EYES ON THE BALL — Fairmont VFW Post 1222 shortstop Lincoln Becker sets his feet and watches the ball into his glove during the first inning of a baseball game against Sleepy Eye on Wednesday. Fairmont went on to win 4-1 over Post 800. (Photo by Kyle McAreavy)

FAIRMONT – Jacob Crissinger shut down the Sleepy Eye Post 800 bats to earn Fairmont Post 1222’s second win of the season.

Crissinger pitched all seven innings for a complete game, striking out nine and allowing only five hits.

Crissinger allowed only three hits through the first six innings.

Mason Sellner hit a single to left in the opening frame, Owen Weiss doubled to deep center in the third and Jackson Huiras singled on a swinging bunt in the fourth.

Other than those three, Crissinger didn’t allow a runner, while striking out eight.

“On his (Crissinger’s) behalf, he’s a strong pitcher with a good curveball working for him,” Fairmont assistant coach Ryan Schmidtke said of Crissinger’s performance. “Today he mixed in a changeup here and there and ended up coming out strong on the mound.”

Post 1222 took the lead it wouldn’t give up during the bottom of the first.

Carsen Musser got the Fairmont bats going with two outs when he sent a single to left-center field. Levi Pooley then followed, reaching base on an error.

Both Musser and Pooley came around to score when Jack Kosbab launched a double over the Sleepy Eye centerfielder for two RBIs.

Cooper Steuber then sent a lined shot through the left side of the infield to put runners on first and third before Hayden Clabaugh reached base on another error, this one scoring Kosbab.

Fairmont added another run in the fourth.

Musser once again got the inning started with two outs, this time sending a soaring shot to the warning track in right-center field for a triple.

Musser scored when Pooley hit a hard ground ball past the Sleepy Eye shortstop’s backhanded attempt.

“We played really good defense and we had really strong pitching on the mound,” Schmidtke said. “Overall we stepped up to the plate tonight, we had a few timely hits and we put the ball in good spots with runners on the bases.”

Crissinger took a shutout into the seventh, then Sleepy Eye strung together two hits in an inning for the first time.

Nolan Domeier started the inning with a single through the right side of the infield.

After Crissinger got the next two batters out on a pop fly and a fly ball, his counterpart, Sleepy Eye starter Nick Mielke, sent a double down the left-field line, landing only a foot or two on the fair side of the foul line. The shot ended as a double, with Domeier scoring from first.

Mielke pitched all six innings for Sleepy Eye, allowing four runs – one earned – on five hits and one walk, while striking out four. Musser had a single and a triple for Fairmont, while Pooley singled for an RBI.

Kosbab added a double and two RBIs, while Steuber had a single.

Fairmont (2-6) goes to Franklin Rogers field in Mankato to face Mankato East in doubleheader action starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

SLE 000 000 1 — 1 5 3

FMT 301 000 0 — 4 5 0

Jacob Crissinger (WP, CG) and Carsen Musser.

Nick Mielke (LP, CG) and Caden Evers.

LOB–FMT 5, SLE 4. 2B–Jack Kosbab (FMT), Owen Weiss (SLE), Nick Mielke (SLE). 3B–Carsen Musser (FMT).