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Stevens, St. Peter shut out Fairmont softball, 3-0

FAIRMONT — Olivia Stevens’ accurate pitching arm and potent aluminum bat powered the St. Peter Saints to a 3-0 Big South Conference triumph over the Fairmont Cardinals during softball action Saturday at Cardinal Park.

Stevens recorded a game-best seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk in hurling seven shutout innings to earn the complete-game victory for the Saints.

Stevens, who went 2-for-4, also generated the Saints’ initial run of the low-scoring league contest via one of the Cardinals’ two errors in the top of the third, while teammate Brielle Bushaw went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Fairmont senior ace right-hander Jordan Ehlert notched five strikeouts without issuing a base-on-balls in seven innings of work to absorb the loss. Ehlert allowed three runs — just two earned — on seven hits.

“I thought Jo (Ehlert) did a good job of holding them to three runs today,” said Fairmont head coach Haley Loerts, whose lineup suffered a 10-0, five-inning loss to the Saints on April 18 in St. Peter. “St. Peter was able to get a couple of pivotal two-out hits in both the fourth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.”

Bushaw proved the Saints’ clutch batter on the day, singling home Shelby Paul with a solo tally in the top of the fourth, and later singled in Mackenzie Brey in the sixth. Paul and Brey each reached on singles.

“Offensively, we put runners on base, but we couldn’t come up with the key hit at the right time,” said Loerts.

Macey Bearson hammered a two-out single for Fairmont in the bottom of the second inning, but was stranded when Stevens got an ensuing groundout. Taylor Crissinger experienced the same fate as Bearson on the heels of her two-out single in the Cardinals’ fourth inning.

Fairmont produced its best chance to score in the bottom of the sixth when Jen Moeller and Cambrie Anderson delivered back-to-back singles with one out.

Stevens, however, displayed her mettle by getting an infield popup and one of her seven strikeouts to escape unscathed in the sixth.

Fairmont (5-11) travels to New Ulm on Tuesday, while St. Peter (14-4) hits the road to Waseca.

STP 001 101 0 — 3 7 0

FHS 000 000 0 — 0 4 2

Olivia Stevens (WP) and Allie McCabe. Jordan Ehlert (LP) and Chloe Murphy.

LOB–St. Peter 5, Fairmont 4.

Prep Baseball

Blue Earth Area 11, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 0 — Freshman Logan O’Hara pitched a three-hit complete-game gem, while teammate Anders Fering wielded lethal lumber during Blue Earth Area’s five-inning run-rule rout over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown on Saturday in Waterville.

O’Hara scattered three hits over five shutout frames to earn the victory for the Bucs. O’Hara recorded four strikeouts and issued two walks during his five innings on the mound.

Fering produced a game-best four RBIs on the strength of a 3-for-4 hitting performance, including a pair of doubles, for the visiting Bucs.

Luke Mertens went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored to help trigger Blue Earth Area’s non-league triumph, Hunter Bleess went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and scored three runs, while Koby Nagel went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs scored.

Blue Earth Area (11-5) plays host to Marshall in a 4:30 p.m. Big South doubleheader in Blue Earth.

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