BOTTOMED OUT — Fairmont Cardinal starting pitcher Landen Meyerdirk (10) displays his athleticism by firing the baseball to first base to record the out on Blue Earth Area batter Kean Hicks (right) during Big South Conference action Thursday at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont. Cardinals’ third baseman Eli Anderson (left) watches the throw. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

FAIRMONT — Class AA No. 2-ranked Fairmont exited Herb Wolf Field after five completed frames with a weather-shortened 7-3 baseball victory over rival Blue Earth Area on Thursday.

No. Wait. Bring’em back.

After a 10-minute, head to the parking lot and watch a sky-high dust storm literally blow by the Fairmont ballpark, the hometown Cardinal and Buc players returned to the dugouts under a blue sky and play resumed in Fairmont.

Fairmont weathered Blue Earth Area’s three-run top of the sixth inning en route to an 8-6 league triumph to improve its seasonal record to 16-0.

“The baseball gods have been good to us,” a grinning Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said. “We’re definitely finding different ways to win ball games.”

Despite Eli Anderson’s first-inning triple, Nate Soelter’s second-inning triple and Zach Jorgensen’s RBI double in the third, the Cardinals manufactured their final six runs on the strength of just one hit — Soelter’s RBI single — during a four-run fifth at-bat, and Jack Kosbab’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Fairmont capitalized on 10 walks, and successfully executed three double-steals to generate three runs to fend off Blue Earth Area for the second time in the last five days. Ironically, the Cardinals downed the Bucs — also by an 8-6 decision — at last Saturday’s Windom Area Invitational at Island Park.

Kosbab and Brendan Schmidtke, Fairmont’s late-inning defensive infield corners, turned in two pivotal plays to thwart Blue Earth Area’s late offensive threats in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.

After singles by Carson Sturtz, Soren Fering and Logan O’Hara loaded the bases in the BEA sixth, Nick Barke inched the visitors within 7-4 via an RBI single to right field. Parker Meyers drew a bases-loaded walk before Kean Hicks plated another run when his grounder was misplayed.

Down 7-6, Adam Schavey belted a grounder to shortstop that was thrown low to first baseman Jack Kosbab, who stretched and scooped the toss to end BEA’s late rally and kept Fairmont ahead on the scoreboard by one.

After Cardinal closer Eli Anderson issued back-to-back walks to the Bucs to open the seventh, Schmidtke gloved a tailing liner off Fering’s bat, but lost control of the baseball temporarily. Schmidtke alertly stepped on third base for the force-out and fired across the diamond to first for the clutch double play.

“I really thought I caught it (line-drive), but then I saw the baseball on the ground. I got the lead runner at third before throwing to first for the double play,” said Schmidtke.

Soelter went 2-for-3 with a triple and one RBI for Fairmont, Anderson tripled and scored once, Lincoln Becker went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, Jorgensen doubled in a run, while Kosbab lofted a sacrifice fly.

Becker allowed five runs on five hits, struck out one, walked two and hit one in 2 2/3 innings of relief to net the win. Anderson walked two, struck out one and allowed one hit in working the seventh to net the save.

Cardinal starting pitcher Landen Meyerdirk allowed only one run on three hits, struck out two, walked three and plunked two in 3 1/3 innings to receive a no-decision.

Anthony Carr started on the mound for the Bucs, allowing six runs on four hits, struck out two and issued five walks to absorb the loss.

Fering went 2-for-5 with a double and run scored for BEA, Parker Meyers was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Sturtz finished 2-for-2.

Fairmont (16-0) plays host to Marshall in a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader today at Wolf Field. Blue Earth Area (7-7) plays host to Windom Area at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Blue Earth.

BEA 001 023 0 — 6 9 2

FMT 012 041 X — 8 5 2

Anthony Carr (LP), Abram Kokos (5), Caleb Langager (6) and Carson Sturtz. Landen Meyerdirk, Lincoln Becker (4, WP), Eli Anderson (7, Sv) and Zach Jorgensen.

LOB–Blue Earth Area 12, Fairmont 7. 2B–Zach Jorgensen (FMT), Soren Fering (BEA). 3B–Eli Anderson (FMT), Nate Soelter (FMT). SF–Jack Kosbab (FMT). SAC–Kean Hicks (BEA), Adam Schavey (BEA).