double play.

“They (Post 1912) had a rally going … (and) that put an end to their rally,” Sukalski said. “That was an important play by Jordan to get us started.”

Wolter went 2-for-4, scored two runs with a run batted in for the four-run victory.

Steuber scored two runs and recorded an RBI with a double on 3-for-4 hitting. He allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout in two innings of work.

Allen gave up four runs on eight hits while striking out one, walking two and hitting two batters in five innings to earn the win.

“We needed someone to throw, and they (Steuber and Allen) stepped up,” Sukalski said. “Neither one of them had a lot left, but they gave us what they had and they threw it over the plate. Give a lot of credit to those guys.”

STJ 011 003 0-5 10 3

FMT 204 003 x-9 8 2

Sawyer Carr, Daniel Zavala (3, LP) and Daniel Zavala, Sam Kulseth (3). Collin Steuber, Brady Allen (3, WP) and Daniel Reiter.

LOB-St. James 10, Fairmont 6. 2B-Collin Steuber (F). SF-Jacob Tennyson (F), Garrett Larson (SJ).