LUVERNE — Defending state champion Fairmont and sectional foe Luverne needed 11 innings to determine a winner during Monday night’s season-opening clash of prep baseball titans in Luverne.

Nate Soelter’s go-ahead RBI triple and Joseph Hackett’s clutch two-run double triggered Fairmont’s five-run top of the 11th before closer Brendan Schmidtke shut out Luverne during the home half to seal an 8-3 Big South victory.

Schmidtke hurled four scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one hit, to earn the victory. The senior right-hander recorded five strikeouts and issued only one walk.

“Brendan threw four quality innings, but our first two pitchers also really did a great job for us tonight,” Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said in reference to starter Nate Soelter and middle reliever Ben Moeller.

Soelter allowed three earned runs on six hits, struck out six and issued two walks in five frames. Moeller tossed two shutout and hitless innings, walking two and fanning one.

Tied at 3-all, Lincoln Becker triggered Fairmont’s game-winning offensive barrage by drilling a single to lead off the 11th before circling the bases with the go-ahead run on Soelter’s RBI triple.

Levi Pooley drew a walk before Soelter crossed the plate when Luverne committed a throwing error on Fairmont’s delayed double steal for a 5-3 lead.

Schmidtke reached on another Luverne error before Cooper Steuber dropped down a suicide-squeeze bunt to plate Pooley for a 6-3 margin. Hackett then slugged a two-run double for a five-run lead.

Landen Meyerdirk went 2-for-6 with a double and one run scored for Fairmont, Becker went 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI, while Hackett finished with a game-best three RBIs.

Conner Connell and Jacob Stroh each produced two hits and scored one run to pace Luverne’s 10-hit performance, while teammate Layke Miller generated a team-leading two RBIs with one hit.

Connell recorded nine strikeouts and issued three walks during his scoreless 3 1/3 innings of one-hit relief starting in the fourth.

Fairmont (1-0) travels to Blue Earth Area on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. game, while Luverne (0-1) hits the road to American Legion Field in Marshall on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch against the host Tigers.

Luverne edged Fairmont in junior varsity action, 7-3, Monday night in Luverne.

Trevor Maakestad went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored to top Fairmont’s six-hit effort, while teammate Kellen Fritz supplied one hit and one RBI.

Tyler Kurt produced one hit and scored a run for Fairmont, while Merrit Pomerenke and Cole Nawrocki contributed one hit apiece.