Fairmont’s rally in 6th inning downs Martin Co. West

WELCOME -- Fairmont produced its fourth consecutive baseball victory Friday night, but not without needing a sixth-inning power surge.

Landen Meyerdirk triggered the Cardinals' late extra-base hit barrage with a pinch-hit double before teammates Eli Anderson, Jack Kosbab and Levi Pooley each blasted triples during a seven-run sixth at-bat to pace an eventual 13-6 comeback win over the Martin County West Mavericks in Welcome.

Preston Vaughn worked three hitless and scoreless innings of relief to earn the pitching victory for Fairmont.

"It was another good outing for Preston," Cardinals head coach Don Waletich said in reference to his junior right-hander's shutdown pitching performance that included two strikeouts and two walks.

"Landen's approach at the plate in the sixth really got us going in the right direction," added Waletich, whose batting order collected half of its 14 hits during the final two frames.

Trailing 6-5 on the heels of Lincoln Becker's clutch two-run single with two outs in the top of the fifth, Meyerdirk kept Fairmont's offensive production revving in high gear during the sixth.

Pooley was plunked in the back by a Lucas Jagodzinske delivery before stealing second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Waletich gave the bunt signal to Meyerdirk to advance Pooley 90 feet closer, but the Cardinals' pinch hitter sent the pitch foul.

"I didn't get the bunt down, so I was looking to go the other way and he (Jagodzinske) gave me an outside pitch, and I went with it," Meyerdirk said in reference to his key bloop hustle double just inside the right-field line to plate Pooley with the equalizer.

Meyerdirk reached third base on Nate Soelter's bunt before scoring on Eli Anderson's towering RBI triple to center. Anderson then crossed the plate on a wild pitch for an 8-6 lead, but Fairmont was not finished yet.

After a strikeout, Kosbab drilled a sinking liner to center that eluded MCW's outfielder en route to a triple before Kosbab scored on Jackson Utermarck's RBI single to center.

Becker collected his third hit of the game before Gavin Rodning was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the batter who started the inning -- Pooley. Fairmont's No. 7 batter then slugged a bases-clearing triple to deep right field for a 12-6 lead.

The Cardinals grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first behind singles from Eli Anderson, Zach Jorgensen and Becker before the Mavericks answered with two in the home half. Zach Anderson walked, Christian Bachenberg singled and both circled the bases when Blake Jagodzinske hammered a grounder down the third-base line.

Soelter regained a 3-2 lead for Fairmont by singling and later scoring on Eli Anderson's RBI single to center in the second, but MCW matched the solo run in the last of the third. Bachenberg walked and eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

Lucas Jagodzinske, Riley Kascht and Bachenberg then staked the Mavericks to a 6-3 lead by producing singles in the last of the fourth, with Kascht and Bachenberg picking up RBIs.

Fairmont answered with two runs via Lincoln Becker's clutch two-out single in the fifth before the Cardinals batted around in the sixth. Jorgensen capped the scoring with an RBI single in the seventh.

Eli Anderson went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs for the Cardinals, Becker supplied three hits and three RBIs, while Pooley went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Bachenberg went 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored for MCW, while Zach Anderson went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored.

Fairmont (9-7) travels to Belle Plaine on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. non-league game, while Martin County West (6-9) plays host to Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at 5 p.m. Monday at the Fox Lake Sports Complex in Welcome.

FHS 210 027 1 -- 13 14 2

MCW 201 300 0 -- 6 5 2

Jacob Crissinger, Preston Vaughn (5, WP) and Jackson Utermarck. Blake Jagodzinske, Lucas Jagodzinske (5, LP), Nick Rathman (7) and Lucas Jagodzinske, Christian Bachenberg (5).

LOB--Fairmont 6, Martin Co. West 5. 2B--Landen Meyerdirk (FHS). 3B--Eli Anderson (FHS), Jack Kosbab (FHS), Levi Pooley (FHS). SAC--Nate Soelter (FHS), Jesse Potts (MCW).