UNHITTABLE — Fairmont starting pitcher Jacob Crissinger delivers a pitch to catcher Jackson Utermarck during Section 3AA second-round baseball action against Jackson County Central on Saturday at Herb Wolf field in Fairmont. Crissinger went on to pitch a one-hit shutout. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont combined suffocating pitching performances with flawless offensive production from the Nos. 1-3 batters to engineer back-to-back run-rule sectional baseball victories on Saturday.

Game 1 starting pitcher Landen Meyerdirk, closer Preston Vaughn and Game 2 starter Jacob Crissinger combined to allow just one run on three total hits during the two-game playoff sweep at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont.

The Cardinals’ top three in the batting order — Eli Anderson, Lincoln Becker and Zach Jorgensen — nearly accomplished perfection from the batter’s box by going an official 11-for-13 with nine walks, 16 runs scored and eight RBIs to exit the ballpark early twice.

Jorgensen went 7-for-7 with a triple and a double, generated seven RBIs and scored five times on the day, while Meyerdirk pitched four innings of two-hit baseball in the opener and Crissinger fired a one-hit complete-game shutout in Round 2 to pace Fairmont’s 11-1, five-inning rout over the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers and a 10-0, five-frame triumph over the Jackson County Central Huskies, respectively.

Fairmont (14-8) advances to face Luverne (19-3) in a 5 p.m. Section 3AA unbeaten bracket, Round 3 clash Tuesday in Luverne.

Luverne, which earned a first-round bye Saturday, posted a 7-4 second-round win over Pipestone Area to remain undefeated in the postseason.

“Our pitchers pounded the strike zone, hit their spots, proved efficient with their pitches, and when the opposing team did make contact with their deliveries, our defense fielded it today,” Fairmont pitching coach Matt Lytle said in reference to the team’s total of just two errors Saturday.

Lytle’s postgame words proved as precise as one of Meyerdirk’s 55 pitches in Game 1. Meyerdirk allowed one run on two hits, struck out four and walked two in four innings to earn the win. Vaughn struck out one and walked one in working a hitless and scoreless fifth.

While Meyerdirk held the Panthers’ batting order in check with the exception of Alex Schuh’s second-inning sacrifice fly that plated Nathan Fultz — who had singled, Eli Anderson hammered a leadoff triple to set the Cardinals’ explosive offensive tone during a five-run bottom of the first.

Becker and Jorgensen followed Anderson’s extra-base blast with consecutive singles before Jack Kosbab reached on a mishandled sacrifice bunt. Jackson Utermarck followed with a sacrifice fly, Jorgensen was balked home and Gavin Rodning’s untouched sky-high infield hit plated two more runs.

Jorgensen then triggered his potent RBI production by lining a run-scoring single on the heels of back-to-back walks to Anderson and Becker in the Cardinals’ second at-bat.

Nate Soelter later drilled a two-run single and Rodning’s infield fly plated another run to widen Fairmont’s margin to 9-1 over TMB after two completed frames.

Becker then drew another one of his two-game stint’s incredible six walks before circling the bases on Jorgensen’s towering RBI triple to right in the last of the third.

Jorgensen later crossed the plate via Soelter’s second RBI single against the Panthers for the necessary 10-run margin after five completed frames.

Crissinger then recorded five strikeouts, walked only one and allowed just one hit — a third-inning single to Ben Spaeth — in five flawless frames to just miss hurling a rare no-hitter in the postseason.

With Crissinger holding JCC’s bats in check, Jorgensen drove in half of Fairmont’s 10 runs on the strength of a two-run double in the first, a two-run single in the second and an RBI single in the fifth that proved the game-winning walk-off hit of Game 2. He also legged out an infield hit in the fourth.

“Jorgy, Eli and Lincoln literally reached base every time in Game 2 and nearly did that in the opener, too. I think you can call that efficient offensive production,” Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said with a smile. “The ironic part about those numbers is the fact we left 10 runners on base against Jackson (County Central). Go figure.”

Anderson, Becker and Jorgensen combined to reach base a staggering 12 of 12 times at JCC’s expense. Anderson scored four times after singling twice and walking twice, while Becker drew four straight walks en route to two runs scored in Game 2.

Meyerdirk went 1-for-3 on the day, and scored a run during the Cardinals’ two-run second at-bat.

JCC 000 00 — 0 1 4

FHS 320 41 — 10 7 2

Winning run scored with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Gavin Jacobsen (LP), Gabe Wolff (4), Andrew Boyum (5) and Mason Pohlman. Jacob Crissinger (WP) and Jackson Utermarck.

LOB–Fairmont 10, Jackson Co. Central 3. 2B–Zach Jorgensen (FHS).

TMB 010 00 — 1 2 2

FHS 542 0x — 11 8 0

Ashton Squires (LP), Travis Willhite (2) and Alex Schuh. Landen Meyerdirk (WP), Preston Vaughn (5) and Jackson Utermarck.

LOB–Fairmont 5, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 2. 3B–Eli Anderson (FHS) and Zach Jorgensen (FHS). SF–Jackson Utermarck (FHS) and Alex Schuh (TMB). SAC–Jack Kosbab (FHS).