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Martins derail Engineers in Game 1 of playoff series

FAIRMONT — Fairmont right-hander Matt Lytle opted for a literal change of pace on the mound during Game 1 of the Martins’ best-of-3 First Nite/Gopher League amateur baseball playoff series on Wednesday night.

Lytle allowed only one earned run while scattering six hits during his seven-inning pitching stint before closer Adam Schmidt fired two shutout innings of relief to cap Fairmont’s 6-1 victory over the Tracy Engineers at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont.

The Martins (17-4) travel to Tracy on Saturday for Game 2 of the league series starting at 2 p.m.

“My arm felt good tonight,” said Lytle, who demonstrated stellar control by striking out five and issuing just two walks to earn the victory. “I just tried to put the ball in play and let our defense do the work behind me.”

Lytle produced a 1-2-3 top of the first inning before surrendering the only run of his tenure on the hill during the second frame.

Back-to-back singles by Tracy’s Shane Erickson and Garrett Hogeland, followed by Tanner Phelps’ sacrifice bunt and Brian Fultz’s bloop RBI single to right-center, staked the Engineers to a short-lived 1-0 lead.

Levi Becker set the table for the Martins’ offensive counter in the home half of the second, reaching on an error and swiping second base. Becker wheeled to third base on Christian Petschke’s right-side ground out before scoring on Adam Schmidt’s towering sacrifice fly to center to knot the game at 1-all.

Lytle then utilized all the pitches in his repertoire — including a revitalized change-up — to work out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the third without allowing a run.

“My curveball was my ‘out’ pitch tonight, but my change-up finally was working, too,” said Lytle. “I haven’t used it (change-up) much this season, but it felt good in warmups. I talked to (catcher) Ethan (Hurn) right before the game and we decided to put it into my pitch selection, and it worked.”

Lytle then struck out the Tracy side in order during the fourth on a dozen pitches before receiving back-to-back defensive gems from Martins shortstop Spencer Chirpich to strand two Engineer runners in the fifth inning.

Fairmont, which stranded nine runners on the game, finally snapped the low-scoring playoff clash’s tie by plating five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth.

Ethan Hurn singled, advanced 90 feet on a throwing error, held on a walk to Jon Traetow and circled the bases on Levi Becker’s towering RBI double to the left-center gap.

Traetow scored on Petschke’s RBI ground out, Schmidt singled home Becker and Chirpich later singled home both Schmidt and Blake Crawmer, who had walked, for a five-run margin.

Lytle faced only one over the minimum during scoreless sixth and seventh innings before the hard-throwing Schmidt pitched two shutout frames. Schmidt struck out three and walked three without allowing a hit to earn the save.

Tennyson went 3-for-5 with a double to top Fairmont’s nine-hit effort, Hurn went 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Chirpich and Schmidt each went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Erickson went 2-for-5 with a run scored for Tracy, while Brian Fultz was 1-for-4 with the team’s only RBI.

Tracy starting pitcher Dan Scamp allowed six runs on seven hits, walked four, struck out one and hit one batter in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Tracy 010 000 000 — 1 6 2

Fairmont 010 050 00x — 6 9 2

Dan Scamp (LP), Garrett Hogeland (5) and Shane Erickson. Matt Lytle (WP), Adam Schmidt (8, Sv) and Ethan Hurn.

LOB–Fairmont 9, Tracy 12. 2B–Tyler Tennyson (Fairmont), Levi Becker (Fairmont). SF–Adam Schmidt (Fairmont). SAC–Tanner Phelps (Tracy).

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