FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Martins literally made short work — two innings shy of regulation — of the Milroy Irish during Game 1 of the amateur baseball teams’ Region 13C championship series.

Ace right-hander Spencer Chirpich fired six shutout innings on the mound, while joining teammates Christian Petschke and Tyler Tennyson by pounding out three hits apiece to engineer the Martins’ 10-0, seven-inning rout of the Irish on Thursday night at Herb Wolf Field.

Fairmont (22-8) can clinch the best-of-3 regional series when it travels to Milroy tonight for a 7:30 p.m. Game 2.

The Region 13 champion earns a first-round bye at the Class ‘C’ state tournament, and opens diamond action at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, in Norwood. The Region 13 runner-up begins state play at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, in Hamburg.

“We accomplished a couple of things tonight that we haven’t done for a while,” said Martins player/coach Levi Becker. “We legitimately reached double figures in hits (15), and we scored right away in the first couple of innings with two runs apiece in the first and second.”

With Spencer Chirpich mowing down the first six consecutive Irish batters he faced, Scott Chirpich triggered the Martins’ initial two-run offensive surge during the home half of the first.

Scott Chirpich, who went 2-for-4, lined a one-out single off of Milroy starter Tyler Peterson and hustled all the way to the plate on Jack Waletich’s towering RBI double to right-center.

Waletich then doubled the Martins’ margin to 2-0 by sprinting home on Tennyson’s first RBI single.

The hits literally kept on bouncing off of Fairmont’s lumber during the bottom of the second inning. Dustin Sobolik and Petschke delivered back-to-back singles before Parker Monsen dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both Martins in scoring position.

Spencer Chirpich literally assisted his own cause by wristing an outside delivery inside the first base line to plate both Sobolik and Petschke for a 4-0 lead.

Isaac Dolan lined a leadoff single to open the Irish’s third at-bat to spoil Chirpich’s no-hit bid before Martins third baseman Tyler Tennyson combined with second baseman Scott Chirpich and first baseman Christian Petschke to turn a 5-4-3 double play.

Ironically, Scott Chirpich served as the catalyst behind Fairmont’s 4-6-3 double play, involving shortstop Parker Monsen on the pivot, to erase Peterson’s fourth-inning single.

Petschke later singled before being replaced on base via Monsen’s fielder’s choice ground out to open the Martins’ fourth at-bat. Spencer Chirpich blooped a single before Monsen crossed the plate on Scott Chirpich’s RBI single to left.

Tennyson’s single prior to Adam Schmidt’s RBI triple, followed by Petschke’s clutch RBI single with two outs, highlighted Fairmont’s two-run fifth to extend the lead to 7-0.

Spencer Chirpich singled for the third time during the Martins’ sixth before being replaced on base via Waletich’s fielder’s choice. Waletich later scored on Tennyson’s second RBI single of the night.

Tanner Nawrocki and Sobolik were issued back-to-back walks in the bottom of the seventh before Petschke moved both teammates into scoring position via a right-side ground out.

Monsen then singled home Nawrocki for a 9-0 edge before Sobolik ended the game via the 10-run rule on Milroy reliever Jake Hess’ wild pitch with two outs.

Spencer Chirpich hurled six shutout frames of four-hit baseball, and notched four strikeouts and issued only one walk en route to the pitching victory.

Tennyson fanned one, walked one and gave up two hits in one frame of scoreless relief for the Martins.

Mason Schnaible tripled with two outs in the Milroy fifth at-bat, while Dominic Dolan and Derek Riley each added singles to the Irish’s six-hit performance.

Peterson gave up eight earned runs on 14 hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk in 5 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for the Irish.

Irish 000 000 0 — 0 6 1

Martins 220 121 2 — 10 15 0

Winning run scored with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Tyler Peterson (LP), Jake Hess (6) and Brady Lanoue. Spencer Chirpich (WP), Tyler Tennyson (7) and Dustin Sobolik.

LOB–Martins 6, Irish 6. 2B–Jack Waletich (M). 3B–Adam Schmidt (M), Mason Schnaible (I). SAC–Parker Monsen (M).